5 Reasons to Implement a Digital Signature Tool into Your Business Processes

Everybody loves proof – proof of ownership, social proof, and of course, a signature that proves somebody supports something enough to put their name on it. 

And while signing your name to something does hold value, there are times where it is more of a formality. That’s where things can get tedious. Sign here, initial there, John Hancock – the amount of ways people can ask for you to sign your name is almost as overwhelming as the amount of times a day we get asked to do so. 

If only there were a tool we could use to sign our names digitally, instead of searching our desk frantically for a pen and getting paper cuts on the physical documents in the process. 

Oh wait. There is. It’s called a digital signature tool. 

What is a digital signature?

A digital signature is a coded message that associates a signer with a particular document in a transaction. It may appear that the digital signature is just someone’s name on a screen, but there is a lot that goes on to make that name appear. 

How does a digital signature work?

Through public key infrastructure (PKI), the typical format of digital signatures, the provider of the tool is required to use a mathematical algorithm to produce two keys: a private key and a public key. 

The private key is used to encrypt the signer’s signature on the document, and the public key is then used by the viewer to decrypt the code. The use of code is a security precaution. If the public key cannot decrypt the signature, that means the wrong person signed the document or it has been changed since that person originally signed it. Both of these instances would then make the signature invalid. 

While that may sound complicated, the software can do it all for you. With digital signature tools, you can quickly and easily sign digital documents from just about anywhere you have internet. There are some other key benefits to digital signatures as well. 

5 Reasons You Need a Digital Signature Tool

If signing papers is starting to become annoying and you would like to find an easier way to do it, let these five benefits of digital signature tools convince you to make the transition. 

1. Improves Security 

Arguably the most beneficial part of using a digital signature tool is the cyber security. 

Chances are, the documents you are signing have some element of secrecy or importance, and keeping that information and your verification of it via signature secure is important. Paper versions can get lost, and other online versions are at risk of being intercepted by hackers and cyber criminals. 

With the encryption of digital signature tools, you can rest easy knowing your signature is reaching the right people without being seen or held by unwanted parties. 

2. Strengthens Workflow and Organization 

Sending physical copies of a document back and forth between the required parties can take weeks, or even months. 

Another key benefit of digital signature tools is that it can save time, and therefore, strengthen workflow. These tools can not only help sign documents, but they can also assist in filing, organizing document data, and submitting – all online. 

On top of that, these files can be safely shared among necessary people within an organization. So you can forget misplacing physical copies, forgetting to file before a deadline, and walking across the office to simply hand off a piece of paper.

3. Decreases Costs

Paper, printing, and other costs associated with sending physical documents can add up fast. Not to mention that administrators can be required to make hundreds of copies of the same document every day. All of that could be avoided with digital signature software, an investment that will pay for itself over time. 

No more making trips to the post office to be shocked at the price on the bottom of the receipt. 

Related: Learn how to avoid paper and create digital forms!

4. Enhanced Customer Relationship

Nowadays, almost everyone is used to conducting all business activities online. With every other customer experience process being done digitally, there is no reason a signature finalizing a deal shouldn’t be done that way as well. 

Digital signature tools can help you send contracts directly to your customers without anything to download or install. They can digitally sign their documents from anywhere that has internet, simplifying the process of doing business with your company and improving customer relationship management. 

5. Generally Used and Accepted

If those five benefits didn’t sell you on digital signature software, let me hit you with some truth: it is becoming more normal to use it than sign a paper document. 

Since the security benefits of digital signature software have been realized, it has become globally accepted and used among a wide array of industries to validate documents. Not only are digital signature tools convenient, but they are also in compliance with international standards. 

Digital signature tools might seem too high tech and advanced to understand, but they are incredibly simple and convenient to use. If your business processes include plenty of signing here and initialing there, it might be time to invest in a digital signature tool.