Mastercontrol Electronic Signature for Secure Signing
Award-winning eSignature solution
What mastercontrol electronic signature means
Mastercontrol electronic signature is a digital signing workflow that lets a person review a document, confirm identity, and apply a legally binding signature online. In practice, the signer receives a secure request, opens the document, and signs from a browser or mobile device. signNow records the action, captures timestamps and signer details, and preserves an audit trail. The result is a faster, paperless process that supports U.S. business, healthcare, and regulated workflows while keeping the record organized and verifiable.
Why it matters in U.S. workflows
It reduces manual routing, shortens approval cycles, and creates a record that can support enforceability under ESIGN and UETA when consent, intent, and attribution are documented.
Common implementation pain points
Signer identity checks can be too weak for regulated documents if authentication is not matched to the risk level. Missing consent records can create enforceability questions when a signer later disputes the electronic process. Poor document routing can delay approvals when multiple reviewers must sign in a defined order. Inadequate retention controls can make it harder to produce records for audits, litigation, or compliance reviews.
Who uses it and for what
Healthcare
Healthcare teams use it for patient forms, consent records, and HIPAA-related approvals that need clear audit evidence.
Real estate
Real estate and finance teams use it for leases, disclosures, applications, and approval packets that move across locations.
Real users and practical roles
Operations leaders in healthcare and life sciences use signNow to route consent forms, policy acknowledgments, and regulated approvals with audit trails that support review and retention requirements. They benefit when signatures must be collected quickly across departments, locations, and mobile devices without losing document control or signer attribution. NetSuite and ERP administrators in distribution, manufacturing, and services use signNow to connect approval workflows to order forms, vendor packets, and internal requests. Xerox and Tech Data customer stories fit this pattern because integrated signing helps teams keep records aligned with business systems and reduce manual follow-up.
Best ROI. Our customers achieve an average 7x ROI within the first six months.
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Intuitive UI and API. Sign and send documents from your apps in minutes.
Core features that support signing
signNow supports controlled signing workflows, recordkeeping, and identity checks that fit routine business documents and regulated approvals.
Audit trail
Tracks signer actions, timestamps, and document history so each completed file has a clear record for review, audit, or dispute response.
Mobile access
Supports browser and mobile signing so recipients can review and sign without installing extra software or switching devices.
Sequential routing
Routes documents in a defined order, which helps teams manage approvals, countersignatures, and multi-party review steps.
Record storage
Stores completed records in a format that helps teams retrieve signed files and supporting evidence later.
Signer verification
Uses authentication options that can be matched to document sensitivity, including stronger checks for higher-risk workflows.
Reusable templates
Works with templates so repeat documents can keep the same fields, routing, and approval structure.
How the signing flow works
The workflow follows a simple sequence from delivery to completion, with identity, signature, and recordkeeping handled in order.
Open request: The signer opens the request and reviews the document. Verify signer: Identity checks confirm the signer before completion. Sign document: The signer applies the signature and submits it. Save record: signNow stores the completed file and audit trail.
Quick setup steps
Use a short setup path to prepare, send, and confirm a signed document in signNow.
Prepare file:
Upload the document or choose a template. Set recipients:
Add signer fields and routing order. Send request:
Send the request for signature. Check results:
Review completion status and download the record.
Recommended workflow settings
Use identity checks, retention, and encryption settings that match the document type, regulatory burden, and internal approval policy.
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Authentication method | SMS OTP for routine approvals |
| Signature type | SES for standard U.S. contracts |
| Audit trail | Enable full event logging |
| Document retention | 6 years for HIPAA records |
| Encryption | TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256 |
Browser and device requirements
signNow works in modern browsers on desktop and mobile devices, with secure TLS connections and support for browser-based signing.
Desktop browsers Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari Operating systems Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android Secure connection TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3 required
For managed deployments, confirm device policies, browser updates, and access controls before rollout. Teams using SSO, API access, or regulated retention should also align provisioning, authentication, and storage rules with internal IT and compliance standards.
Security and compliance snapshot
Encryption:
Data storage:
Controls:
Security management:
Healthcare use:
Regulated records:
Real customer use cases
Customer stories show how signNow fits integrated workflows, regulated records, and fast-moving approval processes across industries.
NetSuite operations
A NetSuite operations team needed faster routing for customer and vendor documents across departments.
- Kodi-Marie Evans, Director of NetSuite Operations at Xerox, described the flexibility needed for the right signatures in the right formats.
Integrated signing helped keep document formats aligned with business systems and reduced manual coordination across teams.
Healthcare forms
A healthcare founder needed online execution for patient-facing forms and sensitive records.
- John Butler, Founder at Fertility Centers of Illinois, highlighted the API and responsive support.
The workflow supported online collection of signatures while keeping records organized for regulated healthcare processes and internal review.
Practical setup best practices
A careful setup reduces disputes, supports compliance, and keeps signed records easier to retrieve, review, and defend later.
Match authentication to risk
Set routing before sending
Align retention and access
Check the audit trail
Rollout and retention timeline
This timeline combines rollout milestones with retention and policy facts that matter when documents must remain defensible later.
Day 1:
Day 2:
Week 1:
7-day trial:
HIPAA retention:
Part 11 records:
UETA coverage:
Annual billing:
Risks of improper use
Weak identity
Missing audit trail
Lost records
Poor consent
Compliance failure
What the audit trail records
The audit trail captures identity, timing, integrity, and retrieval details that help show how the signature was created.
Signer authentication:
Timestamp capture:
Document hashing:
Tamper-evident sealing:
Audit record:
Retrieve and export:
Vendor comparison at a glance
signNow appears first so the comparison stays centered on its pricing, compliance posture, and workflow fit against other major vendors.
| Recommended | DocuSign | Adobe Acrobat Sign | PandaDoc |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESIGN and UETA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo |
| Audit trail | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA support | Yes, BAA required | Yes, BAA available | Yes, BAA available |
Pricing and feature snapshot
Pricing reflects verified annual entry tiers, while feature rows focus on the limits and controls most relevant to signing workflows.
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free trial | 7 days | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Bulk send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audit trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Envelope cap | No cap | 100/user/year | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
FAQ and troubleshooting
These answers focus on plan limits, compliance requirements, and recordkeeping details that affect mastercontrol electronic signature workflows.
signNow Business includes legally binding eSignatures, audit trails, templates, mobile apps, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR support. For HIPAA workflows, a BAA is required, and the signed record should keep the audit trail intact for review.
signNow Business Premium adds bulk send, which is useful when the same document must go to many recipients. If you need higher-volume routing, compare it with Enterprise or Site License based on document count and workflow structure.
HIPAA workflows require a BAA and controls that support user identification, integrity, authentication, and audit logging. signNow’s compliance posture supports HIPAA use when the customer signs the BAA and configures access and retention correctly.
21 CFR Part 11 workflows need validated controls, secure audit trails, and unique signer identification. signNow can support regulated records when the deployment includes the required access controls, timestamps, and document history retention.
The Business plan starts at $8/user/mo billed annually, while Enterprise and Site License add advanced features such as payments, API access, SSO, and higher-control deployment options.
ESIGN and UETA support enforceability when intent, attribution, and consent are documented. signNow’s audit trail, timestamps, and signer records help preserve that evidence, but the customer still needs the right process and retention policy.
Key performance indicators that demonstrate SignNow's proven track record.