Many companies use the beginning of the year to put their processes to the test and create new growth opportunities. And this applies to 2022 more than ever before: Because since the rapid shift of jobs to the home office and data to the cloud, companies are facing new challenges.
Most workers appreciate the new hybrid work models: According to DocuSign’s 2021 Small Business Study, respondents can imagine working 2.5 days a week somewhere other than the office. Employees have also become accustomed to integrating various digital tools into their work processes. Increasingly, this trend is even finding its way into departments where few would have expected it – for example, in HR departments and even in the legal department, where security and data protection are top priorities, new ways are being sought to integrate confidential processes with the unique culture of bringing together flexible working.
But while voting works fairly smoothly with collaboration tools and video chat, the process often stalls when a signature is required. Paper is printed out, scanned and sent by email. In the case of essential contracts, the only option is to send them by post.
Digitise contract management from A to Z
Many companies already use electronic signatures like the ones DocuSign offers. However, far fewer responsible people know that an electronic signature can also be used for signing essential contracts – provided specific provisions are observed. The so-called “qualified electronic signature”, which requires additional authentication, is legally recognized as the equivalent of a manual signature.
It is often just as little known that not only the signature but the entire contract management can be digitised: A contract cycle consists of the negotiation phase, the creation of the document, the actual signing, but also the integration with existing recording systems and finally intelligent storage so that later Analyses and comparisons with other contracts are possible. All these steps can be digitised and brought together on a single platform in the cloud – of course, with the security level required for contracts.
The current fast-paced digital transformation also requires a more agile way of working, leaving less time for bottlenecks, errors and delays in operations. With digital contract management, companies in every industry can fundamentally change their business processes and eliminate delays. Instead, employees can work together on contracts from many locations, making operations much more efficient. If teams work together faster and better networked, this will bring noticeable cost savings and sales increases for companies in the coming year.
Less Bureaucracy And More Sustainability In The New Year
More sustainability is also on the agenda for many companies. If a company produces mountains of paper that disappear in folders or straight into the trash can, this is not very sustainable. Therefore, the trend is increasingly towards paperless offices. Accordingly, 74 per cent of the employees surveyed in the SME study believe that paperless or paper-saving measures – such as digital signatures, digital notebooks and reducing the number of printouts – contribute to sustainability. In 2022, many companies will consolidate and further expand the new way of working – leaner processes and less bureaucracy are decisive building blocks. They will improve the satisfaction of employees and customers in the long term.
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