Electronic Signatures on Liability Waiver Forms

A Release of Liability Waiver Form is a contractual document between two parties – the person promising not to sue (the Releasor), and the service provider who is potentially liable (the Releasee). By executing this document using any free liability waiver form, the Releasor admits that he or she appreciates the risks involved and vows not to sue the Releasee in case of any damages or injuries.Other names associated with this document include:

• Waiver of Liability Agreement
• General waiver
• Liability waiver form
• Legal release
• Conditional & unconditional waiver form

Who needs a liability waiver? Business use cases

For such a straightforward question, the answer may appear unsatisfying. Most businesses may need a liability waiver.

It is advisable to get customers to sign a release of liability form before working with them. For instance, entertainment companies may persuade clients wishing to attend a show or taking part in an event to sign a waiver form. Paintball tournaments, athletic events, and some sports leagues also frequently use a liability waiver.

Let’s see other use cases of liability waiver forms.

Event waiver and consent – Are you planning an upcoming expo or party? The right agreements can guarantee legal protection against injuries, accidents, and other unexpected circumstances. Anyone handling large numbers of clients in an unpredictable environment should never lack this document.

Registrations – Need to carry out a membership drive? Wish to automate intake at events? Or have clients register for excursions and tours? No problem. Develop a custom waiver form for each event and include the precise information that you need to be captured from each person. It will serve the purpose successfully.

Parental consent – You will certainly like to guarantee high levels of safety whenever minors are involved. Playgrounds and water parks are ideal examples of where safety is needed. Do not forget parties, daycare centers, or any other surrounding that may pose risks for children. Apparently, incidents involving minors can fast escalate when you don’t have appropriate legal protection in place.

Procedure/Medical treatment consent – In case you own a salon, spa, or studio that provides cosmetic or beauty services, you will need treatment consent forms. Legally, informed consent is necessary. This form confirms that the patient is informed about the benefits, alternatives available, and risks of the suggested service. Consent forms hold additional weight, especially if you are dealing with minors and people with mental or physical disabilities.

Repair/Service Agreements – A liability waiver is also ideal for repair service providers. Technicians can use these forms in the field to obtain testing consent, authorize service calls, or issue repair agreements.

Rental agreements – This is another practical case where liability waivers are used. Rental agreements work excellently for campgrounds, adventure parks, or spaces where extraordinary or risky equipment is involved. Also, do not forget about ATV rentals, water sport, or bikes.

Every time there is a possibility of property or physical damage, rental agreements are usually a perfect option to protect yourself and your business.

Talent/Model Releases – Are you a videographer, photographer, or use models as part of your marketing services? You would want to have them sign a model/talent release agreement.

Collecting signatures makes sure that you own legal rights to these services, photos, and videos and allows you to use them; however, you chose.  Also, these releases protect you from people making privacy claims.

Contracts – If you have a fitness studio or gym, you already know how vital agreements are. When customers sign up for services, it translates to income for your venture. Thus, you need well-designed release forms that clarify the terms of your contract. The waiver forms may also include clauses for any late or missed payments.

A release of liability form also comes in handy for service-based businesses such as pool cleaning, home maintenance, landscaping, etc.

Paper vs. Electronic Waiver: What you need to know

One of the key things that businesses owners worry about when it comes to electronic waivers is their legality. Thanks to the ESIGN ACT, signing an online waiver with an e-signature is now deemed as legally binding as a wet-ink signature. In other words, according to the act mentioned above, electronic waivers are just as valid as paper waivers.

There are regulations, though, that ensure this validity is sound. They include:

• The liability waiver should be accessible to the signing party
• The signing party should give consent to sign the waiver digitally
• The liability waiver should be unalterable when in electronic form

If you wish to explore additional laws relating to electronic waivers, go through the various state and federal statutes regarding waivers.

However, most states in the U.S follow these general principles:

• The release waiver must be read, understood, and consciously signed by the client
• Clients can release negligence claims; however, you can still be taken to court for intentional harm and gross negligence.
• Minors cannot release reliability; everyone signing a release form must have attained the majority age, as per the state laws.
• Only a guardian or a parent may release liability for a minor. Meaning, no other adult is allowed to do so.
• All information contained in a waiver must be error-free and accurate
• All blank areas in a waiver form should be filled in before the liability form is signed
• The release of liability form should be signed before any damage or injury occurs, to be enforceable.

Depending on your line of business, you may opt to provide release forms in large print, foreign language, or Braille for blind clients.

Signing an electronic waiver form

The process of signing waivers online is quite easy when using electronic signature solutions. The signature can be collected from your clients regardless of the device they are using. If on a typical computer, the signature can be executed using the mouse. If the client is using a mobile device or a tablet, he or she can execute the waiver using their finger or even a stylus.

The signature, together with the electronic waiver document, is stored and retained indefinitely in the cloud. This extra level of electronic evidence comes in handy for future verification and reference.

Benefits of using an online waiver form over the paper waiver

Here are some fundamental reasons why you should say goodbye to your conventional paper waiver and adopt the online waiver.

