Google Trials Innovative eSignature Tool for Workspace Customers, Rivals Docusign Market Dominance

Google is currently offering a select group of Workspace customers the opportunity to test out its innovative eSignature tool for Docs and Drive as the tech giant sets its sights on rivaling DocuSign's dominance in the market.

This unique tool enables customers to introduce signature fields directly in Google Docs, hence enabling the completion and request of digital signatures on essential documents such as contracts.

Google has stated that the users of its Workspace will also be capable of requesting signatures from individuals who do not use Google, thus enhancing the versatility of this feature as it aims to phase out the requirement for other eSignature software.

Introducing Google's eSignature Tool

In the initial stage, Google seems to be focusing largely on Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs), possibly due to the fact that the eSignature tool is still in development and may lack some advanced features to be introduced later.

The company expressed in a statement, “For solo entrepreneurs and small firms, the management of contracts, customer agreements, and other legally binding documents can be daunting. Our native eSignature feature in Google Docs is designed to simplify this process, enabling you to request and incorporate Signatures into official contracts within Google Docs.”

The ability to secure signatures from non-Google users, facilitate more than one signature, and incorporate signatures in PDFs saved in Drive, are all slated to be launched “later this year.” An audit trail functionality designed to help users monitor outstanding signatures is also expected to be part of these enhancements.

Subscribers of Google Workspace Individual currently have access to the open beta version. However, it may take until late August for the modifications to be implemented on some accounts.

Google further informs that the customers of Workspace Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Starter/Standard/Plus /Essentials/Essentials Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits will be eligible to apply for beta access “over the next few weeks.”