According to Carrie Peter, managing director of Impression Signatures - an EOH Company – this challenge actually creates an opportunity. “When organisations get this right from the start, they are effectively minimising (if not eliminating) the chances of fraud, abuse, and data security violations.” Peter believes that, when digitising from the first interaction with solutions like eSignatures, paper processes are transformed, users enjoy the ease of use, and risks are mitigated.
“eSignatures (or digital signatures) allow processes that are usually paper-based to be digitised at the onset. When a document is generated, it goes through a signature workflow configuration and is passed through conversion services while confirming identity authentication and securing consent. With a strong audit trail, and legally compliant document archiving solutions, these signatures are non-repudiable with digital identity certainty underpinned by a private key.”
As part of this process, a digital identity must first be created. Although this may involve complexity in the back end, the user experience around the creation of this identity is not. “Customers should not feel the complexity of the business need for identity certainty. Very simply, the creation of a digital identity includes verification, confirmation that the user is the correct signatory, a declaration of confidentiality, a request to confirm consent and, finally, the final document stored and wholly compliant. It’s simple and seamless,” adds Peter.
The goal is to maximise the value of a single interaction. With eSignatures, single-touch interactions enable multiple digital processes without creating complexity. With one touch, eSignatures offer the power to identify authorised organisation representatives, supplying a document for signature in a secure viewer with total auditability, while driving data security. When the user agrees to sign electronically, with a sound digital identity, ID verification is proven and the document is returned, executed, and carries total compliance.
Adding to the ease of use, the right eSignature solution will offer advanced integrations, being embedded and connected with subject matter experts. “The solution must integrate with: the Microsoft ecosystem; process management tools like Sybrin Onboarding, AppWorks, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, XDS, and Striata; document management systems like Sybrin Nitro, OpenText, OnBase, and DocFusion – to name a few,” states Peter.
The legal obligation is compliance. When it comes to eSignatures, this is achieved through consent and agreement. Compliance and trust require that all parties are identified. The practical obligation is to deliver a user experience that fosters adoption and drives efficiency. Peter concludes by confirming that, when this balance is achieved, businesses will experience a marked return on digitisation, achieving improved process and regulatory compliance, time savings through efficiencies, reduced costs, rapid implementation, and phased embedding into their own infrastructure and environment.
