eSignature Controls
Document locking, tamper-evident seals, and signature certificates help prove authenticity and integrity of signed agreements without storing payment data directly in the CRM.
Comparing PCI considerations helps organizations decide how to collect payments or card data via eSignature workflows, assess third-party responsibilities, and design processes that minimize liability and audit scope.
A Compliance Officer evaluates vendor attestations, drafts contractual controls, and oversees PCI DSS evidence collection. They coordinate vendor questionnaires, review encryption and logging controls, and validate that cardholder data flows minimize scope through hosted solutions or tokenization.
Sales Operations configures CRM workflows, integrates eSignature templates, and implements payment collection processes. They collaborate with IT and compliance to choose hosted payment options, map data flows, and ensure field-level handling does not store card data in the CRM.
Compliance, payments, and sales operations teams typically lead assessments of PCI exposure for eSignature workflows.
Cross-functional review helps ensure roles, responsibilities, and technical controls are assigned clearly between signNow, CRM, and payment processors.
Document locking, tamper-evident seals, and signature certificates help prove authenticity and integrity of signed agreements without storing payment data directly in the CRM.
Bulk Send capabilities must avoid embedding card fields in templates; when used with payment links, ensure each recipient gets a unique hosted entry to prevent data mixing.
Pre-configured templates reduce mistakes; templates should exclude PAN fields and include references to external payment tokens or links instead.
Comprehensive, immutable audit logs show who accessed and signed documents and whether payment steps were completed through a gateway.
Native payment capture or integrations with tokenization support reduce PCI risk when they direct card entry to hosted, gateway-controlled pages.
SSO integration centralizes access control and supports stronger authentication policies for users who can view payment-related records.
signNow integrates with Google Drive and Docs to generate and store documents; when paired with hosted payment forms, card data bypasses Google storage entirely to limit exposure.
Both signNow and Freshsales support CRM connectors; ensure connectors are configured to store payment tokens only, not full card numbers, and that webhooks omit sensitive fields.
Document storage via Dropbox requires review of retention and access controls; avoid storing PDFs that include card PANs and rely on token references instead.
Use payment gateways that provide hosted pages or tokenization; this shifts cardholder data scope to the gateway and reduces the burden on eSignature and CRM systems.
| Feature | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Payment Capture | Use hosted gateway pages only |
| Authentication Level | Two-factor for admin users |
| Retention Period | Retention aligned with policy |
| Reminder Frequency | 48 hours default |
| Audit Trail Level | Full immutable logging |
Confirm platform compatibility and minimal system requirements before planning a PCI-aware deployment.
Ensure server endpoints use up-to-date TLS versions, mobile SDKs are current, and browser policies block insecure ciphers; validate integrations operate over secure channels to prevent expanding PCI scope.
A regional clinic uses signNow integrated with their CRM to collect consent and billing authorizations via a hosted payment page that never exposes card numbers to the CRM
Resulting in reduced PCI scope and simpler vendor attestations when audited by assessors.
A brokerage firm routes signature workflows through Freshsales then to a third-party payment processor, storing only tokens in the CRM while the payment processor retains card data
Resulting in consolidated evidence for PCI assessment and lower remediation risk.
| Feature | signNow (Featured) | Freshsales CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Trail | Comprehensive | Basic |
| Third-Party Payment Support | ||
| Cardholder Data Storage | ||
| Hosted Payment Forms | Limited |
| Plan Availability | signNow (Featured) | Freshsales CRM | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | No free tier; trial available | Free tier available | No free tier; trial | No free tier; trial | Free eSign tier available |
| Entry-level Paid Focus | Affordable eSignature plans with templates | CRM features, basic automation | Core eSignature features | Part of Acrobat subscription | Document creation and eSign features |
| Payment Integration Included | Integration available; gateway required | Integration via apps marketplace | Requires gateway integration | Requires gateway integration | Requires gateway integration |
| Enterprise Controls | Advanced admin, SSO, audit logs | Enterprise CRM controls and SSO | Advanced admin and compliance tools | Enterprise admin and DLP options | Enterprise roles and SSO |
| Trial and Support | Free trial; standard support | Free trial; standard support | Trial; premium support tiers | Trial; Adobe support options | Trial; business support tiers |