The best waiver software needs to…
- Protect your business from lawsuits, some of which might be intentional attempts to defraud you.
- Should be “better than free”, i.e. generate more profit than it costs, by cycling waivers back into marketing, referrals, sales
- Should save you time and be easy to use, i.e. “Set it & Forget it”
- Should integrate into your other systems – calendar, scheduler, payments, so that data doesn’t have to be re-entered.
- Should contain if-then logic for things like whether a participant is under 18, or has allergies or medical concerns, mobility issues, etc – whatever applies to your business. If none of those apply – which will usually be the case but not always, the form stays easy and simple. Complexity (details about an allergy for example, or parent’s signature if < 18) appears only if needed. Paper could never do this.
- Should allow for participant photos in many cases. Even if you don’t care about linking a profile photo to a signer, it can be helpful for marketing and social media.
- It should allow for easy lookup anytime of participants by name, phone etc.
- It should ideally be part of a complete system, so you’re not left struggling with API programming connections trying to “glue” software together, or dealing with hassles of export and import.
9 Key things to think about before
your choose an eSign / Waiver system
Waivers are signable via any device – phone, tablet, kiosk on site, PC at home, etc; SwiftCloud waivers can even work offline (i.e. whitewater rafting, horseback riding – no cell service areas, then they sync to the server when reconnected).
TIP: Sequences are another system built in – anyone who signs your waiver can also get a pre-scheduled sequence of messages.
The Best Waiver Software is Better than Paper
Electronic signature is better than paper, and per the E-SIGN Act & other laws, it’s fully legally binding – when done correctly. It is much more difficult to fake. Paper signatures risk people saying they signed when they didn’t, providing fake names such as “John Doe”, and assuming you won’t notice if they skip this important step. Most guests just want to have a good time, but sometimes professional fraud perpetrators will try to circumvent your systems, and threaten to sue, hoping for an insurance settlement that could easily be $5k. Nobody thinks this will happen to them until it does.
Electronic signatures generate an extensive digital audit trail. This includes details such as IP addresses, device-date-time, and browser type or phone type. This makes it far more difficult to claim someone didn’t sign the waiver. With pen and paper, a user just needs a pen and the moral or ethical willingness to commit fraud.
Electronic Waivers can also do things paper never could – embed images, If-then logic, etc.
It’s Easy to Change to Electronic Signature
SPECIAL OFFER: We’ll set up your waiver for you, free, if you ask.
Changing from paper to electronic signatures doesn’t have to be difficult. The setup takes just a few minutes in most cases. You upload your source-doc, such as word file or PDF, and an online wizard will convert it to an editable form. Replace any underlined portions the user should fill in with fields using a handy tool. Then you can decide user flow, who gets a copy, and you’re done. The waiver instantly publishes online and is ready for readers.
There are dozens of options, including integrating into online schedulers, calendar flows, payments, payment flows, and more.
The Options that the Best Waiver Software Systems Provides
The best waiver software systems include options that paper never could. For example, you can use branching if-then logic. A resort that offers snowmobiling, horseback riding, and water sports have different sections and questions depending on the activity the users are taking part in. Checking boxes change the waiver to suit the needs, season, and other variables. If a user has allergies, you can show additional fields to include details, medication usage, food restrictions, and more. People who don’t check the allergy box can speed right through the form.
Waiver software systems reduce the legal risk of preventing people from crossing out sections (“redlining”) they don’t agree with. When you link your waiver in advance, this reduces the claim that a participant signed “under duress” or without reading it, since you’ve given them plenty of time to review.
Integrate the Best Waiver Software into Your Business
Once you’ve set up your new waiver, you’ll want to integrate it into your business. This often means cloning a copy so you have a web-version and another in-person version. The in-person version will reset itself after each submission, can work offline (such as at a trade show with no internet), and/or loaded into a self-serve kiosk. The website version often links from a business owner’s website and is added into confirmation emails.
When any waiver gets signed, both you and the signer get a signed PDF copy. The software stores this copy online in a branded-to-you portal for the client in a shared workroom for those who need ongoing data storage. The best waiver software option allows for easy lookup of customers’ data by name, phone, email, date, or other custom fields.
Any business with waivers often needs accident reports and forms that allow users to decline an ambulance when injuries or property damage occurs. Having these forms handy and set up in advance can reduce your legal risk should an accident happen.
Why You Should Get Set Up Now
Getting set up is easy. Once you do, you’ll never look back. The best waiver software system can help your business reduce legal risk, increase profits via marketing automation, reduce time on paperwork, eliminate the need to store paper, streamline the guest participant experience, reduce reading sloppy handwriting, and help save the environment. They are a critical first step to getting your business systems closer to autopilot.