Veteran Reintegration Program serves clients faster with ShareFile® e-signature

With ShareFile, Volunteers of America Texas has:

· Increased client retention by 15% due to quicker onboarding and fulfillment

· Reduced lead time for request approvals and processing for veterans

· Removed paper signature restrictions in order to increase accessibility for staff and clients

Supporting those in need

For over 125 years, Volunteers of America (VOA) has served the nation, dedicating their work to helping those in need. “Volunteers of America was there to help me get back on my feet and I'm eternally grateful for them,” says Zella Richards a former VOA client and the current Veteran’s Outreach Coordinator for VOA Texas’ Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. The program helps homeless veterans find safe, affordable housing, supporting their individual needs and providing a pathway to success by conducting job training and other services.

When the pandemic hit, the VOA realized that they needed to figure out how to work remotely, and quickly, to continue serving veterans without interruption. To keep programs operating, forms constantly needed to be signed to show where funds were going and for what purpose. Since in-person signing was no longer possible, Richards and her team needed an e-signature solution.

Helping veterans faster

ShareFile was implemented with the goal to digitally onboard, manage, and process clients. Veterans are onboarded with a 40-page packet, and ShareFile e-signature significantly reduced the total time needed for completion.

“The only way that we would enroll people is that they’d have to come to us, or we’d drive to them. ShareFile has freed up so much time and we can meet them wherever they are.” -Zella Richards, Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VOA Texas

With multiple forms being necessary for each request, ShareFile’s e-signature allowed for those requests to be approved and fulfilled quicker, helping veterans get the services they needed faster. They also saved time and costs by eliminating commuting that was otherwise needed for in-person signature, as all forms and agreements can now be signed over a phone or computer.

“Our clients don’t have time to manually spend two hours in the office filling out forms. Our e-sign forms are so easy to sign and complete and they can do it at their convenience.” -Zella Richards, Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VOA Texas

As the severity of the pandemic dwindled, the value of ShareFile for VOA Texas has increased. Richards and her team saw an increase in veteran retention thanks to the simplified onboarding and e-signature capabilities.

“ShareFile has truly made life so bearable. It’s just a staple of the Volunteers of America Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program. Our whole team loves it and don’t see how we can do this without it.” -Zella Richards, Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VOA Texas

Continuing to innovate

Since adopting ShareFile e-signature, Richards and her team have expressed a desire to go completely paperless. In addition to easy access to critical documents, ShareFile’s ability to safeguard client information will be the building block to the move to paperless for all operations. Richards also knows that ShareFile’s customer support team is always able to assist with future goals of VOA Texas as she’s noted they’ve done numerous times already.

“Customer service is phenomenal. Every time I call, they are professional and patient.” -Zella Richards, Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VOA Texas

Learn more about Volunteers of America and the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.