What if creating contracts was as easy as shaking hands?

July 30, 2021
Magda Fessy

In an ideal world, a handshake would be enough to close a deal. At most, until a disagreement. In the absence of written agreements, however, a business is based exclusively on trust and entails high risks.

However, some entrepreneurs (un)consciously refrain from drawing up legal documents, as they are far too complex and lengthy. What if the creation of a legal document was as simple as a handshake?

Contract creation: either expensive or time-consuming and uncertain

It all started with a handshake and many wish it had stayed that way. Since then, contract management has changed a lot. From handshakes to typewriters to Word templates, complexity increased with each step.

Today, there are basically two ways to create a contract:

– Either you have your contracts edited by professionals (internally or externally)

– or you fight your way through the countless Word templates.

Since many Swiss SMEs do not have their own in-house lawyer and cannot afford external help, the only option left is the unsatisfactory one.

Contract creation with document templates: difficult and complex

Established for many years, Word templates are the most common practice for creating contracts. Used by legal professionals (lawyers, attorneys and trustees) or non-specialists (entrepreneurs, managers, private individuals), the creation of contracts based on a Word template is widespread.

What it gains in popularity, this practice must give back in efficiency. Indeed, it entails a number of disadvantages:

Document templates are often not up to date. As laws and practices change rapidly, great care must be taken in updating model documents if one does not want to risk legal loopholes in the contracts
Numerous versions circulate among the parties involved, making collaboration tedious and unproductive, not to mention the risk of working on an obsolete version
Word contract templates require a physical signature of the contract by the parties involved and therefore add an extra step to the contract development

Due to the disadvantages mentioned above, the process of creating the contract becomes almost as complex as the contract itself. The time is ripe for a third alternative.

Automated contract creation: as easy as shaking hands

Recently, new solutions are changing and modernizing the legal landscape and the creation of contracts. While these new solutions are widely used in the United States, Approovd, for example, is the first contract streaming platform in Switzerland. It gives anyone who needs quality contracts the ability to create them themselves.

Approovd’s intelligent technology is the natural evolution of Word document templates into a dynamic, personalized contracting experience…all as easy (and almost as fast) as a handshake. In short: the user creates an account, answers an average of 20 questions online (no legal knowledge required) and generates a contract approved by the best Swiss lawyers in less than 10 minutes.

The whole process is done entirely online: from creation, through modifications, to signature. There are many advantages to this new method, to name just a few:

Speed : the creation of the contract takes about 8 minutes
Affordability: contracts created via Approovd cost between CHF 19 and max. CHF 69 per document
Accessibility : since the process takes place online on a platform, contracts can be created anytime and anywhere
Quality : even if it is the user who creates the contract, it has been validated by the best Swiss lawyers and is constantly updated
The user experience : the creation of the contract is done through a dynamic and intuitive experience. Each question is provided with a small "legal advice" allowing the user to always stay informed of current contractual and legal practices

Approovd offers 15 free document templates (5 in German, 5 in English and 5 in French) to test this alternative to existing solutions. To do so, simply create a free account with no obligation to purchase and choose the document you would like to create.

Only one question remains open: do you already stream your documents or are you still waiting?

Magda Fessy
Chief Marketing Officer

Approovd

Magda is convinced of the benefits of automation. She is committed to ensuring that all companies in Switzerland have access to the best legal know-how

What if creating contracts was as easy as shaking hands?

Contract creation: either expensive or time-consuming and uncertain

Contract creation with document templates: difficult and complex

Automated contract creation: as easy as shaking hands

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