Thank you to Brenda Stone from StoneDigital.me for graciously allowing Ohio Notary Services to reprint this post from her blog!
Hello RON colleagues! I hope you are having a great day.
Today, I want to provide you a list of tips that can help you be more confident as you move forward to become an active online notary. Hopefully, these tips will help make things easier while you are new at handling Remote Online Notary (RON) transactions.
I use SIGNiX as my online notary platform.
Most of my tips will apply to any notary platform, but know that SIGNiX is where I "live" with RON transactions. I was going to add my reasons why I chose SIGNiX, to the end of this article, but the list grew as I wrote tips for online notaries. I decided it would be better to make another complete article about why I favor
SIGNiX over other platforms. You'll find those reasons in this
article. Having that out of the way, let's talk RON TIPs!
Learning to perform RON transactions can be nerve-wracking!
It was really hard for me. It's something that you can watch 100 times, but until you put your voice, hands, mouse, and camera into it, it will be difficult to learn.
Whether you are or are not a SIGNiX user, there are a few things you can do to keep your stress level down when you begin performing RONs.
TIP 1 - Practice. Hopefully, your online platform allows you to do DEMO signings at no cost. (SIGNiX does.) There is no way you are going to feel confident until you practice. Find a person who will let you use them as a signer and practice how to notarize documents.
TIP 2 - Make a list of steps. Write out a workflow. Refer to your online notary laws to make sure you don't miss anything. It takes a lot of time to put all of this on paper, but you'll be so glad you did when you can't remember anything about the last time you logged on. (In the beginning, I forgot how to log on!)
TIP 3 - Watch and re-watch any training videos available on your chosen platform. Make notes about the steps the videos show you.
TIP 4 - Upload more than one document and practice on two or more mock signers. In other words, get a feel for how to handle more than one document and one signer. You need to see how much longer additional documents and signers will take you to prep.
TIP 5- Learn how to use witnesses during a transaction. From time to time you will need to use a witness when signing a document. Some states will require this more than others. Learn to do it before you need it!
TIP 6 - Figure out how to use a credible witness. Of course, make sure your state's laws allow it and what the criteria for using a credible witness is.
TIP 7 - Ask an online notary on your platform to provide the notarization and you should practice being the signer. Otherwise, you cannot help your signer get through the process if they are not technically inclined. (75% of my signers are not technically inclined!)
TIP 8 - Make scripts, read, and memorize them. You'll need a script for a simple RON transaction and a script for using a credible witness to start. For a simple transaction, you'll need to cover several points that your notary laws require that you cover. When I use a credible witness, I administer an oath and cover a few more points. You need scripts that you can use when you go through the signing of documents. You will soon have them memorized but they will be necessary in the beginning so that you don't forget to mention something vital.
Read those scripts and practice going through the motions even though you don't log onto the platform. Solidify the words and order of things in your mind.
When I was in band as a high school student, my dad worked the night shift. There were times he slept when I needed to practice my clarinet; and I had to do so without making a noise. It worked. You CAN practice by going over steps mentally. Just putting your mind into the actions and keystrokes you need to make can help you learn even if you aren't logged on. Read your script and go through the motions!
TIP 9- When you have a transaction, make a copy of it as a back up, especially if you have more than one signer and several documents to tag and upload. This works great for SIGNiX and I will explain how I do that.
You'll need to find out how this can be done if you don't use SIGNiX.
On SIGNiX, to save a copy of a transaction, I first create the transaction and get it just like I want it. Then, I save using the green Save button.
Next, I completely exit the transaction by going to "Home." (You will have to save it again.) I then reopen the transaction and use the green Save As button. That will give me the option of saving it as a template or a transaction. I use transaction. However, Joshua has mentioned that I should probably save as a template. I need to look into that, but so far, my way is working great. (If I learn why, I will update this or write a few paragraphs on why it works better to Save As a template.)
Example - When using SIGNiX, if one of my signers fails KBA after one or more signers have passed and signed documents, that will shut down the transaction so that it cannot be continued for that signer until he/she passes KBA which will be no earlier than the next day.
You'll have to start from the beginning tagging documents.
That is why I have begun to save a copy of every transaction. If I need to use my back up transaction, I make a another back up copy and have one ready to go just in case it is needed. After the transaction is complete, I delete the backups.
Why not just wait until the next day? As you know, real estate transactions need to happen the day that they are dated or you may be holding up several other transactions. Additionally, have you noticed that it is not easy to get three or more people scheduled more than once for a meeting? It's grueling.
So, if the failed transaction needs to close that day, the title company may approve a credible witness for the signer that failed to be identified--at least that works for me in Texas. In my state, if a qualified credible witness can pass KBA and credential analysis, I can remove KBA from the signer who failed and use a credible witness.
Note to the suspicious: Yes, KBA is easy to fail for many. Sometimes it is stage fright. Sometimes it is aging, having lived in 10 or more places, and having traded cars frequently. I have problems passing KBA for no fault of my own or due to forgetfulness. It is due to a recording agency having crossed my file with another Brenda Stone in town I lived in for 1.5 years who happens to be of good character, fortunately.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that! But it also helped me to recognize why these things happen.
TIP 10 - If you are new, find another new person who is learning how to use the platform and set aside 2-3 hours to practice once a week. Keep in mind that practice is 100% FREE on SIGNiX. Practice teaching each other. I recommend this because there is something quite rewarding about not being taught by another experienced notary but discovering the answers on your own. It helps cement the way to do things into memory. And when you are doing it as a new notary, you make a friend you trust for life. Once you learn what you can on your own, you will have questions. Take those to notary groups where willing notaries with experience can answer them.
Until next time!
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely, Brenda Stone - StoneDigital.me
