Life Assist, based in Tokyo, Japan, has been providing professional cleaning and housekeeping services often referred to as “tidying up” since its establishment in 2021. Their core offering encompasses comprehensive house cleaning services, including cleaning “so-called” hoarder houses, cleaning and preparing houses before they are listed for sale, making arrangements before one’s death, and handling belongings of the deceased. Life Assist also operates a light cargo business, thus, they need to frequently sign contracts with house owners and individual drivers. While their main customers are individuals, Life Assist also deals with corporate customers.

The DottedSign team had the opportunity to talk with Sato-san, from the General Affairs Department of Life Assist, about their digitization journey, their decision to adopt DottedSign as part of this journey, and the impact of this implementation. 

Summary

Challenges we were faced with before implementing DottedSign	1. We require a considerable amount of equipment and supplies to be brought to a job site. In addition, we used to have to bring paper-based contracts and documents along for sign-off, which became a burden for workers.  2. Utilizing paper-based documents and contracts requires stamp duties. 3. The process of exchanging paper-based contracts became increasingly burdensome.
Effects of adopting DottedSign	1. Saved on stamp duties: more than 10,000 Yen (approximately US$70) per month. 2. Transformed 50-60 paper-based documents per month into a fully digital process. This transition enabled us to realize complete operational efficiency. 3.  DottedSign streamlines the process of signing and exchanging contracts, eliminating the hassle and inconvenience associated with traditional paper-based method.
Documents digitized with DottedSign	Employment contracts, receipts, basic contracts, consent forms.

Incentives to Digitization 

Before digitization, what obstacles did you face?

Sato: When we go to a cleaning job site, we need to bring along a considerable amount of equipment and supplies. Before digitization, we also needed to bring paper-based contracts to be signed off on-site before we could begin the job. The traditional contract signing process often led to a significant amount of hassle and problems. The cleaning staff would sometimes return without a signed contract, or the contract would get misplaced. Moreover, for each paper-based contract signed, the company needs to pay a stamp duty to the government. These were the kinds of issues we wanted to avoid. As a result, we began exploring digitization.

In addition, the company requires many part-time workers when there are many projects on hand. Managing these workers’ contracts, receipts, and contacts on a paper-based system is very difficult. We need physical storage space to store these documents and sometimes it is hard to easily access them when needed. To address these issues and streamline the process, we decided to digitize our contract management system.

What are you mainly using DottedSign for?

Sato: We use DottedSign for employment contracts, receipts, basic contracts, quotations, consent forms, etc. As we expand our business, we will gradually implement DottedSign into more document workflows. 

The Deciding Factor for Choosing DottedSign: Cost Performance and Quality

What led you to explore DottedSign as a potential solution?

Sato: We found DottedSign by searching “electronic signatures” on the web. DottedSign is listed in a comparison site and is described as “cost-effective”. So we decided to give it a try.

What was the deciding factor for choosing DottedSign?

Sato: The biggest factor was cost. Besides DottedSign, we explored four other eSignature solutions, but none fit within our budget. DottedSign is an eSignature-focused service, so there are no additional unnecessary functionalities or a complicated cost structure. The user experience is straight-forward and easy to use. That was also one of the key reasons we ultimately decided on DottedSign. 

After trying out DottedSign, what was your overall impression of using it?

Sato: Instead of just adding a generic eSignature on the documents, like most other solutions, DottedSign allows real signatures by hand. There is also a stamp option. The overall experience is more precise and streamlined. We had the opportunity to trial DottedSign before officially adopting it. During the trial, I was very impressed with the staff, their professionalism and politeness. Whenever we had trouble understanding the system, the support team assisted immediately and the explanation provided was very clear. 

Results of Implementation: Business Efficiency, Reduction of Issues and Cost

Is there anything you have learned from the continuous use of DottedSign?

Sato: After we started using DottedSign, the staff on-site no longer lost or misplaced contract documents. Furthermore, the time it takes to conclude the contract signing process has shortened tremendously. Now we can send out quotations and contracts together in advance and obtain consent from customers before the jobs begin. There is no time wasted when we arrive on site. Even when customers contact us for the first time and would like to review contractual documents, it is easier to do.

DottedSign helps reduce administrative issues on site. Since everything is confirmed beforehand, there is less confusion when the cleaning staff arrive on-site to carry out the job. For managing part-time workers, DottedSign also helps simplify the process and management thereof.

From a financial perspective, by adopting DottedSign, we saved up to 10,000 Yen (approximately US$70) per month on the stamp duty alone, which adds up significantly. Overall, our work efficiency has increased due to our decision to introduce DottedSign into our workflow. 

Future Prospects of Digitization: Promoting Healthy Living Through Tidying Up

In the future, do you have any growth plans  for your business or areas you want to expand into?

Many people who do not or cannot “tidy up” have psychological stress or other difficulties in their lives. Life Assist would like to support these people to lead a healthy life. There are very few companies like ours, and there are many challenges, but we want to collaborate with other parties such as psychological support services to expand our reach and service offerings. We hope to help people increase their happiness by taking care of themselves through housekeeping and reorganization.

Your Business Growth Starts Here with DottedSign. Contact us today to begin your digital transformation journey!