Electronic signature – don’t ignore upcoming trends

We live in completely different times than even 20 or even 10 years ago. Today’s world is digital and the times of paper documents are becoming obsolete. Electronic signatures are becoming more and more popular, and we start seeing documents more often on computer screens or smartphones than on paper.

We are sure that in the future paper documents will be rare, and electronic signatures will not surprise anyone. In many companies this is already happening today. That’s why it’s important not to get left behind and stay on top of today’s trends.

Pandemic

The world has been slowly moving from traditional signatures and paper documents to electronic signatures and digital documents for years, but it wasn’t until the outbreak of the pandemic that this process accelerated significantly. Quarantines, closed offices and advisories not to leave the house have made it not only inconvenient but impossible to physically sign documents. Electronic signature made it possible for businesses to operate even in these difficult times. At that time, many companies that early on resisted the introduction of this technology noticed that the electronic signature is safe, and at the same time saves a lot of time, and thus money. Many of these companies decided to stay with digital signatures even when it was possible to go back to the traditional form of signing documents. So we can say that the pandemic has not only negative effects.

Remote working

This trend is directly related to the pandemic situation described above. The difficult situation we all find ourselves in has forced employers to provide their employees with the opportunity to work remotely whenever possible. It turned out that in order to perform many office jobs, all you need is a computer with a camera and an Internet connection. These are things that almost everyone has.

The problem arose, however, when they needed to prepare a document and submit it for signature. Here again, an electronic signature came to the rescue. Thanks to it, this problem disappeared, and what is more, it turned out that this way of operation is more efficient. Many companies have come to the conclusion that by working remotely, they can reduce office size, speed up workflows and save a lot of money.

This form of work is also beneficial for employees. They don’t have to waste time commuting and getting frustrated in traffic jams, and can spend the time saved taking care of their families. Such an employee is happier as a result, and a happy employee is of course another benefit to the company.

In our opinion this trend will continue and the possibility of remote working will stay with us forever. However, to take full advantage of it, you need to switch to electronic documents and use electronic signatures.

Automation

Many experts predict that XXI century will be the time of automation and introduction of artificial intelligence on a large scale. Only naive people think that this process will bypass office work. Already today, artificial intelligence is able to automatically generate documents and forward them for signing. It allows office workers to get rid of monotonous tasks and have time to tackle problems that require creativity.

This technology is being developed all the time and even though it is not very popular today, we are almost sure that we will see it more and more in the coming years.

Bringing artificial intelligence into your business won’t happen, however, if you don’t first bring in other solutions that make it possible. The first and primary technology to start the automation process with is electronic signature and electronic workflow. It is important that the applied solution is safe and tested. Because this is the foundation on which you will be able to build a modern and automated workflow system in the future. Such a system will make all processes in the company run more efficiently and faster, and we all know very well, what a competitive advantage a thriving company has, where documents are in order and introducing changes does not take much time.

Mobile devices

The last trend we will discuss in this article is one that everyone seems to notice. It is the increasingly common use of mobile devices. This trend is also visible in business. Thanks to mobile devices an employee can always be up to date with the situation in the company, and if this company additionally uses electronic signatures, he can also approve a document even when he is out of the office.

Summary

In our opinion, electronic signature is currently one of the most effective solutions for streamlining workflow in a company. It also allows you to operate in such difficult conditions as a pandemic, and allow employees to work from home.

Technology is advancing at a breakneck pace these days, and companies that want to stay in business need to keep up. One of the basic issues, necessary in any modern company, is the system of electronic signing of documents. Without it, no further improvements will be possible.