How Athos Business Solutions increased digital signature adoption from 20% to 90%

For Athos Business Solutions, document signatures had become one of the most frustrating parts of serving clients. 

The Solihull-based accountancy practice supports more than 1,000 clients across SMEs, owner-managed businesses, limited companies, and sole traders. With around 20 staff sending approximately 15 documents for signature every day, an efficient signature process isn't just convenient - it's essential. 

A digital process that pushed people back to paper

Before FuseSign, Athos used IRIS OpenSpace for document signatures. 

On paper, it sounded like the right solution. In practice, it created more work than it removed. 

Clients regularly struggled with portal logins, passwords and verification emails. Documents landed in junk folders, multiple companies required multiple email addresses, and staff spent valuable time helping clients simply access documents before they could even sign them. 

Looking beyond the all-in-one software approach

For years, Athos had preferred using a single software provider wherever possible. The assumption was simple: if one platform handled accounts production well, it should also be the best choice for every other part of the firm's workflow.

Over time, that thinking began to change.

Lewis Gallagher, Partner Designate, says the team realised that specialist software often delivers a far better experience than an all-in-one solution. When they were introduced to FuseSign, it quickly became clear that digital signatures were one area where a purpose-built platform offered a much simpler way of working.

Rather than spending months comparing alternatives, the team saw enough during the demonstration to make a confident decision. The value was clear, the learning curve was low, and the software addressed the frustrations they had been living with every day.

Simplicity changed everything

The biggest improvement didn’t come in the form of a feature. A firm wide removal of friction was where the results of FuseSign really became noticeable.

Clients no longer needed portal accounts or passwords. Documents arrived directly by email, reminders were automatic and staff could see exactly where every document sat in the signature process.

Each improvement removed another layer of unnecessary administration, but together they changed the experience of managing signatures across the firm. Tasks that had once involved multiple systems, manual follow-up and constant checking became straightforward and reliable.

Over time, those incremental improvements reshaped the team's expectations of what their workflow could look like, making Lewis's conclusion feel like the only way to describe the change.

The team also introduced placeholders and templates for frequently used documents, allowing junior staff to prepare signature packs consistently while Kate completed a final review before sending.

Clients embraced the new experience

The impact on client adoption was immediate. 

Instead of clients avoiding the digital process, they started using it. 

For urgent situations, documents can now be sent, signed and returned while Kate is still speaking to a client on the phone. 

Lewis says the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, not because clients are constantly talking about FuseSign, but because they simply aren't experiencing problems anymore. 

Athos hasn't been told that their clients can't sign documents, see them, or some other problem. Lewis was quick to assure - no news is good news, that means it's working!

Less chasing, more confidence

FuseSign has also changed the way Athos manages outstanding signatures.

During busy periods, those efficiencies quickly add up.

An easier system for everyone

One of the biggest surprises for the team was how quickly staff adopted FuseSign.

New employees were confidently sending signature requests within weeks, while colleagues from other departments could learn the process in around ten minutes.

Kate saw the impact straight away. The transition was so seamless that there was no lengthy crossover between systems.

A better client experience, and a better way to work

For Athos Business Solutions, moving to FuseSign wasn't simply replacing one e-signature platform with another. 

It fundamentally changed how clients interacted with the practice:

• Digital signatures became the default instead of the exception. 
  
• Printing almost disappeared. 
  
• Staff stopped spending their days chasing signatures. 
  
• Clients found the process simple enough that it just worked. 
  

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