How to launch an electronic signature project in your company

Adopting the electronic signature is the logical next step once a company has gone paperless. With remote working and digital tools becoming widespread, electronic signatures have become essential for certifying where sensitive documents and data come from. Far more than a way of authenticating, though, they add to the convenience, and the savings in time and money, that people associate with working remotely.

So if you have set up remote working in your company, the gains in productivity and competitiveness will only continue with a proper electronic signature project. For a project like that to succeed, structuring it well is essential.

The electronic signature: a tool whose time has come

The electronic signature is one of the tools that will be essential to business relationships in the years ahead. It is a digital innovation that lets you sign digital documents, giving legal weight to paperless contracts. It is, quite simply, a digital version of the handwritten signature. It makes concluding transactions and signing agreements easier, remotely or otherwise, and saves a remarkable amount of time and resource.

In practical terms, an electronic signature means the signatory gives their approval and commits themselves to the document signed. It carries real legal weight, just as a physical signature does. It can serve as evidence during an inspection or a dispute, provided the integrity and security of the document can be attested. That last point is one of the reasons it matters to think your company's electronic signature project through properly.

Thanks to electronic signatures, valuable documents can be kept for a long time and carry the weight they should at any moment. There is no risk of loss or destruction, as there is with paper. And by sending a document by email, you can have anyone sign it anywhere, since an electronic signature does not require you to be face to face with the signatory. That flexibility is a considerable boon to remote working, which looks set to become the dominant way of working.

Everything therefore points to the electronic signature as a transformative tool that will let businesses improve how they work and how they deal with the people around them. Before long, and this is already the case in some organisations, most people will no longer want to be weighed down with paperwork and will give priority to digital documents. And today, the electronic signature is the only way of authenticating a digital document.

How do you set up an electronic signature project?

The main challenge with electronic signatures is giving a document genuine legal weight that cannot be contested. The central task in your project will therefore be finding a way to guarantee the authenticity of the signature and the consent of the signatory. That means following certain steps and making sure you have answers to certain questions.

Define what you want the electronic signature to do

The type of signature, the circumstances in which it is given and the software involved can all change according to what the company needs. That is why it matters to define and set out your objectives properly.

Electronic signatures can help a company offer a fully digital journey to its clients, colleagues and even suppliers, from signing up for a service to certifying accounting documents, by way of approving sales contracts. They can equally be used to smooth out internal processes in companies handling large volumes of documents. And they can serve to make exchanges more secure where those exchanges call for a high level of confidentiality.

Decide what level of identification the signatory needs

Depending on what is needed and on the part the digital signature will play as the company goes paperless, you can decide what level of identification you want from the signatory. Identifying the signatory properly affects the level of security and authenticity the signature carries. That identification might be done by sending a code by text message, by providing a scan of the signatory's identity document, and so on. In short, it is essential to find evidence of identity that can give the document real weight should a problem arise. How strong, and therefore how complex, that identification needs to be depends on how important the document is.

Decide on the circumstances of signing

This step means defining the conditions under which the signature will be given. Some solutions, for instance, allow an independent signature at a distance (online), while others require the signature, electronic though it is, to be given in the presence of a witness. Deciding on the circumstances also means knowing whether a computer or a tablet will be used. And will an internet connection be needed during signing? All of this matters in finding the right solution.

Trust NetExplorer with your digital signature project

Once you have worked through all of these steps, you have to decide which solution to use. The NetExplorer electronic signature is one strong option for your project, whatever you need. Our solution provides a legally valid signature that above all complies with the eIDAS regulation. It includes three types of signature: the scanned handwritten signature, the simple signature and the advanced signature.

The first suits documents carrying low risk, such as quotes and invoices. It requires authentication by email and is quick and free of charge. The second suits documents carrying limited risk, such as mandates and insurance policies. It allows authentication by a code sent by text message and carries legal weight. The last is the one used for very important documents calling for a high level of security. Authentication is done by code and by identity card.

The NetExplorer solution can therefore meet the needs of any kind of work. It gives decision-makers tools that speed up administrative processes, internally as much as externally. Among its other strengths, it also lets you sign contracts directly online. The electronic signature system we offer at NetExplorer is therefore a complete answer. It supports companies as they go paperless and helps them secure a range of dealings with colleagues, clients, partners and others.

Once you have chosen the NetExplorer solution, all that is left is to train your staff to use it, which is very simple indeed. Help them understand what the tool is for and why following the steps properly matters.