ALBANY, N.Y. -

Auto/Mate says its addition of a remote signing feature to its eDEAL Signature Capture digital contracting tool can help its current eDEAL customers overcome adverse sales conditions and close more deals during state-by-state enforcement of COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates.

Auto/Mate, a business unit of DealerSocket, is offering the feature to its current eDEAL customers as a free trial.

The company noted that when a car buyer agrees to purchase a vehicle over the phone, the dealership representative sends the F&I documents via email. To open the electronic documents and begin the signing process, the customer clicks on the emailed link.

In a process that Auto/Mate says is similar to home buyers’ use of DocuSign for real estate documents, the customer signs once and then taps to apply his or her signature or initials where indicated.

The dealer rep can stay on the phone during the signing to guide the customer through the process. Once the final documents are complete, they turn into a ZIP file and are emailed to the customer.

Auto/Mate says that with eDEAL Signature Capture, F&I managers can capture signatures, store electronically signed documents, and email digital deal jackets to customers.

eDEAL Signature Capture can be used on any mobile tablet. It resides in Sales & Finance, which is Auto/Mate’s one-stop-shop for creating and closing deals.

Right in the DMS, all forms are stored as digital PDFs. According to Auto/Mate, that eliminates the need for physical file storage and third-party scanning.

Auto/Mate president Mike Esposito said the company over the past few years has seen the importance of embracing digital retailing.

“And given the present circumstances, this type of technology has now become more important than ever,” Esposito said in a news release.

Esposito continued, “We challenged our developers to quickly step up to the plate and provide a solution to a serious problem impacting dealers, and they exceeded all expectations.”