For any company, closing as many deals as possible is a goal that is also a big challenge. The signing of contracts is a decisive action for these deals to be closed with clarity, security and speed. Therefore, it is important to decide whether to sign digitally or manually.
Industry 4.0, which is currently undergoing rapid expansion, implies that the main companies operating in the market make various efforts to follow technological advances and modernize their internal management processes.
This phenomenon is not surprising, since both the quality of the services provided and the perception of a brand by the public are extremely benefited by the acquisition of differentiated and strategic tools for the management and execution of activities relevant to a particular business.
Within the current context, in which the digital sphere is becoming increasingly relevant, the adoption of a series of new resources for conducting the document management processes of organizations in the most diverse areas stands out.
Often, the internet has been used as the main means of accessing and sharing information relevant to organizations, such as bank records, financial reports, contracts containing confidential customer data, among many others.
And, at this pace, in which digital documents are becoming more and more present, after all, there is a clear need for companies to keep in tune with these new market dynamics.
In this sense, the digital signature it becomes an indispensable tool for the document management process to occur in harmony with this new reality that is unfolding.
However, even among consolidated companies that are already in the process of digitization, manual signatures have not been completely replaced.
That is why we have prepared this article on the subject. As you read on, you will be able to understand the main differences between manual and digital signatures, in order to decide which one to use. Come on?
What is a signature (manual or digital)?
To define the concept of signature, it is necessary to look back and understand that the relationship between society and documents has been a constant factor since ancient times.
Regardless of the format being physical or digital, society deals with documents all the time. Its presence from the moment we are born, when the birth certificate is issued, and arriving at the moment we die, when the death certificate is issued.
At the end of the day, the truth is that all the most important facts and events in our lives need to be properly recorded in order to become virtually undisputed.
That said, we can say that, just as documents are mechanisms for formal recording of the occurrence of a certain event, the signatures are the main validation device for a document, since the signature of the parties involved attests to their assent to the terms set out therein..
In the corporate scenario, documents are especially recurrent elements, since the day to day of any company presents a series of activities, which requires full attention to extremely important data, such as:
- current processes;
- customer feedback;
- market trends;
- competitive behavior;
- important data, such as CPFs and CNPJs.
Therefore, for the order and functionality of these activities to be maintained, it is necessary that everything is properly documented.
For a long time, the rule was to deal with physical documents, that is, paper files that attest to the legitimacy of their own content.
With recent and growing technological developments, digital documents have been increasingly adopted in the most diverse processes around the planet, strongly impacting the world administrative scenario.
Therefore, it can be concluded that, in the corporate world, the technological revolution has arrived to positively influence the postures and mentalities of companies, in the sense of updating and modernizing their practices in favor of improved performance.
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What are the main differences between digital and manual signature?
The digital era has introduced a wide range of tools and technologies into the corporate environment, revolutionizing the way companies operate.
Notable examples include advanced management software, artificial intelligence and cloud storage solutions. These electronic resources, now widely available, have a significant impact on the document management process of companies.
With the implementation of legislation such as Provisional Measure for Digital Signature and Law 12.682/2012 in Brazil, which regulate the digitization and storage of public and private documents, a large number of important documents, such as electronic invoices, legal proceedings and Income Tax declarations, now circulate predominantly in digital media.
Despite this advancement in digital documentation, many companies still maintain the practice of managing documents in physical format and use manual signatures. This occurs despite the growing familiarity with digital documents and signatures, which are still new to some organizations.
To clarify doubts and help you choose between digital and manual signatures, we highlight the main differences between them below.
Accessibility
One of the main differences between signature and manual to note concerns access to documentation.
While traditional documentation requires all parties to be in the same place, digitally signed documents have the advantage of allowing signers to sign wherever they are located.
Thus, the firm takes place from some device connected to the internet, such as a computer or cell phone - which represents an enormous practicality, and can even be done through simple and popular resources, such as the Microsoft Word.
Storage
In line with the previous item, it is worth highlighting the issue of file storage. Those that are manually signed require physical space to store.
Documents and digital contracts, on the other hand, are saved on hard drives, flash drives and the cloud, which, in addition to favoring the aforementioned accessibility, also helps to preserve the document's useful life, since physical documents are subject to wear and tear due to the action of the time.
This point is extremely advantageous, especially if we consider that the reduction of expenses with printing materials, furniture and eventual transport expenses not only favors the company's accounts, but also represents an efficient solution from the point of view of sustainability.
This is an essential factor, which has been increasingly considered by most companies at the forefront of the market, since the environmental issue has an increasingly relevant impact on the most diverse sectors of society.
For this reason, today, the main companies in the market are carefully trying to keep in tune with the investment concepts ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), which consider the relevance of the most diverse environmental, social and corporate governance aspects in the management of their processes.
Optimization of procedures
The differences between digital and manual signatures do not stop there: considering them is also extremely relevant from the point of view of process optimization.
It is a fact that the digital signature of documents promotes higher levels of productivity to any organization.
After all, the aforementioned ease of access, reduction of financial expenses and time allow professionals to dedicate their time to other more relevant activities within the company, such as customer service, marketing and others - not to mention that, the lighter the work, greater the degree of satisfaction and motivation on the part of the team members.
For this reason, we can categorically state that the automation of documentation makes all processes faster and more flexible, while digital signatures demand a long, time-consuming and cumbersome process.
After analyzing all these details, we can easily conclude that the digital signature carries with it a series of advantages over the manual signature, and that it is a matter of little time before all companies adapt to this new trend, and that their practice is 100% % spread in the market.
It is worth noting that, regardless of which subscription model will be adopted by your business, the important thing is to make sure that you always keep your files stored in a safe space – whether we are talking about the physical environment or the digital one.
In the case of digitally signed documents, this is not usually a problem, as there are several companies specializing in providing this document management solution service.
Once physical documents are filed correctly, they can be easily accessed when really needed, while digital copies are made available among team members to use during their work routines.
Now that you know in depth the difference between digital and manual signatures, there will be no great difficulties in implementing the most suitable solution for your business.
As we emphasize the importance of securing your documentation, we take the opportunity and invite you to improve your knowledge of the subject by checking our article on how to validate a digital signature!
