The Advantages of Signing Documents Electronically

It’s not difficult to see why electronic signatures have become the preferred method of committing to agreements. E-signatures are legally admissible and enforceable, highly secure, and widely available for virtually anyone who needs them.

Whether you’re looking to generate your own signable electronic documents or you’ve been asked to electronically sign a document yourself, there are several major advantages electronic signatures can offer when compared to the traditional physical signature process.

Here’s what you need to know.

What are the advantages of signing documents electronically?

In summary: electronic signatures are much faster than physical signatures, they’re less work for everyone involved, and they’re more secure than traditional “wet” ink signatures.

Here are a few of the major advantages you can tap into with the help of electronic signatures.

Enable instant remote signing

The most obvious advantage of e-signatures is they make it possible to sign documents whenever and virtually wherever you receive them. Instead of taking the time to have every party get together in person, or sending a document to them one-by-one, you can simply ask signers to provide an e-signature as soon as you need it. You can even set a preferred order of signatures so that signers receive the agreement in the correct order.

Using e-signature technology, like Docusign eSignature, reduces the time it takes to complete document signing from weeks (or even months) to moments.

Automate your processes

E-signature applications enable you to automate the different steps of your document signing, review, and approval process.

The parties that need to sign the document can do so as soon as they’re sent it. Typically, the tool will highlight the parts of the document they need to review and then sign automatically. Document owners can clearly see who has signed the document and when, as well as who still needs to sign or where the process is stuck. This makes it easy to keep processes moving.

eSignature also has a dashboard tool that enables you to track the steps of your document signing process in real time. You can see at a glance what needs to be signed, where, and by whom.

Reduce signature and documentation errors

Forrester research shows that e-signature applications reduce the total number of mistakes left in completed and signed documents by an average of 80%.

These mistakes could be as simple as one person forgetting to sign one section of a document, but they could push back an important deal’s completion until the mistake can be corrected. In the meantime, every party involved could be losing money or interest.

Cut down on costs

In addition to all the time savings electronic signatures create, they also substantially reduce paper and logistical costs. You’ll no longer have to print and copy a physical document, nor will you have to ship it to all signers.

Signed electronic documents are also far easier to store, save, and access at any time. A signed electronic document can be saved from the signing application and stored in any agreement repository. 

Improve security and verification

Electronic signatures are more secure than traditional “wet” ink signatures, without imposing substantial inconveniences on either the document owners or signing parties. For example, Docusign Identify offers solutions for verifying signer identity and authenticating access as a seamless part of the e-signature experience.

For the most sensitive documents, Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) are available. These digital signatures require face-to-face identity verification to be coordinated by an approved authority either in-person or via video conference call, and they are considered legally equivalent to handwritten signatures.