How to Start Using E-Signature in Your Business or Service

The Covid-19 pandemic has moved the world indoors so everything from weddings to legal proceedings is taking place virtually. But just a verbal consent is not enough even in these times. Signatures are proof of consent and authenticity of the terms written in a document. Electronic signatures which are commonly known as E-signatures are here to solve this problem. E-signatures are a way to seek consent virtually on any documents or forms.

They help in the smooth conducting of all official procedures which may require any party or both parties involved to give consent in written form. E-signatures are also legally binding now as decreed by authorized bodies which are in control of technological issues in certain areas. Read on to find out the advantages of using E-signatures and how you can start using them to make conducting your business easier.

The Advantages of Using E-Signatures

The foremost advantage of E-signatures is that they are extremely cost effective. The cost of paper, ink, postage including stamps and delivery charges can be done away with if you switch to E-signatures.

They are also the more environmentally friendly option as paper and ink are both saved in opting for e-signatures.

E-signatures are also more hassle-free compared to the traditional exchange of documents that require a lot of back and forth between the two parties. For documents that require a physical signature you have to get them printed first and send them to the person whose signature is required. The concerned individual then signs the documents and has to send them back to you. There will be a cost of printing and delivering the documents which can be easily avoided if you opt for E-signatures.

E-signatures are the way to go contactless and conduct official business virtually in these times when social distancing has to be a norm for health reasons. The E-signing of word documents is becoming more and more popular because of these reasons.

Once an E-signature has been created then you can just add your E-signature to future documents with the click of just a button. You do not have to keep creating a new E-signature whenever you have to sign a document.

If E-signatures are signed in compliance with digital signature standards these documents which are signed electronically are encrypted and stored on the devices of both parties so you do not have to worry even if your documents are sensitive in nature. The documents are end-to-end encrypted at both ends of the exchange of documents. The encryption makes it safe so you do not have to concern yourself with security issues.

User-friendly, secure and cost-effective, these are some of the advantages of E-signatures. Are you considering the switch yet? Read on to find out more about E-signatures.

How do E-signatures work?

A number of websites have come up with digital signature makers which can be used to create E-signatures and collect them from a number of people in one go. There are also a couple of other methods in which you can get your digital signatures.

1. On your touchscreen device, you can use your finger to create your E-signature directly on any documents that require it to be signed on.
2. You can also take a picture of your signature and convert it to a PNG file before placing it on the signature line in your document.
3. Another way to get your E-signature is to draw it using your mouse or your touchpad and drawing your cursor along to replicate your physical signature on the device of your screen.
4. If all of this is too much hassle for you then there is another way through which you can get your E-signature. All you have to do is go to any website that generates E-signatures. These are called digital signature makers. First, you have to type in your name here. After this, you will get a list of your name typed in various hand-written fonts. You now, just have to pick whichever matches your handwriting the best and you have got yourself an E-signature. 

In which scenarios can you use E-signatures?

E-signatures can be conveniently used wherever physical signatures are required. The documents just need to be sent electronically to the person who has to sign them. Following this, the person can put his/her E-signature on them before sending it back. Trying to do this process physically would take a lot of time and might be difficult to carry out at a time when social distancing is the norm.

So, people opt for e-signatures to complete their hiring processes, legal proceedings and anything else that requires the signing of documents. In some places, notaries can validate your identity proofs through E-signatures. For adoptions, divorces, wills and testaments, E-signatures may still not be valid in many places. So, it is safer to check for the legality of E-signatures in the place where you are carrying out these proceedings before signing the documents. 

To Conclude

There are a host of reasons why you should consider switching to E-signatures. But convenience is the most important one. E-signatures make remote working easier and hassle-free. They just make conducting business easier.

Your concerns about their safety have been answered. E-signatures are end-to-end encrypted so you do not have to worry about safety at all. Many would vouch that they are actually safer than physical documents which are susceptible to theft, misplacing or damage from external sources.

If you are worried about the procedure of getting an E-signature then it has been detailed above that the process is fairly simple. But if you still have difficulty then you can refer to the many guides available online that can help you through the process of acquiring an E-signature.

E-signatures are used and accepted in almost all major countries of the world and with the rapid digitization of pretty much every sector of life, they are quickly becoming a standard practice that is being adopted by more and more people and businesses daily.