Electronic signature software offers small business a number of time and cost-saving benefits. If you’ve considered going paperless but haven’t made the plunge, here are six reasons to start using digital signatures today.
1. Get paid faster
Digital signatures make it easy to close a sale on the spot, turn contracts around faster, and finalise documents that need signatures from multiple parties. They can also streamline the generation of invoices, agreements and any paperwork typically held up by ink signatures – the result is quicker processing and faster payment.
2. Direct and indirect cost savings
Switching to electronic signatures means spending less on paper, ink, printer maintenance, postage and courier costs, and less time managing paper documents. The software automatically forwards a document from one signee to the next – a huge time saver – and it’s easy to track its status as it makes the rounds.
3. Improve customer service
A large and growing share of digital activity happens on mobile devices, which means many of your customers do business online from their phones and tablets. Digital signing is increasingly what customers expect – make it easy to sign and you’ll maintain loyalty and avoid losing sales because your business is behind the times.
4. Simple to implement
Digital signing software is easy to use and cost-effective. You can trial different options for free, and basic plans are inexpensive. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly with other applications, so you can sign different kinds of documents in various formats.
5. Enhanced security
Digitally signed contracts can be more secure than paper. Documents are protected with a tamper-evident seal and the originator is notified of any change; an electronic record of the document’s lifecycle serves as evidence of who signed and when; and strong encryption verification identifies signatories and ensures the integrity of each document. E-documents dramatically reduce the risk of being stolen, damaged, intercepted, lost or altered.
6. Legally binding
In many parts of the world, legislation protects parties who have signed via electronic signature. If you work with international clients, familiarise yourself with the laws on electronic documents everywhere you do business so your digitally signed documents will hold up. Between the time, money and paper saved, going digital is well worth considering.