✍️ Document Efficiency: Why E-Signatures are Essential for Business

In the modern pursuit of greater enterprise efficiency and productivity, digital solutions are evolving rapidly. Cloud services and mobile devices (with nearly $3.5$ billion in use worldwide, according to Ericsson) enable business operations from anywhere. Yet, one of the most stubborn habits is the reliance on paper.

According to The Paperless Project, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper every year, and $45\%$ of that ends up as trash within a day. This wastage not only harms the environment but can significantly impact a business’s budget.

The Paper Problem

The concept of a paperless office is not new, and the technology (digital devices and documentation tools) is readily available to dramatically reduce paper usage. These tools are designed to:

• Promote collaboration.
• Optimize workflows.
• Minimize data loss.
• Reduce waste.

Adobe’s $2016$ Digital Trends Report highlighted the value of digital optimization: $94\%$ of respondents believed optimizing creative workflows was critical for a great customer experience, and $91\%$ said improving departmental collaboration was equally important. So, what holds businesses back?

The simple answer is the signature. The need for contracts, plans, and other crucial documents to be signed physically remains an unavoidable final step in many business agreements, making the process archaic in a digital era.

Is Ink a Time Sink?

Despite advancements in digital documentation, the concept of a functional electronic signature took time to gain widespread acceptance. The efficiency gained through collaborative digital tools—where teams work on a proposal seamlessly from various devices and locations—is often lost when waiting for final client approval.

This wait for a physical signature causes delays; documents can be slowed in transit, lost in paperwork, or even damaged, necessitating a restart of the process.

The Digital Dotted Line with Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign, integrated into the Document Cloud solution, eliminates these delays by allowing digital signatures to be added to PDF documents from any device, removing the need for physical copies.

• Easy Creation: Users can easily create their e-signature using a fingertip or stylus on a modern touchscreen device.
• Convenience and Speed: Signatures can be stored for future use, allowing a document to be signed with a simple selection.
• Proven Results: Organizations adopting Adobe Sign report significant workflow acceleration. For example, the fleet management company LeasePlan cut its average contract turnaround time from over 23 days to just over 4 days.
• Legal Validity: E-signatures generated in Adobe Sign are legally binding in many countries, including New Zealand and Australia.

By integrating Adobe Sign into existing business systems, organizations can achieve more efficient and secure approvals, transforming their documentation process.

Making your digital mark with Imagetext 

The solutions required to further reduce your business’ reliance on physical media are available, as are the experts to assist you with your digital transition. Imagetext Integrated Solutions is an Adobe Platinum Partner, a sign of our experience guiding New Zealand organisations towards more efficient documentation and creative workflows. 

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about the entire range of Adobe solutions on offer.