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OPINION
Digital technologies are helping to
create new, efficient workplaces
– from face scanning systems and
augmented reality apps to virtual
meeting rooms and idea platforms.
No longer are employees expected
to occupy one physical space. Their
daily tasks are being supported and
enhanced by connected, instant
access environments, anywhere
and everywhere.
Digital transformation has
disrupted the way that businesses
are run. The opportunities now
afforded by social, mobile and cloud
computing technologies are forcing
organisations to reconsider not just
how they operate, but what they
should be investing in to maximise
business outcomes.
It’s important to keep ahead of
the game. A recent
FutureScape
Predictions
report from IDC
acknowledged that over the past
year there has been tremendous
momentum in the influence of
digital transformation on technology
spending. This is encouraging
because in its previous report it
predicted that by 2018 at least 20%
of all workers will use automated
assistance technologies to make
decisions and get work done.
Resistance to change
IDC pointed out that digital
transformation is a board-level
initiative and is at the heart
of business strategies for
companies of all sizes, but in
some organisations there has
been a reluctance to change, and
the concern is the business will
experience a negative economic
impact as a result.
A report by Progress on the
State of Digital Business
found that
62% of digital decision-makers
feel their organisation is in denial
about the need to transform
digitally; 55% believe they have a
year or less to make digital inroads
before suffering financially and
competitively.
The fact is that without making
that digital transformation it will be
difficult for companies to survive.
Perhaps, given that the biggest
disruptive technologies are the
cloud, mobility and collaboration,
there is a perception that all
digital solutions involve a massive
investment in time and money and
considerable inconvenience, but this
is simply not true.
Simplifying signing
One change that requires little
effort, but has the advantage of
delivering high impact results, is
e-signatures. These have the ability
to accelerate the signing process in
any business, expediting document
workflows and boosting productivity.
Estimates indicate that as
many as 80% of organisations are
still dependent on paper-heavy
processes and wet-ink signatures.
Employees still spend hours
seeking approvals and signatures
for documents and then print, scan,
mail or even fax them to complete
the job. And this is just for standard
office processes.
In the finance department where
budgets, contracts and forecasts
have to be signed off, the workflow
becomes even more complex –
with multiple parties required for
approval, there is an increased
chance of human error.
One of the benefits of using
e-signatures is that there are
solutions with built-in digital workflow
records. This enables users to
see who has yet to sign a specific
document and then send an alert
to avoid unnecessary delays in the
approval process.
Given the critical nature of
Expediting the document
approval process through
digital transformation
Sam Crook argues that e-signatures are a low cost, high impact initiative that can
be undertaken by companies at the earliest stages of their digital transformation
many financial or contractual
documents, every word needs to
be read thoroughly before signing.
There are solutions available that
include ‘personal initials’ fields
next to critical sections, to provide
evidence that documents have
been read and understood.
When companies are considering
the question of expenditure on
digital tools, it is important to
remember that an e-signature
solution can save on financial
resources, enabling an increase
in efficiency and avoidance of
additional outlay associated with
delay and approval issues.
Furthermore, across all
departments today’s litigious and
compliance-focused workplace is
a key concern because documents
can contain sensitive or secure
information. Companies should
look for a solution that ensures
long-term Advanced/EU Qualified
Electronic Signatures are supported
in line with the ETSI PAdES
standards so they cannot be
tampered with and will be future-
proof regardless of software format
changes. This also means that if
required, long-term verification (LTV)
evidence can be embedded into the
document with trusted timestamps
proving the time and validity of the
signature.
Programme integration
e-Signatures can minimise the
time spent on administrative tasks
through integration with other core
business programmes such as
document management systems
and CRM applications. Because
documents are accessible from
anywhere, they can be reviewed and
amended in real-time without the
need for printing or rescanning after
each revision. This has a positive
benefit to the customer’s experience,
helping to improve communications
and minimise changes.
As these examples show, the
digital workplace is an inevitability.
Transformation, however, can take
time, and companies are advised
to start with simple but effective
changes using digital tools that
are designed to deliver workflow
improvements and better efficiency
and productivity as a result.
Sam Crook is in
Solution Sales for
SigningHub by Ascertia.
Estimates
indicate that as
many as 80% of
organisations
are still
dependent on
paper-heavy
processes
and wet-ink
signatures
