5 Reasons Government Agencies and Councils are adopting Digital Signatures Posted on June 30, 2022 - 5:19 am by John Webster Government Departments and local councils have a responsibility to reduce operational costs and their carbon footprint while serving customers efficiently and keeping sensitive information such as personal details and data secure. The volume of paperwork and official forms in government departments and local council offices is staggering, so a move towards digitalization makes sense. Digital applications are increasingly replacing paper-based processes, both in business and public service. With automation, government agencies can ditch the paper-based processes and leave the cost and inefficiency involved in handling and storing paper documents in the past. Digital signatures are an important part of this process, as they are the electronic “fingerprints” that validate the authenticity and integrity of a digital document. The government of Singapore had the foresight to roll out a digital signature service for its residents and businesses in 2020, and the global pandemic has further accelerated governments’ digital transformation efforts. In February 2021, Casey Coleman published an article on the Washington Post which explains why many government agencies worldwide took the pandemic as a catalyst to accelerate their planned digital transformations and cloud services, as many were long overdue but often took years to implement. The only way is forward, and here’s why: 1. Digitized Processes are more Efficient There are a lot of reasons for a government organization to go paperless and adopt digital signatures, with the most obvious one being cost efficiency. The savings on printing, postage and storing that mountain of paper add up fast, but digitalization can also save tons of time. Organizations that go digital save hours on data entry and manual searches for records. The pandemic accelerated the digitalization process, as many government organizations turned to IT to solve new challenges such as remote working and surges in demand for certain services. An example of a government organization in the US that was previously paper based but shifted to digital is DeKalb County in Atlanta, Georgia. With the COVID-19 lockdowns, the previously paper-based organization chose to move to a completely virtual environment. It was a shift that translated to increased efficiency, as tracking documents electronically created the ability to move through internal processes much faster. Secured Signing offered DeKalb County an intuitive solution that provided signing workflow capabilities and streamlined the organization’s signing procedures. It now facilitates the organization’s entire signing workflow, from document creation and e-forms to configuring the signing process including reviewer, providing reminders and notifications, all with an advanced reporting tool. “We identified it as a solution to quickly adopt and provide a level of automation and continuity in various high traffic departments including Legal, Purchasing, Executive Offices, and Courts to sustain a smooth operation,” said Felicia Green, Deputy CIO at DeKalb County Government. 2. Creating a Seamless Experience Automating document processes may sound complicated, but it is simply an extension of the paper-based way of managing your documents. Document digitization and secure signing allows for a more sustainable, responsible, and streamlined administration. Digitizing creates a seamless experience that improves customer experience and in turn, keeps your staff happy. By removing pain-points created by paper-based processes, customers become accustomed to their ability to fill out and sign documents from their mobile device or the comfort of their own home. No more worrying about travel time, putting documents into envelopes and sending them off, or wondering if the documents have been delivered successfully. By modernizing your approach to document management, you free up time for all involved in the process, with more time to focus on other things that matter. Digital document management solutions for government agencies allow for easy access to information contained in files, which creates a smoother public service and a faster turnaround. It is efficient, convenient, easily accessible, and exceptionally secure. For customers, replacing manual processes and paper forms with digital workflows and secure online forms results in a faster response time and a significant reduction in errors and delays. Citizens of today have an appetite for more digitally enabled public services and many want to have more of a say in how and where these services are delivered. More about this here. 3. Empowered Organizations with Improved Processes Document digitalization goes well beyond the simple goal of migrating paper into digital documents, although that is usually where it starts. With efficient use of forms as a data collection platform, maximization of data management between departments and regions is made possible. Government agencies and local councils typically center their efforts on four capabilities: services, processes, decisions, and data sharing. With an automated digital process, incoming digital applications will be automatically sent to the correct department allowing for a more transparent and streamlined process. If approvals, required documents or signatures are missing from the form, it will be identified by the software and either the document can’t be submitted, or the appropriate party will be notified. This type of efficiency significantly limits turnaround times spent on requesting documentation and reviewing applications between departments or back to the customer. By eliminating paper, you eliminate all the administrative tasks that come with it. Filing, posting, signing, filling out forms, following up with people, everything. A good digitized system will take care of all of that for you and will empower your team to get things done in time. 4. Meet Sustainability Goals Matamata-Piako District Council in New Zealand began their transition to the digital space in 2016, when they realized it would be beneficial to hold their council meetings digitally. This included the meeting minutes, agendas, reports and contracts that need to be distributed to, and signed by, elected representatives. The organization’s main goal was to achieve an efficient green solution for circulating and approving documentation and items, which also helped them achieve their broader strategic sustainability goal to reduce carbon emissions. Following extensive research and reviews of other products over a couple of years, Matamata-Piako District Council selected Secured Signing as one of their main digital transformation partners and has been using the service since October 2019. The digital process for filling out forms and securely obtaining signatures has allowed them to meet their strategic sustainability goals. You can download the Matamata-Piako District Council Case Study here. 5. Solutions for Everyone Document digitalization, automation and secure digital signatures can be used by