Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Expedox platform? How does it work?
Expedox is an independent platform for finishing better contracts faster by collaborating without sacrificing individual or team privacy. It includes a novel approach to version management so that in one place you can manage all versions of a document – those that are private to you only, those shared with colleagues, or those shared or received from counterparts not on your side of a deal. See Expedox Features.
The easiest way to understand our platform is to try it for free. No credit card is required and you can cancel at any time. Sign Up
Contact information? How can I reach someone if I have a question?
Send us an email to [email protected]. We will get back to you as quickly as we can.
Is it secure?
Security, extreme privacy and ease of use are our three fundamental requirements.
Transmission security settings are designed by default to provide better security than standard email. By default, shared documents can only be accessed through secure file transfer protocols (HTTPS) after log-in. If you are interested in a higher level of security, or have any questions, please contact us.
What does "privacy within collaboration" mean?
Contract negotiation, by definition, involves both sharing some information with negotiation counterparts BUT ALSO keeping some information private and unshared (private notes and drafts, internal drafts, internal discussions).We enable both sharing and privacy within the same integrated platform.
Our platform is designed so that, by default, all document versions and notes are invisible to all other users unless and until a user affirmatively shares with them.
Unlike other platforms, Expedox lets you keep in one place versions that are private to you, versions shared with individuals on your team, and versions received from or shared with others not on your team such as counterparts to a negotiation. This is a unique, patent-pending solution. For more details, read our Privacy Policy
Can I get my document versions out easily?
Absolutely. Currently, any version that you have access to can be easily downloaded through a “Download” button at the top right of the Version View page. Other export options are in the works. Even better,files downloaded are named by default with a consistent naming convention, so that all files that you get through Expedox will be automatically organized – an upgrade to the typical situation where each user has a different approach to naming, which makes for unnecessary work or messy files.
How is this different from other collaboration platforms?
To our knowledge, no other platform manages multiple versions of a single document where some versions are completely private, some are shared with a small group, and some are shared with the other side, and yet all are organized in one centralized and consolidated system, and available for quick comparison. In many collaboration systems, all versions and all activity is visible to all participants – which we believe is a significant problem in the context of contract negotiations.
Also, most collaboration systems are administered by one party and thus the other party has no privacy within such system.
How is this different from other document management platforms?
Our goal is to be compatible and additive to your existing document management platform, if you have one, and to provide basic document management functionality for contract negotiations if you don’t.
Most document management systems are designed for use by one party, or at best for collaboration between a party and its advisers. Our system is designed to make it easy to work even with adversarial counterparties without sacrificing privacy.
Most document management systems require substantial administrative activities to set up and maintain. Our system is designed to operate without requiring administrative activities other than someone to confirm whether a user is indeed associated with the Party.
Can I trust the compare/redline/diff? How is it generated? By whom?
Generally, outside of Expedox, a person reviewing a new version must either
- trust that the other side properly redlined all changes (a foolish assumption given how frequently mistakes are made when multiple editors are working under pressure), or
- compare the new version themselves to the appropriate prior version, either using functionality within their word processor or in other software designed for that use, which often means delay until they are back at their laptop with time to focus on selecting the correct files to compare.
Expedox performs its own comparison whenever a user chooses to view a version and also has access to a prior version. Currently the compare defaults to show changes since the immediately prior version. But at all times you can see exactly which two versions have been compared, and can choose to compare to any other version.
The compare is generated by Expedox, and not by your counterparty, so you need not worry that someone at your counterparty failed to deliver a complete redline.
The initial purpose of the display at this time is to quickly identify what has changed, even while on the run, so that deals can proceed to closure without delay.
Parties?
- What are “Parties”? Parties are the sides of a Deal. Individuals on your side of a Deal are noted in green, and those not on your side are indicated in orange. Only an “Administrator” for a Party can edit the Party’s name and confirm or reject individuals as members of that Party. At any time you can disassociate yourself from a specific Party in a Deal.
- What if I work with more than one “Party”? You can belong to different Parties on different Deals. If you would like to organize your deals by which Party you are associated with in each Deal (for example, if you are a lawyer and want to filter your view to show only deals for a particular client), lets us know and we’ll alert you when that functionality is available.
Administrators? What are they? How are they established or change?
Each Party can have its own administrator, who acts as a gatekeeper to confirm who else is associated with that Party, and can manage certain information sharing to confirmed members of the Party. Initially, the individual who sets up a deal is the Administrator for his or her own Party. When a Version is shared to someone who is at the other Party to a Deal, that person automatically becomes the initial Administrator of that other Party when they send a share through the Service.
Cost?
See Pricing for a summary of fees.
If you have been invited to use the Service for a deal, your use for that deal is free for the duration of the deal and for a period after the deal is finished. If you want to continue to access that deal on the system after such period, you need to subscribe to keep that deal available.
Can I cancel at any time?
Sure. Just send us an email to [email protected] from the email registered with the Service. Please note that your content will no longer be available to you after you cancel, and you will not receive a refund for pre-paid fees, if any. But do consider contacting us first to give us feedback at [email protected].
