E-sign signatures are slowly becoming the norm rather than a novelty in businesses all around the world. It’s 2020 and the world is on the way to becoming increasingly digital with each new technological advancement. From grocery shopping to business meetings, everything can be done online. So why should it be necessary to physically sign documents?
E-signatures are a way to seek consent and approval by signing documents digitally. With most of the world working remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was of utmost importance that such a tool be set up so that businesses can be conducted smoothly even as the pandemic rages around us. The introduction of E-signatures or digital signatures as they are also known has been a blessing for businesses all around the world. On top of being hassle-free and easy, digital signatures also have numerous advantages. Read on to find out what they are and how you can implement digital signatures in your business or service.
Why should you switch to E-signatures?
- The year is 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic has most of the professional world working remotely. Imagine you have a document that needs to be signed by your manager and social distancing norms are still in place. People are being urged to carry out their business in a contactless manner. In this case, how will you manage to get your manager’s signature on that all important document? Sending it by post and waiting for your manager to send it back will take too much time. So, that option is not feasible either. What are your other options in this case? This is where digital signatures can save the day for you. You can just email your documents that they can just digitally sign and email back to you. Doesn’t this sound like the more convenient method? This will save you both the time and effort that will be required in posting or travelling back and forth with the documents.
- The environmental cost of running a business is also less if you opt for E-signatures. You won’t be needing paper and neither will you need a printer to get copies of your document which will then be signed physically. Overall, the use of E-signatures is a more environmentally friendly method to conduct your business.
- Digital signatures are also very easy to make and use. Once you have made your digital signature you do not have to keep making it again and again. You can just insert your digital signatures that are required to be signed by you. A click of a button is all it will take. You can easily create your digital signature in Word. It is a simple process and will only take a couple of minutes of your time.
- All documents that are digitally signed are end-to-end encrypted at both the sender’s end and receiver’s end. So, if concerns about their security are stopping you from switching to digital signatures then you have nothing to worry about. A lot of people who use it say that this may be safer than printing and storing digital copies of documents which are at risk of being stolen or damaged due to external elements like fire, water and more. Digitally signed documents can safely stay stored on your device where there are fewer chances of you misplacing them as well.
Now that you have become privy to the advantages of digital signatures, you must be wondering how to get started with them. The next section will answer all your questions about getting started with digital signatures.
Getting started
There are numerous digital signature software which can generate digital signatures for you.
- One easy way to get your digital signature is to recreate your physical signature using your finger or a stylus on your touchscreen device. But if you do not have a touchscreen device then there are other methods you can use to get your digital signature.
- You can put your signature down on a sheet of paper. Take a picture of your signature and change it to a PNG file. Voila! You can place this above the dotted line directly on your document.
- Another method to create your digital signature is to recreate your signature on your system using the touchpad or your mouse. All you have to do is drag the cursor along to create your signature. Then you are ready to place this signature on all your documents.
- The easiest of all methods to create a digital signature is to use a digital signature maker. This is as easy as typing your name. Literally, that is all you have to do. Type your name into a digital signature maker and you will get a drop down list of your name written in various signature fonts. Just pick whichever resembles your signature and you have your digital signature. You can now use this to digitally sign all your documents.
The methods to get your digital signature are easy enough and the advantages are immense. So, if you are planning to try them out then you should give it a shot. If you are worried about the legality of digital signatures then you must check the technology laws in your country. They will definitely spell out the scenarios in which digital signatures are valid and the ones in which they are not.
To Conclude
Easy to use, cost-effective, safe and secure, environmentally friendly – these are just some of the advantages of using digital signatures. Digital signatures make recruiting and seeking consent and approvals on documents very easy in this world where more and more remote functioning of businesses are being promoted. Digital signatures are now being increasingly used and accepted in most major countries of the world. It has become a standard practice in numerous corporate offices and even small businesses around the world. If you are thinking about ways to save time and use technology to the fullest the switching to digital signatures is the way to go.