governments of all levels, from local/county/region through to state and federal. Of course, an organization won’t go paperless in a day. There’s a lot involved in the process. A good first step is to find a process that’s heavy with incoming documents, such as the Matamata-Piako District Council did with their meetings, then digitize it on the front end. It is however important for local councils and government organizations to not ignore those who may not have access to the internet or people who aren’t comfortable with technology to submit digital applications, pay bills online, or access online platforms. Where documentation digitization is becoming more mainstream, equal access to information and support for all demographics must still be prioritized. That’s why user-friendly FAQs and tutorials, along with having a responsive and knowledgeable tech support team in place is important to guide people through the system if need be. An investment in software that allows for secured document signing and to accept digital applications for matters such as building permits, licensing and secure online payments will pay itself back in no time due to the efficiencies it brings. The digital transformation of a government body can be challenging, but many public institutions around the world have discovered the rewards. How secure digital signing works Secured Signing has been at the forefront of the digital signing industry for over a decade and our software is full of innovative features. It provides a one-stop digital signature service that delivers a full range of form completion and eSigning capabilities. The digital signing platform provides a multitude of features: unlimited number of signers, templates and fillable forms, out-of-the-box security through PKI digital signatures, as well as notarization and video signing capabilities to ensure effective use across all departments. Using advanced personalized X509 PKI Digital Signature technology, it is more secure than a plain electronic signature, as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology is the only technology available today that ensures non-forgeable signatures. Secured Signing enables its users to use any device to capture their graphical signature, fill-in, sign, seal and verify documents anywhere, anytime. The solution streamlines operational processes, cuts back on expenses, expedites delivery cycles, improves staff efficiency, and enhances customer service in a more sustainable environment. If you would like more information about digital signing or have any questions about how our digital signing platform can benefit your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Building a Business Case for Digital Signatures: 7 things Influencing the Move to Digital Posted on May 13, 2022 - 1:24 am by John Webster As a digital signature cloud-based technology platform, we’ve noticed an increased amount of enquiries into how organisations can begin digitally transforming their business. Organisation’s we speak to are all on a journey to become a paper free office. They want to be 100% digital across the value chain. One of the key questions we get asked is “how can I communicate the benefits of digital signatures and digital transformation internally at my organization to those approving new technology”. This one question is a catch all for: What is the cost of the digital solution to the business? Does it save us money, time, resources? How will I train team members? How will I get buy-in from team members to use the digital platform once trained? How long does it take to implement the digital platform? The list of questions that stem from “how can I communicate the benefits” is long and as you read on, we’ll let you in on what many organizations are now thinking. 7 things Influencing the Move to Digital. So, let’s give a little context as to why organizations are approaching us to assist with digital transformation, the types of scenarios to keep in mind before choosing and implementing a digital solution, and what you can use to build your business case. With organizations at various stages of their digital transformation journey, we have seen common trends and ideas influencing their decisions to go digital. Moving to the Cloud There has been a lot of grunt work around improving robustness of core systems and moving these systems to the cloud. Resources have been set toward this improvement. Hybrid Working Models COVID has accelerated the adoption of a hybrid work model, with organizations having to give thought to their policies and procedures. Employees could be located anywhere, and so organizations have begun to think about how they empower these employees and give them the right tools to work from anywhere, at any time. Office Footprints being Reviewed On the back of hybrid working models, we know that office leasing, and the size of the office, is a huge factor (and cost) in today’s organizational thinking. Staff are not necessarily going to be in the office all the time, and the allocation of spending for storage of records, space for printers, desks, computers, is at the top of the list when reviewing costs. Digitization strategies – moving from paper and files Self-explanatory, but many organizations have started to move their paper files and records into a digital space. The shift coming from an urgency to continue to get back to business-as-usual while being able to uphold a successful work from home/hybrid work strategy. Reviewing End-to-End Processes Recently, we’ve seen organizations step back and look at their digital transformation strategy, and how their end-to-end processes can be adapted and linked back to their digital strategy. A question we like to ask is “if you are going to implement digital signatures, how can this be used across the organization, and what problems do digital signatures solve”. Digital signatures unlock document workflow across value chains being completed electronic. The signature is the key part but consider what that enables across the process. Security, Compliance and Avoiding Fraudulent Activity Post COVID many organizations we talk to have been using electronic signatures to get business done. In brief, that is dropping an electronic version of their or managements signature on a document to sign. Unfortunately, signing this way can mean the document can be altered after the signature. This can lead to altered documents or fraudulent activity. Having a secure Digital Signature provider increases security in the signing process and protects the organization from a legal and compliance perspective. Corporate Social Responsibility Goals Lastly, organizations have increasingly grown in their awareness of their carbon footprint and have been looking for ways to reduce this. Digital signatures play a huge role in getting rid of paper, reducing travel and storage costs, which contributes to the sustainability goals of the org. What Does It All Mean? It is one thing to understand what is driving the change to “go digital”, it is another to get the benefits across to internal stakeholders. Digital transformation is a big change and what we’ve