Electronic signatures have redefined our work in so many ways. We know by now that the benefits of using electronic signatures are pretty much revolutionary in the sense that they make the workflow so much better and efficient.
Many people, companies, governments all over the world continue to replace the traditional signatures with electronic ones as we write this.
Choosing an electronic signature service has enabled everyone to save time, increase security in the documentation process, and work with compliance. This has led to considerable growth of the global e-signature market.
However, there are some important things that one must be conscious of if the objective is to maximize the use of online signature software.
In this blog, we will have a look at 5 ways to collect electronic signatures perfectly. These are methods that should be kept in mind when you collect an e-signature to make sure that the process is authentic.
Before we jump on to looking at all the 5 ways, let us what difference do electronic signatures make.
Quick Collection
You can complete and save the electronic signatures quickly within a matter of a few minutes. This is something that eliminates the long turnaround times that accompany requests for traditional signatures. On the basis of electronic signature service that you are using, it is also possible to collect electronic signatures by email or text message.
Security
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When you create an online signature, you can be assured of following a secure process. The need to print, scan, and email get reduced so much more. The chances of your document ending up in the wrong hands are also decreased to a great degree. Any additional features such as end-to-end encryption can be used for improving security which is not available in the traditional signatures.
Online Storage
There is never any concern about filing when it comes to using electronic signatures. When the parties are asked to create an online signature, the documents can be stored online and they can be automatically sent to online storage. This removes any need for a manual filing process. It cancels the time that is otherwise spent on finding paper-based files in a large storeroom.
5 Ways to Collect Electronic Signatures Perfectly
As stated above, there are some ways that should be kept in mind while you collect electronic signatures. Make sure that you follow all of these for the signature collection process to be accurate.
1. Encrypted Electronic Signature Service
Remember to make sure that the electronic signature service that you use is secure with encryption. This is something that must be kept in mind even while choosing an e-signature service.
Look for a solution that is capable of offering you advanced security features such as signature and document encryption. This is going to assure you that the signatures collected are safe and there is no chance of any fraud or tampering.
Oftentimes, a timestamp will be associated with the e-signature at the time when it is added to the document. This is important to ensure non-repudiation. Also, remember to make sure that this timestamp is there while collecting the signature.
2. Authentication
The person who is requested to create an online signature on the document must be identified. This is an important requisite of collecting the signature. Traditionally, this was done by a notary verifying the official document.
However, when we talk about the digital world, this is something that can be accomplished by an electronic certificate. These certificates can be issued by companies called certificate authorities. They include two important parts including a private key and a public key.
3. Compliance
It doesn’t matter what you are collecting the electronic signature for, you must ensure that the signature is compliant. Compliance is a way of instating that the process is official and legal. It rules out any chances of questioning in the future.
In addition, sometimes the compliance is industry-specific too. You must make sure that any solutions you use are easy to comply with. For instance, the e-signatures that you collect for documentation including patient data must be processed with a solution that can offer HIPAA compliance. This way, any possible risks of non-compliance can be reduced.
4. Hashing
With hashing, it becomes possible to make sure that creating an online signature works easily. Hashing is something that involves the contents of a document and forms a hash from it. You can think of it as something that is similar to fingerprint identification. A hash works in the same way as DNA works.
Electronically, a hash is linked with the official document in which you being a user can see the content as something completely normal. The good thing is that if someone tries to make any changes to the document after it is signed, the hash will change and the e-signature can become invalid.
So you can basically see when a change has taken place in the audit trail or better yet, the signature might show it. If the e-signature is valid then it means that there has been no change, but if the signature is invalid this means that the signature has been changed.
5. Templates
Yet another way of collecting electronic signatures is by creating and using templates for the official documents that you use often. This is one of the best ways of streamlining the process of collecting the e-signatures. When you get to practice this, you will save a lot of precious time.
Go a step ahead by choosing an electronic signature service that allows you to utilize important data by using sections of templates dependent on who you will submit the signature to. This way, the job will become considerably easier.
Conclusion
The electronic signatures come with an exceptional ability to move quickly, perform much better and improve the experience of everyone involved. Using the right electronic signature service, you can create a template, drag and drop fields, and send documents to suitable parties for signatures.
You can expect a quick turnaround time because electronic signatures are very easy to complete and the response is instant. This means that the use of e-signatures guarantees a superior customer experience and much more productivity.
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