Topic starter
25/06/2026 12:54 am
TL;DR: Email-only signing workflows slow agreement completion, reduce visibility, and miss mobile-first users, while SMS reminders can improve completion rates and speed time to close according to OneSpan and cited market research. The identity lesson is that customer-facing workflows now need channel choice, consent controls, and auditability, not just message delivery.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by OneSpan: “How multi-channel notifications are redefining agreement turnaround”.
By the numbers:
- 84% of consumers have opted in to receive texts from businesses in 2025, according to OneSpan.
- SMS boasts a 98% open rate, with 90% read within 3 minutes, according to OneSpan.
- 72% of finance brands have embedded SMS into their communication strategies, according to OneSpan.
Key questions
Q: How should organisations govern SMS notifications in eSignature workflows?
A: Organisations should govern SMS notifications as part of the identity and transaction workflow, not as a standalone messaging feature.
Q: Why do email-only agreement workflows slow completion?
A: Email-only workflows slow completion because inbox fatigue, spam filtering, and low urgency make signature requests easy to miss.
Q: What breaks when eSignature reminders are sent without consent controls?
A: The workflow can become non-compliant, especially where SMS rules require documented consent and withdrawal handling.
Practitioner guidance
- Design channel preference into signing workflows Offer SMS and email as governed options so the signer’s preferred channel is captured before the agreement request is issued.
- Bind messaging to documented consent Require explicit opt-in and provide clear opt-out handling for SMS notifications, with records retained for compliance review.
- Log every notification event as evidence Record document-ready, reminder-to-sign, and agreement-signed events with timestamps and channel identifiers so the workflow remains auditable.
Bottom line: Email-only agreement workflows are increasingly mismatched to mobile-first behaviour, which makes completion delays a workflow design issue rather than a user discipline issue.
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25/06/2026 9:59 am
Multi-channel notification is now part of identity workflow governance. In customer-facing signing journeys, the message channel is no longer a simple delivery choice. It determines whether the signer sees the request, whether consent can be evidenced, and whether the enterprise can prove the interaction path later. Practitioners should treat notification design as a governed identity touchpoint, not a convenience feature.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What should teams do when agreement turnaround is too slow?
A: Teams should first examine where users drop out of the signing journey, then add governed channel choice for reminders and status updates. The objective is to reduce friction without weakening evidence. That usually means pairing email with SMS, preserving audit logs, and making preference capture part of the workflow.
👉 Read our full editorial: Multi-channel eSignature notifications reduce agreement turnaround delays