seen works in getting internal stakeholders on board can be broken down into two things: efficiency gains and cost-savings. Efficiency Gains Digital signatures enable you to streamline your process through: Automating and integrating your document flow so the right forms are sent at the right time. Removing the need to print, scan, sign, save, email, save to a document management system. Two-way data flow means you can save documents in the right place, all the time. Having confidence in the accuracy of documents by recreating re-usable templates. Improving user and customer experience. A recruitment agency that chose Secured Signing as their digital signature provider, was faced with the age old challenge of dealing with too many documents with not enough staff to process them. Their processes were essentially manual, involving stacks of paper, which was “hardly environmentally friendly”, and involved more of their staff, taking up resources that could be better utilized elsewhere in the business. With their digital transformation, they were able to keep on top of high-volume numbers, with time-savings of around 1250 hours, per month. Cost Savings We could talk at length about this but for simplicity’s sake this means: Removing money spent on paper, printers & ink. Reduction in staff time wasted by handling paper documents. Office space saved by not having to file & store paper records. Reduction in money spent on couriers, or fuel, moving documents around. A real-life example of digital signatures implemented across an organization is how a local council in New Zealand reduced its operating costs (p.a.) by NZD$26,276 by simply reducing paper, courier and postage, and the time spent preparing, sending, and signing paper files. What Have We Learnt? When it comes to building your business case for digital signatures and digital transformation within your organization, the numbers speak for themselves, and the benefits are obvious. Save time & money by changing your existing physical processes to digital. Once organizations have chosen their digital service provider, and implementation kicks in, there’s no going back to the way things used to be. Digital transformation is a must for any organization wanting to succeed and the sooner you decide to take that first step, the sooner you realize that moment of “why didn’t we do this earlier”. For more information visit:www.securedsigning.com
5 Tips for Digitizing your Recruitment processes with Secured Signing Posted on March 9, 2022 - 5:07 am by John Webster Prior to COVID-19, recruitment was very old-fashioned in the sense that the candidate would have to come into your agency, sit face-to-face with you, fill out forms, do an actual in-depth interview, and then refer the suitable candidates to your client. It was very traditional. When COVID-19 hit, we couldn’t meet face to face, barely anyone had a printer at home, shops were closed, it was a disaster. People were forced to go digital, but they didn’t have enough knowledge of what was in the market. Google was every recruiter’s best friend as they tried to navigate the work-from-home recruitment space. Many recruiters are unhappy with the current solution that they have because: It does not tick all the boxes. There was not enough research that went into choosing a solution that best fit the recruitment agencies’ needs. The fast change to working from home within the industry was an unknown phenomenon. “The number one thing that I’ve learned over the past two years is that it’s not about who is the best recruiter, but who has the best overall experience for the candidate.” – Jade Moolman, Business Development Manager (APAC) Secured Signing Now, the way that things are working is that everything is virtual: meet with candidates online, candidates do not want to come in to meet face-to-face in the current climate. So, even though you’re in the office, and you call them to organize an in-person meeting, a lot of the time candidates are not interested in that. It has now become “who has the easiest candidate experience” is ultimately who the candidate ends up choosing as their recruiter, and who is going to make the placement. “Working in this space prior to COVID-19, some recruitment agencies were ahead of the curve doing things digitally online for a long time,” says Gal Thompson, CEO at Secured Signing. “Whereas many more have rushed (in choosing a digital solution) and are now re-evaluating.” With that in mind, here are 5 of our teams’ top tips and recommendations when digitizing your recruitment process. Tip 1- Transform your Paper forms into Online forms. This sounds simple and obvious, but what we’ve seen works well is to really think about your forms and not take them as they are in paper form and replicate them in a digital way. Have Fewer Fields. Gal Thompson says “think about what is mandatory in today’s recruitment process, what legacy information that you have been collecting but never use, and cull anything that is not relevant.” This process allows you to simplify your candidate’s efforts and makes them less likely to drop out of the recruiting process. Less is so much more. Only Ask for Information when you Need it. “We have seen in the past that people ask for all the information up front in the case that they may need it later down the line. Where they never use this information. You risk candidates opting out as the forms are too complicated or asking for way too much information, and it is too hard. A good example is not asking for payroll/bank information during the initial phases of interacting with a candidate, because you have not talked to them yet, and you may not want to continue after having a chat. Capture Key Documents and Information in your Process. If you’re getting documents like driver’s licenses, certificates, etc., it is important to capture these when you need them. Tip 2- Integrations When selecting your digital solution it is important to look out for is: Seamless Integration into your current Software and Systems First, you want something that works with what you have already, and works well. “What is the point of having a digital signature or online forms platform that does not integrate into your current systems. You’ll soon find that a massive pain-point for you and your agency will be the double-handling of data, and dragging and dropping files into your CRM/ATS.” Limited Clicks An integration would not be a particularly good one if you need to click a hundred times before sending a document out to your candidates and clients for signing. “You want something that is easy to use, does not look complicated, and has limited clicks to get the job done.” Two-way Data Fow As mentioned above, you want data to flow from your CRM/ATS automatically, so you can remove double-handling of data and automate the data entry process. The information flows in and out of the candidate record based on what you want to achieve. “For instance, with Secured Signing, if you sent out a document to your candidate for filling out and signing, whatever information is populated in the form will be pushed into your CRM/ATS. Keep in mind this would