1. Secure: Safeguarding your business data is indisputably very critical. Nowadays, you may face penalties and attract hefty fines for leaking customer’s data. Paper waivers are likely to be misplaced or accessed by unauthorized persons. However, when you use free liability waiver form, you don’t have to be concerned. Online waivers are encrypted and safely stored in the cloud via top-notch security. More so, your data will at all times be available online, whenever you require it.
2. Time-saving:Time is money. Business owners know this better probably than anyone else. You can attest that time has never been enough to complete all the projects you have on your plate. By using an electronic release of liability form, businesses save considerable time, which can be used to carry out other important tasks. It is effortless to have your clients execute their electronic waivers ahead of time, hence making checking-in easy.
3. Improves accuracy: Paper waivers are often prone to errors that can cost your organization big time. There is a strong possibility of having an ineligible form if your client has poor handwriting. Bear in mind that, inaccurate or illegible data is a missed marketing opening and a liability to your organization. Electronic waivers do not give room for inaccuracies. You do not have to be concerned about forgetting to fill in the required fields. The incomplete online waivers are automatically declined, thus making the whole process free from errors.
4. Creates a professional impression: Let’s face it – we currently reside in a digital world. We shop online, perform banking transactions with our phones, and run most of our errands over the web. Embracing this digital movement in the signing of waiver forms proves to clients that your brand is current and well conversed with modern standards. After all, electronic agreements are an extension of what they (clients) usually see every day at their banks, workplaces, online shops, doctor’s office, or their local gym.

In short, electronic free liability waiver form keep you up to date and help your brand depict a professional image.

Are electronic signatures valid for lien waivers?

Yes! If you need to accept a lien waiver, or you need to provide a lien waiver to a client and want to ensure it is legitimate, an e-signature is perfectly acceptable. E signatures can ease the industry’s payment problem, as exchanging lien waivers manually without the benefit of technology can result in holdups in the construction payment process.

E signatures on lien waivers can expedient the waiver exchange process, making the electronic exchange of these vital documents the norm. The entire construction sector can rest knowing that the lien waivers executed electronically are as compelling as those with wet ink signatures.

What to consider when shopping for an online waiver signing solution

Before investing in a solution that can sign a waiver form electronically, there are a few factors you should consider. Go for online waive signing software with the following features:

• Allow clients to sign online easily – Invest in signing software that can allow your clients to sign from everyday devices such as tablets, computers, and smartphones. Also, ensure that the software you are purchasing can send signing links via email. This makes it easy for customers to open the link and sign the form whenever and wherever they are.
• Unlimited waiver templates – Go for a solution that features a wide range of liability waiver templates. Waiver templates help businesses owners to find a starting point during the waiver creation process. Also, ensure that your preferred software allows you to custom edit waivers to include your brand logos, colors, and fonts. This helps clients to identify the documents belonging to your company easily.
• Improved security – Like we have already mentioned, protecting confidential information has become a great deal nowadays. Organizations caught leaking confidential client data face stiff penalties or hefty fines. Go for a solution that can safely store your signed waivers in the cloud. This is to guarantee the industry’s standard for reliability, security, and privacy.
• Easy to integrate with popular business applications or systems – As you continue to grow, it is advisable that the tools used in your business work flawlessly together. Having a seamless system that can effortlessly share data between applications increases your leverage and help to get work done in no time.

Go for a waiver signing software that guarantees native support for popular business applications such as CRMs, Google Sheets, MailChimp, Gmail, (just to name a few).  Say goodbye to days of manually importing business data and hello to stress-free automation.

Lastly, ensure that the signing software you buy offers the features mentioned above in an affordable pricing plan. It can be very frustrating to buy a scalable solution, expecting to enjoy all of those features but requiring you to scale up in price to access an essential element.

Foxit eSign waiver signing software: Why it’s preferred by many businesses

Foxit eSign is an online waiver signing software that is incredibly easy to use. This software lets you expedite your waiver signing process, thanks to its unique features. Here is why many business owners prefer using Foxit eSign to complete their waiver forms.

Perfect in creating online waiver forms – Foxit eSign’s waiver service is ideal for creating online waiver forms just when you need them. Customizing and editing your most frequently used l free liability waiver form templates is also a straightforward task. What’s more, you can store as many templates as you wish to help you accelerate the waiver crafting process.

Intuitive dashboard – With Foxit eSign, you can track any information that you need, such as who is signing your online waiver form, when it was signed, who has declined to sign, etc. This information can be retrieved in seconds.

Send liability waivers via email – Usually, this is one of the prominent features in Foxit eSign that will help you save a lot of time. Each free liability waiver form template has a link that you can email your clients. From this link, they can sign the online waiver before the day of the event.

More so, you will get an email notification immediately your clients have signed their forms. They (clients) will also receive a copy of their signed liability waiver via email.

Safe storage of waiver documents – Unlike paper waivers that can be easily tampered with, Foxit eSign boasts of secure data encryption to keep your information safe when sending online waiver forms.

Last thoughts

An online waiver form only beats logic in this time and age, and it is a must-have for any organization that offers experiential events and related services. It is one of the practical ways to ensure your business is safe and organized at the same time. Foxit eSign has years of excellent reputation, and without a doubt, it is the best online free liability waiver form with online electronic signautre software that you should adopt if you wish to streamline your operations.