
Some even offer pre-built processes, such as signature requests, that you can add into your existing automated workflows. Many ECM platforms also offer integrations with popular electronic signature services to further streamline processes. For example, as the following video shows, if a manager forgets to sign an invoice, an automated system can send them an email reminder after a period of time has passed. Organizations operate at peak efficiency when electronic signatures are incorporated into an automated business process, like the kind you can create using an enterprise content management (ECM) system. Wet signatures tend to slow processes down because of their dependence on the physical paper, but even electronic signatures can become impediments when someone fails to sign a document in a timely manner. Many business processes require signatures, whether it’s on a contract, invoice or even a financial loan. How can I process signatures efficiently and effectively? In summary, it’s usually up to each organization to create its own policy around signatures.

The ESIGN act does preserve the right of a party to use or accept wet signatures even if the documentation in question is electronic. Nevertheless, some organizations and individuals still prefer handwritten signatures. Since the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) went into effect in 2000, electronic signatures have held the same legal standing as wet signatures. The use of wet, electronic or digital signatures is left to the discretion of the parties involved. Are different signatures required for different purposes? Some common uses for digital signatures include electronic tax forms, applications for business permits and online college applications. Digital signatures are also often used for electronic messages, which are signed with the sender’s private decryption key and verified by anyone who can access the sender’s public encryption key this further ensures that both parties are who they say they are and that the content of the message has not been changed or intercepted.ĭigital and electronic signatures are often used synonymously, but many electronic signatures lack the additional security granted by a digital signature. The parties on either side of a digital signature can also detect whether its associated electronically signed document was altered or changed in any way that would invalidate it.
#How to insert a signature in word on touch screen windows
This is often accomplished with a certificate of authority, such as a Windows certificate, to ensure the validity of the signatory (the signature’s author and owner). Sometimes referred to as a cryptographic signature, a digital signature can add integrity to an electronic signature. A handwritten but digitally captured signature made on a touch device, such as a tablet or smartphone (sometimes referred to as a “dynamic signature”).Clicking “agree” or “disagree” on an electronic “terms of use” contract.A personal identification number (PIN) entered on a bank ATM.An image of a handwritten signature on a transmitted fax.A typed name on an electronic form or document.Various legal definitions exist for electronic signatures, but the term most generally refers to the acknowledgement or adoption of an electronic message, transaction or document. In both cases, the word “wet” implies that the signature requires time to dry, as it was likely made with ink or wax. Historically, many cultures have used seals to the same effect. In some cultures this is done by writing a name in a stylized, cursive format (or even a simple “X”) on a piece of paper.


What is a wet signature?Ī wet signature is created when a person physically marks a document. Here’s what you need to know about the three main signature categories (wet, digital and electronic signatures) and how they can facilitate (or impede) business processes. What do you imagine when you hear the word “signature?” 50 years ago we might all have had the same answer, but today, “ink on paper” isn’t the only option for authorizing a document or transaction.