be configured in your settings, and the information that you push, and pull would be entirely up to you and your agency.” Remove manual entries and free up time for your recruiters to focus on other things. Scales Up with your Recruitment Agency When looking at a digital solution you want something that can grow with your agency as you begin expanding, hiring more recruiters, and placing more candidates. “Look for something that has features like unlimited use, means you can stay with one solution provider all the way through, with no need to change up due to capacity limitations.” Tip 3- Automation When talking about integrations and transforming your paper forms into digital versions, you want to find a solution that has built-in automation. Automation makes things easy, simplifies the process for recruiters and candidates, and saves everyone time. Again, two-way data flow is essential, but there are some other things you should look out for. Turn your processes into Workflows One thing that surprises a lot of recruiters is the ability to automatically send the right forms to the right candidates at the right stage and time of the recruitment process. “At Secured Signing, we enjoy going into that level of detail when onboarding new recruiters. We find out what emails you want to send at what time, and fully personalize the recruitment process to your needs. This upfront planning can save your team hours and hours in the long run. Saved in the Right Place No more dragging and dropping files to the correct candidate record – get things automatically saved to the right place. Save Time We recently did a study on how our integration and how integrations like ours around time saved. You are looking at a 45 minute to an hour-long process when putting candidate details into your ATS/CRM. Quite a long time, right? With the right solution, we have seen this reduced to just 3 minutes per candidate, which is an insane reduction and time. Tip 4- Find a Customizable Solution for your Candidates Making the experience personal for your candidates and showcasing your brand can give you the edge over other agencies in the market. “We have a lot of options out of the box like adding your brand, everywhere. On all the email communications, on SMS texts to your candidates, during the actual signing of the documents, everywhere. We also let you set up domain verification, which when set up, all emails sent by your agency from our platform, are sent from you. This adds another level of trust and brand integrity when interacting with potential candidates.” Full control over what the candidate experiences is essential and can be the difference between them being fully engaged or dropping out of the process. “One of the objections we have heard when discussing digitization with recruiters is that the digital way is not personal enough, but once we get into demoing the platform and the brand-related features, this viewpoint changes. It takes the cold, robotic sense of digital and adds a warmer, personal touch to the process.” Tip 5- Mobile Friendly Lastly, and self-explanatory, is that you have a solution that can be used on any device, whether it is a tablet, PC, Mac, mobile device, anything. Candidates and clients will most likely do everything using their mobile. One way we cater to this is that we provide a product that fully customizes your paper forms into HTML-5 forms, which automatically formats your forms to fit on any device and screen size. Another way is that candidates and clients will not need to sign up and register an account with Secured Signing. Candidates and clients simply receive an SMS text or email which gives them access to any forms or documents that need to be filled out and signed. “Secured Signing offers a seamless, one-and-done approach, which many recruiters find adds value to their candidate and client experience.” What are some of the key reasons for Digitizing To wrap up, here are some of the reasons for recruiters reaching out to us for a digital solution: Bulk signing for temporary agents. Collecting payroll information. Building of forms. Using automation and triggers. If you would like to see a demo of how you can use Secured Signing within your agency you can watch the webinar here and skip ahead to 19:40. With digitizing here to stay, recruitment agencies shifting to paperless, and increased candidate & client expectations, now is the time to start your digitization journey. If you are looking to digitize your recruitment process, visit www.securedsigning.com
The state of Recruitment – Insights with Jade Moolman Posted on August 25, 2021 - 10:52 pm by John Webster Secured Signing has been working within the Recruitment industry for years and built many integrations to help recruiters with their everyday processes. Whether its sending candidates NDA’s, registration forms and job offers, onboarding new staff or sending policies to the team, our digital signatures make this that much easier. And we know this because our customers let us know. A fast-growing recruitment agency in the UK, said that since using Secured Signing they’ve been able to scale, meet their compliance requirements, as well as significantly reducing their operating costs. “With the help we’ve got and the software we have, that certainly helps us keep on top of high-volume numbers,” says Charlotte Gent, Compliance & Training Manager at Industria. Currently Secured Signing provides Industria with the ability to create eForms and get documents signed online, with their own purpose-built HTML forms being produced by Secured Signing. This small investment at the start of the project proved invaluable to Industria, as they were able to ask all the correct questions to ensure their compliance processes were adhered to. All relevant compliance data captured within their forms is automatically populated into their CRM. Not bad, huh. Steve Santich, Co-Founder and CEO at Veterans Alliance, says that the ability to digitize their forms enabled them to shift to a “fully-online” and mobile approach. Working with clients and candidates from all parts of the US, this was essential. “A lot of the folks we work with are travelling contractors. They are not at home, and we needed something that people could do, online, preferably on mobile, to get these documents signed and back to us.” With the state of recruitment always changing and innovating we thought we’d get an expert opinion from someone who could add a bit of color to the discussion of digitizing within recruitment. Our very own, Jade Moolman, delves a little deeper as we pick her brain on what she has learned, both as a recruiter and as a digital signing software pro. Why do you think recruiters are trending toward digitizing their recruitment processes? I think there are three reasons for this digital revolution in the industry. The first one being the most obvious, Covid-19. Covid-19 has nudged agencies towards this already impending change, people are less inclined to come in person to fill out registration forms, some are not physically able to due to lockdowns. The second reason would be an equally impactful one, saving our