Improving processing times by utilising Docusign with CRM
STEVEN G JAMES, DIRECTOR, FEDERATION DESIGN
Accelerating Lease Completion with Integrated Digital Signing enabling for quick wins
Our client operates a shared office and serviced workspace business with locations across four UK cities, offering everything from single workstations to private office space on short- to medium-term agreements but Digital Signing was not in place or Integrated with their systems
They were already using HubSpot as their CRM and had an established digital presence, including a WordPress website we had previously built for them, along with supporting brochures and printed literature promoting their workspace offering.
The issue sat at a critical commercial stage of the sales process: contract completion. Reducing the friction and speeding up the process was a must.
Once terms had been agreed, the business still needed key documents to be signed by both the incoming client and internal representatives, including the company team and Head of Leasing. In reality, that countersignature process was often taking more than a week, when commercially it should have been turning around in a matter of hours or days.
For a workspace operator, that kind of delay has a direct impact.
It slows deal progression, extends the time between agreement and occupation, and creates unnecessary drag on revenue realisation. It also ties up staff time in avoidable administrative work — checking inboxes, chasing signatures, phoning clients, and manually pushing paperwork over the line.
The client needed a faster, more controlled way to move from agreed terms to completed contract, without creating extra workload for the leasing team.
Because HubSpot was already central to the business, the most effective solution was to enhance the existing sales infrastructure rather than introduce a disconnected process.
We selected DocuSign as the digital signing platform and integrated it directly into HubSpot via the marketplace app, creating a joined-up workflow between deal progression and contract execution.
We then set up document templates in DocuSign using personalisation tokens pulled directly from HubSpot. This meant contract data could flow straight from the CRM into the signing process, removing the need for repeated manual preparation and reducing the risk of errors or inconsistencies.
From there, agreements could be generated in two ways:
automatically, when a deal reached a defined stage in the HubSpot pipeline
or manually, by the team from within the relevant record when needed
In both cases, the process became far more efficient. An envelope could be created and issued directly from the CRM, with email notifications sent to all required signatories and automated reminders handling much of the follow-up.
This effectively turned document signing from a manual leasing admin task into a structured, system-led commercial workflow.
The result was a much faster route from agreed deal to completed contract. By integrating DocuSign into HubSpot, the client significantly reduced the delay that had been building up around countersignatures and approval handling. What had previously taken over a week could now be progressed much more quickly, helping the business convert agreed terms into completed agreements with far less friction.
From a property and leasing perspective, that matters because faster document completion supports faster occupation, better momentum in the pipeline, and a shorter gap between opportunity and revenue.
Operationally, the team also benefited from a major reduction in manual chasing. Instead of spending time checking inboxes, following up by phone, or monitoring outstanding paperwork, they could rely on the system to generate, send, remind, and track the process automatically.
The outcome was a more efficient leasing workflow, quicker contract turnaround, and a smoother signing experience for both the internal team and prospective tenants.
What had previously been a slow and admin-heavy closing stage became a much more streamlined commercial process — helping the client move deals over the line faster and with greater confidence.
