Working remotely? Here are 3 electronic signature tips you need to know

Working remotely has never been more prevalent. This can often create challenges for businesses that rely on in-person business processes. Historically, signing was one such process that required in-office resources such as printers, scanners, paper and pen, courier envelopes, and perhaps even an in-person exchange. 

Luckily, signing agreements is one of the easiest processes to complete remotely, and with the electronic signature tips below you’ll be well on your way to executing agreements faster and more securely.

Tip 1: Enforceability and traceability are important factors to consider when executing agreements remotely

Need to execute an agreement remotely? While there are tools that allow a signer to simply place an image of their signature on an agreement, this method of applying a signature provides little to no evidence of who actually signed the agreement. As a result, the party collecting the signature may experience challenges when faced with a dispute about the validity of the signature and the agreement as a whole. 

DocuSign helps solve this problem by compiling a full audit history of the signing transaction that includes information such as a timestamp of when a document was signed and the IP address of the signer. This information is valuable in determining who signed the document and when. 

It’s important to remember that certain use cases may require additional methods of signer authentication, such as I.D. verification, where a simple image on an electronic document won’t suffice. Discover more about the identification services we provide or contact us for more information.  

For electronic signatures that offer strong evidentiary value of a signer’s acceptance, make sure you’re leveraging a solution that is legally binding and court admissible. 

To learn more about electronic signatures, read our blog.

Tip 2: Did the signer edit the agreement? Ensure your agreement has not been tampered with

It can often be challenging to determine whether any unapproved changes were made to your document. DocuSign’s eSignature technology can help foster greater trust when sending a document. When an agreement is signed with DocuSign, a mechanism known as a “hash” is applied. A hash is similar to a fingerprint, which is one of a kind. If there are any changes to the document after the document has been signed, the hash will be broken and you will be able to tell if a document has been modified. 

Tip 3: Enhanced visibility into the status of your agreement decreases manual work and increases turnaround time

Agreements often require more than one signature, and a single individual may be managing the execution of many documents simultaneously. Tracking the execution status of an agreement and ensuring that your agreement is routed to the appropriate signers can be frustrating and time consuming.

DocuSign allows you to view the status of your agreement and sends you automated reminders so you can focus on other tasks. Additionally, DocuSign reduces manual processes by automatically routing your agreement to the next signer.