planet by going green and paperless. Many companies around the globe are doing their part, even if it is just for great P.R. The third reason would be that we are living in an age where technology is constantly changing, making our lives easier, less manual and saving us time that could be spent on other core business activities. It makes sense to go digital to become more efficient. What do you think the learning curve is when it comes to implementing a digitized system? And what do you think are the key things when thinking about digitizing your recruitment processes? Have clear expectations from the beginning. Think about what processes you want to automate and what processes you still want to have a human touch. This is an opportunity to really revamp your workflow, however your roadmap needs to be clear for the well-oiled beast to be efficient. Another important factor is to consider your user’s experience, what would your Candidates, and Clients feel like on the other end of the process? You ultimately want their experience with your brand to be a positive lasting one and that’s how we add value. What have been some of the “a-ha” moments when talking with recruiters about a digitized approach? Is it the ability to automate? Digitize forms? The signing process? Recruiters definitely love the automation part without a doubt. Most recruiters you speak to hate the admin aspect of the job, it’s not what they are good at or passionate about. The more time spent on admin means less time doing the things that ultimately make them money. The digital forms and the excellent user signing experience are just added bonuses. The real gold is the fact that they no longer have to fix data, add data into their CRM system or even chase up candidates for missing documents. The fact that all of this can be automated is their dream come true. What would be the one thing you would recommend any recruiter or recruitment agency to start doing today? Digitize your registration process at the very least, or even just start off there before you look at any other aspects of your process. Consultants spend hours each week adding candidates into the CRM who come from outside their conventional sourcing habits, I for one spent ages adding in candidates I had reached out to over LinkedIn or candidates who had walked in, there’s nothing worse than multiple consultants from the same agency reaching out to the same candidates over and over again because there is no record due to lack of time. — If you are interested in how Secured Signing could be used to digitize your recruitment processes, contact us today.
Local government shares insights on implementing digital signing Posted on October 12, 2020 - 2:37 am by John Webster Secured Signing had the pleasure of talking with Matamata-Piako District Council’s Jo Gifford on how digitizing their signing processes has helped them deliver on their strategic sustainability goals. We dove deep into why digital signing was required, the preparation required before implementing digital signing and what Jo learnt along the way. Main drivers for going digital Let’s go back to the beginning, when Matamata-Piako District were manually preparing and handling all of their documents. Back then, the democracy team were driving around delivering agendas and minutes to relevant councilors. Signed documents were stacking up and some signatures were taking months to be sent, signed, returned, and filed into the right location. A better solution was out there, and they were determined to find it. Three main drivers which led Matamata-Piako District Council on their digitization journey Time spent transferring information between councilors and internal stakeholders, Money spent on paper, people and postage The ability to be flexible. Options were investigated to bring councilors into the digital world. One thing Jo mentioned is that having “huge support from the CEO” and upper management aided in the project’s success. “Being able to do things digitally, we know the moment of signing, we can verify the identity… when contracts can be worth 5 – 15 million dollars, you need to be able to prove legitimacy over who is signing the document.“ Preparing to go digital For Jo, the Democracy team were the primary drivers for change and would be the biggest users of any digital solution that they would require. However, they involved other divisions to take advantage of the added efficiencies of digitization. These divisions included Procurement, Contracts, People, Wellness & Safety. In the early stages, it was important to bring in key people from each division, identify at what point do things need to be signed and when things need to happen made a huge difference when implementing digital signing. Choosing the right product Matamata-Piako District Council chose Secured Signing, but why? Secured Signing’s platform allows you to fill-in and sign legally binding documents, from any device, anywhere, at any time. These documents are sealed with a signature which means they cannot be altered, keeping your data safe. The product was easy to understand, implement and use. After the fact, Jo was impressed with the “responsive” support provided from the Secured Signing team. Emails replied to on the same day, phone calls if required, the initial training was interactive and useful and Matamata-Piako District Council staff have been able to sustain contact with Secured Signing allowing them to expand their knowledge of the product. From a practical standpoint, it was “right product, right time” and the window of opportunity was utilized. “It (the Secured Signing platform) just made life an awful lot easier.“ Key insights and recommendations Wrapping up, Jo was able to share her key insights and recommendations: Get a great champion who empowers your team and understands the full benefits of document digitisation. Identify teams who want to be a part of the document digitisation process. Workshop your processes so you know where the product will sit. Conduct research into the true costs of printing, scanning, postage, transportation, filing, etc. “We found that the savings we could make by going fully digital, just in the Democracy space, was enough to cover the cost of getting the product, Secured Signing, and paying the fees that we needed to. It also covered off the cost of supplying all of our councilors and the Mayor with devices and it covered the cost of the (communication) hub and the IT behind that. And all of the Office 365 licenses. Secured Signing was a no-brainer from a savings perspective“. Want to learn more? Watch the full recording here. About Jo Gifford Information Team Leader (Records & Land) at Matamata-PiakoDistrict Council, Jo Gifford has been working in local government for over 30 years with a huge breadth of knowledge across council, divisions, and projects. Her role in the Digital Signing project is one of the more recent ones, and was a project driven by the Corporate Strategy team and Communications team and supported by IT and management. The on-going management of digital signing and expansion of the opportunities it provides now sits with Jo.
