It’s a rare case when a new company in a specific niche takes the lead. Because of that fact, new companies have to go the extra mile to stand out. Typically, this is achieved by being faster, more efficient, or cheaper than the competition. Unfortunately, many businesses make the mistake of forgetting about the benefits of streamlined processes and eliminating bottlenecks. A good example is focusing on communication with customers without thinking about your e-signature workflow and what the signing experience is like for everyone involved, including your team. Have you considered the energy it takes and the human factor for errors related to in-person (pen-and-paper) signing? Have you considered the legal ramifications of inappropriate storage of consumer data?
What does the ESIGN Act do?
The ESIGN Act is a law that grants electronic signatures the same legal status as physical pen-and-paper signatures. It means that any e-signature created in accordance with the specific rules and guidelines set forth by the act are legally-binding, making any e-signed form or contract court-admissible. The ESIGN Act permits electronic signatures to be applied in most scenarios, however, there are a few exceptions: filing for divorce, canceling health insurance, creating Last Will and Testaments, and other similar documents.
How does the ESIGN Act help business?
It opens the doors to digital business. Electronic signatures are the key your business has needed to reach more customers faster, no matter where they’re located. What does that mean? You’ll be able to:
- Close deals faster
- Save on resource costs
- Streamline document processes
- Increase operational efficiency
And those are just a few of the massive benefits the ESIGN Act allows e-signature to bring to business environments.
To get started doing business digitally, you’ll need to onboard a capable solution. We suggest signNow because it complies with US and EU laws and regulations concerning protecting consumer data.
The traditional signature workflow and why it’s inefficient
Printing documents, hard signing them, sending (or bringing) them to the client, and getting them back can take days or even weeks depending on your industry. Have you considered the stress and hassle this creates outside how it affects you? Hard signing, printing, scanning, etc., is also hard for your clients.
How signNow streamlines signature workflows
By implementing a solution like signNow, you can collect signatures in minutes, no matter where you or your clients are. Because signNow is web-based and integrated with the cloud, all that’s needed is a stable internet connection and you can sign and send documents for signing from your desktop or mobile device. Your recipients don’t even need an account to execute the forms or contracts you send them.
Storing documents in the cloud and using templates
It’s hard to lose digital documents. If you do happen to forget what folder they’re in, you can still use keywords and tags to find them in the cloud. Export options are usually very easy to set up. signNow automatically archives signed records to specific folders that you assign. You can also download and save them in other places like hard-drives or flash-drives.
signNow also helps you to access documents faster. Use the Make a Template function to template your most common types of forms and contracts. After you’ve done that, you can create a new copy and send it for signing even while on the go. Create your templates and share them with colleagues to simplify onboarding and improve in-team collaboration.
Does electronic signature really increase business efficiency?
By implementing paperless workflows, your employees get the ability to accelerate contract negotiation and close deals quicker. In addition, with e-signature optimization, routine processes can get eliminated, freeing up more of their time for higher-value tasks. Employees do more in less time, increasing ROI.
Are there any other useful features?
signNow is more than just a service for inserting electronic signatures.
There are many other helpful features that make your document processes much more efficient.
Interactive fields
If you have partial information about your clients, give them the ability to complete it by themselves. You’ll find plenty of interactive tools like text and calculated fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, and attachment requests on the left toolbar. Using all of them, you’ll save more time spent on negotiation and deliver services and goods much faster.
Signing Orders
Unlike other services, signNow allows the collecting of multiple signatures in a defined order. Add Signature Fields to your sample, assign them to specific Signers, and add a Signing Order. After that, the system will automatically deliver a document to every recipient after getting an e-signature from the previous one. When all e-signatures are collected, you and all other signers receive a notification via email with executed copies attached.
Document History
Using an e-signature service won’t be efficient if you’ll need to check documents each time you get them from clients. Who knows, what if someone changes the price or certain delivery conditions in your contract, without you knowing? signNow protects you with the Document History feature. You can always see who has opened a form, their IP address, and what changes they made.
Multiple ways to share
If you don’t want to send the form for filling out each time someone asks you, you have the ability to share a public link. Post it in your social media or on your website and automatically get the signatures you need.
How to implement electronic signature in your company
It doesn’t cost a lot to start using e-signature in your business. You can create an account, add teammates, and start benefiting right away. signNow has a user-friendly interface, so it’s very easy to learn and onboard for staff. signNow also has many useful tips, detailed explanations, and FAQs to make the process even more straightforward.
Don’t waste your time with hard signatures. Digitize your workflows and become a competitive leader in your business niche with signNow!
