In the context of ongoing global macroeconomic shifts, intensifying competition, and technological evolution, the agreement process faced by enterprises is becoming increasingly complex. Agreement management is no longer solely the responsibility of the legal department—it has become a critical component for achieving strategic goals and ensuring operational efficiency.

To explore how agreement management enhances productivity, strengthens compliance, and unlocks business potential, Docusign and Deloitte jointly conducted a global study in 2025. This research covered more than 1,400 business executives and functional leaders across 14 countries. Participants represented six core business functions: Sales, Procurement, Customer Experience, Human Resources, Legal, and IT. Combining quantitative surveys with in-depth interviews, the study systematically examined challenges and optimization paths in agreement management, offering strategic insights for modernizing contract processes.

Agreement Management Research: Unlocking Process Value to Drive Business Growth

As businesses increasingly pursue collaborative efficiency and regulatory compliance, agreements have evolved beyond transactional documents to become strategic levers across the entire enterprise. However, the survey reveals that many companies still face cumbersome processes, siloed systems, and information fragmentation—leading to an average annual economic loss of $11.3 million.

The joint research by Docusign and Deloitte identifies that high-performing organizations tend to adopt unified platforms and intelligent agreement management solutions. These approaches not only improve sales conversion and supply chain collaboration but also enhance onboarding experiences and customer satisfaction—demonstrating the amplification effect of “agreement intelligence” on business value.

01. A Core Driver of Enterprise Performance

Among high-performing enterprises, agreement management significantly contributes to achieving key performance indicators (KPIs). According to the data, 85% of respondents believe agreement management supports strategic goals, 82% say it positively impacts customer experience, 74% acknowledge its value in productivity and digital transformation, and 72% see it as essential for financial objectives—underscoring its pivotal role in enterprise development.

The optimization of agreement processes impacts not just individual departments but the organization’s overall performance and strategic outcomes:

• Inefficient processes incur high costs: Slow handling, versioning confusion, and approval errors lead to revenue loss, customer churn, and compliance risks—costing enterprises over $10 million annually on average.
• High-performing enterprises adopt agreement intelligence: Over 60% use unified platforms and automation tools, enabling seamless transitions through the agreement lifecycle—drafting, collaboration, approval, signing, and fulfillment.
• Fragmented systems and manual processes hinder performance: Low-performing companies often rely on manual workflows and disparate tools, limiting data sharing, traceability, and risk management capabilities.
• Agreement processes are integral to digital transformation: Over half of surveyed executives regard agreement management as a core digital strategy component, crucial for agility, compliance, and sustainable growth.

02. Departmental Insights into Agreement Processes

The study also analyzes how agreement management performs across six major business functions, revealing its growing impact on frontline operations and customer experience.

• Adoption of AI and automation: Chart data indicates wide variation in adoption levels across functions and capabilities. “Customer experience” and “obligations & renewals” show the highest AI/automation adoption—most departments reaching or exceeding 75%.

• Key drivers of performance improvement: “Customer experience” is widely acknowledged as a major driver across all departments, especially in customer experience and IT. Similarly, “obligations & renewals” show strong performance gains in legal, IT, CX, and procurement—receiving over 75% recognition.

03. Advanced Agreement Management Fuels Growth

Mature agreement management capabilities drive superior business outcomes. Organizations using advanced solutions report tangible, cross-functional gains:

• Sales efficiency: Productivity doubled, accelerating business development and revenue growth.
• Procurement process: Time to manage complex supplier agreements reduced by 21%.
• Customer experience: Deal abandonment rates decreased by 31%, improving satisfaction and conversion.
• HR operations: Time spent on onboarding paperwork reduced by 33%, enabling faster ramp-up.
• Compliance risk: Non-compliant agreements dropped by 21%, reducing legal exposure.
• IT optimization: System usage decreased by 12%, reflecting better resource allocation and lower costs.

These results confirm that investing in advanced agreement capabilities yields enterprise-wide benefits and drives business performance.

04. APAC Insights: Regional Differences and AI Trust Gap

The report also highlights regional differences in agreement digitalization across the Asia-Pacific. While enterprises commonly expect capabilities such as approval efficiency, client data integration, and analytics, local economic and business contexts drive different needs.

In customer experience, APAC is progressing: over 75% have adopted automation or AI to simplify agreement access and management. However, “contract creation” lags—APAC’s agreement turnaround time trails the global average by ~6%, mostly due to drafting and hierarchical approvals.

On advanced capabilities, Australia, New Zealand (ANZ), and Japan outperform Singapore in “insights & intelligence” and “enterprise integration” by 21% and 27%, respectively, showing leadership in data and system connectivity.

Despite differences, 89% of leaders across APAC express confidence in agreement compliance and integrity. However, Japan shows noticeably lower trust—potentially due to cultural or technological factors.

Overall, APAC is closing the gap by accelerating AI-driven modernization of the full agreement lifecycle.

Looking Ahead: A New AI-Powered Paradigm for Agreement Management

Findings show that “contract creation” sees the highest AI adoption or awareness (48%), reflecting strong demand for automated drafting and compliance. This is followed by “insights & intelligence” and “customer experience,” both at 35%. “Obligations & renewals” lag at 28%, indicating room for growth.

Business leaders are optimistic about AI’s future impact. 48% believe AI-based contract generation from historical data will be critical. Another 35% highlight use cases like expiration alerts and CX management. One-third also emphasize the importance of risk-scoring inconsistencies in contract terms.

In total, companies expect that within three years, 58% of contract optimization and 62% of agreement review workflows will use AI—driving full-lifecycle transformation.

In summary, AI is shifting from supplemental to embedded, becoming the new engine for efficiency, insight, and control in agreement management.

Download now: Docusign × Deloitte Release | 2025 Agreement Management Optimization Whitepaper