Move Beyond Digital Signatures. The Future of Document Management for SMEs Posted on April 8, 2019 - 11:06 pm by John Webster Sign documents on the go The number of businesses set to improve their document management strategy is set to soar in the next decade, according to new research. A study found the industry, which includes digital signing and automated workflows, is expected to grow rapidly heading toward 2028. Secured Signing, the company that built the simplest document signing platform for small to medium businesses, said the surge is driven by the desire to streamline workflows. Digital platforms let small and medium businesses design better document processes. Many small and medium-sized businesses believe the traditional way of processing documents needs a fix. Digital transformation helps to reimagine this traditional approach. Cloud-based document management tools drive faster and easier workflows for millions of customers worldwide with the following benefits: Convert all paper documents to branded digital forms Set signature order Eliminate document fraud with secure digital signatures Streamline document workflow Clients are discovering the practical benefits of a platform that puts people first. They report saving time, increasing customer satisfaction and improving onboarding for new employees and clients. Convert any Form to Digital Many businesses put off transitioning to digital because of the perceived hassle. However, migrating to a cloud-based document signing platform is a simple process. With a tool like Secured Signing, clients can convert any form to digital. You can upload any paper document and the platform will turn it into a digital document. The process is simple: Upload your current form Customize your form with your desired template Invite people to sign digitally Edit the email invitation Working and living in the global and connected economy where more people access content from their mobile, users can view and sign documents on devices they use every day, wherever they are. Speed up the Signing Process Document management tools are growing because they simplify work and improve productivity. For example, you can invite all customers, shareholders or employees to sign documents including company policies or waivers. H&R Block opted for Secured Signing’s digital signing solution allowing agents to send up to a thousand contracts in one sitting, with agents and managers signing from wherever they are across the country. There was a reduction in turnaround time, and staff praised the more convenient option. Create Signature Workflows One of the immediate benefits of digital systems is the ability to streamline workflows. In many cases, deals are delayed because of incomplete documents. Our clients can list the order of signing and incomplete boxes are flagged before the invitee can return the document. Notifications on Progress of Signatures Users no longer have to do manual, and time-consuming, follow-ups to check the status of each document. With Secured Signing, you can access a notification portal that provides an overview of the process, listing the signing status and last action. Users can also add reviewers to obtain approvals during the process, e.g. a manager or advisor. This approval is captured in a document log. Conclusion The research shows most businesses are moving towards digital document management, or they intend to do so. Small to medium businesses who don’t risk losing the competitive edge. Efficient document management is an enterprise asset; protecting customers’ data and accelerating the pace of sales, new hires, and business development. At the same time, we understand that switching to a new type of technology can be overwhelming and we work with our clients to make sure there’s no disruption during the transition.” In answer to this challenge, Secured Signing has kept its packages simple. There is no complicated pricing structure, and SMEs do not have to purchase expensive add-ons to gain the full benefit of the product. Our single package comes with all features a small to med business needs to digitize their document management so they can achieve more in the business areas that matter most. Build Better Workflows. Start streamlining your document signing strategy today with Secured Signing. Get started for free here.
5 Easy ways digital tools can help you save time and cut costs in your business Posted on October 11, 2018 - 11:07 am by John Webster Automation is one of those popular business buzzwords. And it makes sense why. Who wants to spend all day seeing too many repetitive tasks that can easily automated? Technologies like digital signing give organizations better ways to engage with employees, finalize contracts and build customer relations. These tools bring benefits across all industries. Manage your Documents Digitally to Save Time and Money Functions like digital signatures and other automated workflows can largely be grouped under Digital Transaction Management – cloud-based applications to manage document-based transactions. These solutions are quickly gaining traction, as research shows more than 65% of businesses are moving towards ditching paper in favor of digital processes. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most practical ways this type of technology can help teams work better. 1. Improve Productivity with Automated Workflows Process makes perfect. It’s a fact: businesses with clearly defined processes perform better. The thing with technology-based applications is this: digital tools streamline processes that are already working well. According to a Forrester survey, more than 40% of business leaders adopt digital tools to improve efficiencies. So, if you’ve got a well-structured workflow, implement automations on the routine, repetitive tasks. Salesforce, cloud computing software and CRM, helped McKinley Equipment to generate 42% additional revenue by automating workflows. Using its Customer Success Platform, sales team work on a lead, convert the prospect and generate a customer quote from one system. Once the order is placed, an email is automatically generated detailing the next steps and thanking the customer. 2. Automate Follow Ups to Avoid Costly Contract Delays How much time do you spend finalizing a contract? Add on the time it takes to chase down a signature, and you’re looking at days – even weeks – wasted. The beauty of a digital-based platform is that it will send out the reminders for you, so you never miss a due date again. If you need to get a document signed, state your due date and the system automatically sends out reminders for you until the task is complete. 