Use e-signatures with quotes

An electronic signature, or an e-signature, is a person's electronic expression of agreement to the terms of a particular document. E-signatures are valid and legal in the United States, Canada, the European Union, the U.K., and many other countries. They have the same legal weight as written signatures. HubSpot’s e-sign feature is powered by Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign). Consult your own legal team to understand the validity of using e-signatures with your customers.

Below, learn more about e-signatures and how to e-sign a quote.

Understand limitations and considerations

• You don't need to create an account with Dropbox Sign in order to use e-sign as part of the regular quote creation process within HubSpot.
• A user with a paid Commerce Hub seat can configure a quote to include an e-signature option.
• Users with a core seat can't configure a quote, but can be set as the quote sender by another user, or as a countersigner.

Understand e-signature limits

• You can review the e-signature limits for your subscription in HubSpot's Products & Services catalog and by checking your account's e-signature usage.
• You can purchase additional signatures by contacting HubSpot's sales team.

For example:

• Users with an assigned Commerce Hub seat, that are part of an account with a Commerce Hub Professional subscription, have 25 five e-signatures available to use. Note that this is 25 e-signatures per Commerce Hub seat. If the account has two users, each with an assigned Commerce Hub seat, the account would have a base e-signature limit of 50 per month, because the limit is pooled between all users with seats. One user could use 30 e-signatures in a month, resulting in 20 remaining for other users with seats. Users with a core seat can't configure a quote, but can be set as the quote sender by another user, or as a countersigner.
• Users with an assigned Commerce Hub seat, that are part of an account with a Commerce Hub Enterprise subscription, have 50 e-signatures available to use. Note that this is 50 e-signatures per Commerce Hub seat. If the account has five users, each with an assigned Commerce Hub seat, the account would have a base e-signature limit of 250 per month, because the limit is pooled between all users with seats. One user could use 30 e-signatures in a month, resulting in 220 remaining for other users with seats. Users with a core seat can't configure a quote, but can be set as the quote sender by another user, or as a countersigner.
  
  • An e-signature will count toward the limit as soon as the e-signature option is turned on for a published quote. The quote does not need to be signed to apply to the signature limit. A quote that requires multiple signatures only counts as one usage toward your limit.
  • For example, if a published quote with the e-signature option turned on requires three signatures, this only counts as one usage toward your limit regardless of who has signed the quote.
  • If a quote with an e-signature request expires or is recalled, resending the quote would count as an additional e-signature toward your limit (one e-signature for the first time the quote is sent, and another when the quote is re-sent).

Enable e-signatures on a quote

To include an e-signature field on a quote, HubSpot users can select e-signature as an acceptance option on the quote.

Disclaimer: HubSpot's implementation of Dropbox Sign should be eIDAS compliant, as Dropbox Sign is eIDAS compliant. This is not intended to be legal advice and should not be a substitute for professional legal advice, for which you should consult a licensed attorney.

Dropbox Sign uses a trusted partner for e-signature compliance in the EU and will not explicitly show up on the eIDAS website of trusted partners.

E-sign a quote

When e-signature is enabled for a quote, buyers and countersigners can add their signatures to the quote.

For added security, you can turn on identity verification so that HubSpot includes a preliminary email verification step to confirm the signer's identity before allowing them to sign the quote. If you don't need identity verification, you can turn this requirement off or countersigners can optionally start the signature process from within the HubSpot account, which removes the need for verification.

Both buyers and countersigners can begin the e-signature process from a shared quote:

1. If identity verification is turned on, verify your identity via email:
   • On the shared quote, scroll to the Signature section, then click Verify email at the bottom of the quote. An email will then be sent to you with next steps for signing the quote. You'll have one hour to complete the signature process after clicking Verify email.

Please note: if you don't sign the quote within one hour of clicking the Verify email button, you'll need to navigate back to the shared quote and click Verify email again to generate a new verification email. 

• • Navigate to your email inbox and look for an email with the subject line Please verify your identity to sign your quote. Click Verify your identity and sign quote to start the signature process.

1. • A new browser tab will open with a dialog box confirming your identity. Click Start signing.
2. To sign, click Get started in the top right hand corner or click Click to sign on the signature box.
   
   
   • Click Click to sign next to your name at the bottom of the quote.
3. In the dialog box, add your signature by clicking the Draw, Type, or Upload tabs to select your method of signing. Then click Insert to add the signature.
4. In the top right, click Continue.
5. Click I agree to save your signature on the quote, or click Edit to edit your signature.
6. Click Close.
7. Countersigners will receive an email to notifying them that the quote has been signed and click Review and countersign quote to start the countersign process.

Countersigners can also countersign a quote from the quotes index page:

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Commerce > Quotes.
2. You'll see your quote listed with a status of Pending signature. Hover over the quote, and click Preview.
3. In the upper right, click Actions, then select Countersign.
   
   
4. Continue to the signature steps.

From the quotes index page, you can also review the signature status:

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Commerce > Quotes.
2. Hover over a quote with pending signatures and click Preview. 
3. In the right panel, view the signing activity under Signers.
   
   
4. To print a downloaded copy of the quote, next to the quote, click Preview, then in the upper right, click Actions, then select Download.

Please note: if you download a signed quote, Dropbox Sign removes links from any hyperlinked text included in the Cover letter, Executive summary, or Terms sections from the PDF version of the quote. It's recommended to include the full URL for the linked text so the link is still clickable after the quote is downloaded.

Your customer will receive a copy of the document that they signed once all required signatures and countersignatures have been completed. The notification that they receive includes a link to the document they signed, which expires when the quote expires, and a PDF copy of the fully signed document for their records.

Monitor e-signature usage

In your quote settings, you can view how many e-signatures you've used this month so far, along with how close to your monthly limit you are. The monthly limit resets on the first of each month.

To check your e-signature usage:

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar, navigate to Objects > Quotes.
3. Click the E-signature tab.

Manage e-signature identity verification settings

By default, e-signatures don't require identity verification during the quote signing process, but you can turn on this requirement. If you want to require buyer verification but don't need countersigner verification, you can turn the setting on and have countersigners sign from within HubSpot.

To turn identity verification on or off:

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar, navigate to Objects > Quotes.
3. Click the E-signature tab.
4. To turn on verification and require it when signing a quote, under E-signature settings, toggle the Identity verification switch on. Moving forward, identity verification will be required when signing a quote.
5. To turn off verification, toggle the Identity verification switch off. Moving forward, identity verification will not be required when signing a quote.