At the end of 2011, electronic signature and document management provider GoPaperless Solutions launched their eSignDashboard app for the iPad. You can check out our sneak peek of the app here: "Going Paperless and Mobile with the eSignDashboard iPad App." The company has recently released some updates to the app and we decided it was about time to create a quick product review.

Take a Test Drive

If an image is worth 1,000 words, then video must be worth 100,000. We think this video from GoPaperless is a great way to get introduced to the app.

We Walk through the Basics

We downloaded the app on our iPad (it is available in the app store). Following along with the training video, we began by creating a folder for a fake transaction. The next step would naturally be to add some documents for that transaction. Forms can be added via email or from the Internet ("From URL"). Now, this is pretty cool – when I searched for a W9 online and found a .pdf version AND when I clicked on an attachment to an email, I was automatically given the option to "Open in eSignDashboard." It was really easy.

Annotating a document will feel very familiar (if you're used to working with .pdf documents) with the annotation toolbar that allows you to add fields for text, signatures, dates, and freehand drawing. You click where you'd like the field to appear (you can also move the field once it has been added by the 'touch, hold, and drag' feature of the iPad).

When you select "Sign" from the annotation toolbar, a "signature pad" will appear and you can use your finger or a stylus to sign in the designated area. The aesthetics of the signature can be changed in a variety of ways (color, line boldness, etc.). You can also resize the signature.

Once you've edited your document, you can email it, fax it, or print it. Faxing a document requires a REDfax account; if you don't already have one, you can call GoPaperless or visit their website www.gopaperless.com and they'll set one up for you.

Of course, there's much more to the eSignDashboard app, but these are some of the essentials that we saw.

Benefits & Future Upgrades

In walking through the app and discussing it with Prabakar Mahalingam, COO of GoPaperless Solutions, we see several key benefits.

• The ability to capture signatures in a secure manner. The built-in signature pad makes the signing experience better, avoiding accidental mark-ups. In addition, the end-result .pdf is a secured, flattened document that is tamper-proof.
• Enables agents to manage their documents on an iPad, creating organized files and folders/subfolders. This is incredibly important to today's busy, mobile agent.
• Multiple sharing options offer a degree of flexibility.

We also got the scoop on several important upgrades that are coming soon:

• The ability to take the folder/subfolder structure that's on your iPad, synchronize this to the cloud, and access it on any computer.
• The eShare feature (currently available on the PC version, soon available on the iPad) will allow your colleagues or clients to have controlled access to certain documents.

App vs. PC Experience

The many REALTORS® that have already used the Real Estate Dashboard or eSignOnline from GoPaperless Solutions will naturally be curious about the new app. Some may be wondering, "How will the iPad experience differ from using GoPaperless on my PC?" So, we asked Prabakar.

"Clearly, the operating system is different on a PC and an iPad, so the user interface is going to have some inevitable differences," Prabakar explains. "With the iPad, it's very much touch-driven and, in my opinion, a little more intuitive. However, the functionality is very much the same, we didn't compromise in offering the full features of our solution."