3. Reduce Delays with Data Accuracy One of the biggest problems with the paper-based processes is the potential for human error. Incomplete documents or incorrect information can add weeks onto the process, and they can be costly. More than 30% of the costs related to contacts can be reduced if you eliminate contract inaccuracies. Here’s how to use Digital Signing to Meet Business Deadlines Evolve Scientific Recruitment, an Australian-based recruitment agency, has offices nationwide. Documents often have to travel from candidates to Evolve offices around the country. Several pages need to be completed before the candidate can even step on site. The challenge with paper-based contracts was that incorrect or incomplete contacts delayed employment. They approached Secured Signing to reduce the time it took to finalise the contract to better serve candidates and employers. With digital signing software in place, Evolve Scientific Recruitment added a business rule validation prompting candidates to fill in all fields before the document can be sent on. Candidates can also upload all their relevant documentation to the pack and complete the process anywhere, from any device. The result? A signing process that can take as quickly as one hour. Read the full case study on Secured Signing’s website. 4. Easy Integration for the Best Customer Experience There’re two important things you need to consider when selecting a digital signing solution: ● Security ● Integrations To gain a better idea of what’s on offer, you can have a look at the platform’s API (application user interface). Leading digital signing solutions will make use of advanced personalized X509 PKI Digital Signature technology, increasing compliance and reducing business risk. It should also be easy to integrate your existing system with the platform. An open API eliminates the need for your customer to sign into yet another login interface. In practical terms, it means your client doesn’t even know they’re being routed via the digital signing software. You can read more about Secured Signing’s API here. 5. Additional Party Notifications with Real-Time Updates The contract lifecycle has several stages. Once a document has been signed, this usually triggers a new process with a different team. Additional part notifications are useful in the following cases: ● A copy of the signed contract might need to be archived with the records team. ● Payroll may need to start its own procedures once an employment agreement has been finalised. ● Maybe you have to keep your manager posted on the progress of signing. You can have the digital signing platform send real-time notifications to any number of additional parties throughout the signing process. If you configure these notifications, it’s one less step for you to manage manually. Conclusion Document management can be a time-consuming process. But it’s the backbone of your business. Organizations that don’t embrace digital tools may get left behind with outdated processes that block growth. Finding the right digital signing solution lets you automate routine, resource-intensive tasks, so you can focus on adding value and pushing the business forward.
Seven Workplace Productivity Myths to Avoid at All Costs Posted on September 5, 2018 - 4:25 pm by John Webster 5 September 2018 Productivity is a tricky science to master for businesses. What works for one industry, company and even employee might not work for another. In many ways, that’s why productivity tools exist: to give even the smallest businesses a chance to intelligently and flexibly make improvements in a way that suits them. Productivity tools include those that allow safe but broad access to the information people need whenever they want it, digital signing tools for added speed and efficiency when handling documents, and data dashboards that give you insights across your entire enterprise at the click of a button. However, arguably just as important as knowing how to improve workplace productivity is knowing what not to do. The worst of these productivity foes come disguised as friends, so you’ll think you’re helping your business and your staff but might actually be doing the opposite. Here we debunk seven of the most common productivity myths. 1. The best employees can multitask It’s a myth that the best employees are great at multitasking. In fact, it’s a myth that multitasking—as in doing more than one thing at once—exists at all. According to a Stanford Multitasking Study, humans don’t really multitask but their brains switch quickly between single tasks. That means people trying to multitask are actually “sacrificing focus” by concentrating on the actual job switching itself. And there’s more bad news for job jugglers… 2. Job juggling makes the most of time We all have more than one thing to do at any given time in the work day. But whether you or your staff are trying to “multitask” or actively job switching, it actually doesn’t help to do more than one thing at once, studies show. In fact, studies show your brain will nag your unconscious mind if you’ve started but not finished a task, creating a feeling of unease. We seem to work best, then, when allowed to focus on single tasks to completion, even at the expense of momentarily ignoring others, rather than juggling multiple jobs at the same time. It may even be better for mental health. 3. We can effectively “will” our way through a task While people can push through an unfavourable job on sheer willpower alone, the idea that they can do so and still produce their best work is pure mythology. On the contrary, it might be a half-baked idea to push through in this way, according to a piece of cookie-related research. Psychologist Roy Baumeister gave hungry participants a difficult mental task to complete and a plate of fresh biscuits, saying the subject could have one either before or after the job. Results showed that participants who willed their way through the tasks before rewarding themselves with a treat spent their energy on self-control and performed significantly worse on the tests. Baumeister coined the term “ego deletion”, a form of mental exhaustion from using ones’ willpower. Businesses may want to consider how much they can expect of their staff when asking them to push though difficult tasks. In reality, it might be counter-intuitive to their—and your business’—productivity. 4. The current working hours are optimal Working 9–5 (what a way to make a living) with a lunch-break and two 15-minute rests is the norm—but is it ideal for productivity? Studies suggest not, particularly for jobs that require a mental workout. That’s because of something called the ultradian rhythm, which fixes the brain into productivity cycles. The optimal time for a person to work on mental challenges is 50–90 minutes, followed by a rest of around 20 minutes. The Atlantic even heralds the perfect productivity formula to be working for 52 minutes followed by a 17-minute break. 