Google Docs will soon add a eSignature tool for business users. As Google shared on its Workspace Updates blog, the feature will work like drag and drop, allowing you to add aspects like signature and date to a Google Docs file.
You will also be able to request a signature in the same way that file sharing works on Google Docs. Before a signature request can be made, Google notes that all comments and suggestions must be resolved in a Docs file.
The brand added that adding eSignatures to Google Docs is intended to add a layer of security by eliminating the need for collaborators to download and reupload PDF files in order to transfer completed online contracts. Google Docs can be used for all contract drafting and development.
When it's time to sign, the tracking and progress of signatures can be viewed within Docs. Contracts can also be copied if they are going to be used more than once. After all parties have signed a document, a completed contract in PDF format will be emailed for record keeping.
Google works to develop this feature available as a beta for Google Workspace Individual users soon. There is currently no information on how the tool will be expanded beyond that. Google notes that many users may already be using other eSignature tools that integrate with Workspace, such as DocuSign, which functions similarly to what Google is proposing.
Google Workspace is the brand paid version of its services marketed to businesses and professionals, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Drives.
Google has set aside a large portion of 2022 to add more productivity features to its Google Workspace products. Another recent update allows you to highlight multiple selections of text at once in order to more efficiently perform formatting functions on text.