5. “Facebook breaks” improve productivity So, as a general rule giving staff the time to take short breaks more often allows people to rejuvenate and work more productively. But the effectiveness of that break depends on what people do while resting. Social psychologist John Bargh found that if the break is used for something also mentally taxing, or on something that feels like a task, the productivity boost is lost. That’s because the brain is convinced that it has actually done something in that time, giving you a feeling of accomplishment and diminishing your motivation to do more arduous tasks. Checking Facebook, tidying the desk or running errands, while they might seem like breaks, are only mythological productivity tips. Instead, stretching, reading a magazine or going for a walk might instead promote true workplace efficiency. 6. Being “always on” helps productivity This can be true or false, depending on what “always on” means to your people and your business. The idea of working late into the night to complete a project is unfortunately unavoidable to most people at some point in their working lives. To help, today’s generations likes to think of themselves as always on and available to work on something if required—or even always connected to the wider world through modern technology. The major loser of this trend is often sleep, which is where productivity can be ruined if people don’t get enough of it. Harvey B Simon, the editor of Harvard Health, says a third of people in the US aren’t getting enough sleep to perform at their peak ability, costing the country’s economy some $63 billion a year in lost productivity. So use “always on” in the right ways. Give your staff the ability to work remotely, leveraging cloud-based business apps to make out-of-office work more productive. But be sure “always on” doesn’t include those essential eight hours at night. 7. There’s a one-size-fits-all solution All that being said, there isn’t a single magical solution to improve business productivity. Techniques that work for one employee might be different for another. One might be more productive in the morning, one at night; one in the office, one at home. It’s up to individual businesses to find a bespoke solution that works for them and their staff. And while productivity apps aren’t a silver-bullet solution either, they do give business owners and managers a wide variety of help, so they can find an approach that works for them and their business. About the Author: 9 Spokes is a free data dashboard that connects your apps to identify powerful insights to deliver your business KPI’s.
Integrations 101 – What You Need to Know Posted on June 21, 2018 - 12:52 pm by John Webster In the last decade there has been much change in the tech world. One of those changes is the increase in popularity for systems integrations. Many customers are looking for system integrations, and rightly so, there are many benefits that come from an integration.So what is integration?This is the process of linking together different computing systems and software applications physically or functionally, to act as a coordinated whole. Essential building your own ecosystem of solutions and platforms to meet the needs of your business.Many software providers have seen the opportunity to build a community or ecosystem for its users – commonly known as a ‘Marketplace’. Here you can choose which solutions you need and build them into your own ecosystem. What are the 4 reasons you should consider use integrations?1. It makes things easy – one system for everything. The user experience is much simpler with what appears like one system with all the functionality you need. This removes the need to manage multiple sites/logins for different solutions part of one business process.2. Automation will save you time and increase your teams productivity. They will no longer need to manually copy and paste data from one system to another. An integration allows for data to automatically flow and be shares across systems. For example, information of a new staff member during their onboarding process can be automatically sent to you payroll provider. 3. Standardize your processes – with a system integration you have oversight over the complete process, allowing you to implement best practice methodology, especially when your team is spread in multiple offices.4. Have more fun – by eliminating administrative tasks, which are now completed through the integration. Your team will have more time for value adding tasks. Doesn’t that sound fun? With Secured Signing’s API, you can add e-Signature tool to any process! We can integrate with any system. Contact us for a chat today.Check out some of our current integrations and keep an eye out for new integration solutions coming soon.
Remain Relevant, Move to Digital with Secured Signing Posted on September 19, 2017 - 10:52 am by John Webster With the move to the digital age picking up speed, many common and traditional concepts are being flipped on their heads. People and companies are breaking all traditional norms to deliver us new and innovative ways to meet our needs and wants.We believe that this trend will continue to change our lives, for example many businesses are ditching the ‘desk phone’ and moving into a ‘digital phone’.Do you think a similar fate is destined for the common signature, we do. As consumers demand for fast, efficient and sustainable solutions, the prerequisite for paper and pen is vanishing. With solutions like Secured Signing, many of our customers have gone paperless and transformed their business practices into digital. This means you can interact with businesses on the go, when it suits you and quickly.Those businesses that are not considering a change into a digital platform and a digital customer experience are risking being left behind.At Secured Signing, we don’t only help our customers to remain relevant, but we do the same ourselves, constantly thinking into the future and developing new features. This is how our newest feature Video Confirmation was created. Can you imagine a world where instead of signing your name to authenticate a transaction you will record a video of yourself. With the access to mobile devices and apps like Instagram and snapchat, we are regularly using the camera device to interact with others. We believe, this device can be used to confirm purchases, agreements and proof of identity.Benefit of Secured Signing’s video verification is the unquestionable authenticity of who is signing or approving a transaction. With our technology, the video forms part of the legal transactions and cannot be changed without invalidating the agreement. This is the most secure method to confirm the identity of the signer.Check out this quick video showing how video technology is already supporting the signing processIf you want to stay ahead of your competitors, be sure to contact Secured Signing today to discuss how we can work together to transform your business into digital – its smart.