How are electronic signatures better than handwritten wet signatures

by Mahender Bist CEO

As more and more businesses automate their processes, the need to evolve from handwritten to electronic signatures has become increasingly crucial. Handwritten or wet-ink signatures tend to slow down processes because they are mostly dependent on the signatory’s presence and most notably, the exchange of paper.

Here are a few reasons why obtaining an online signature is better than a handwritten one.

Enhanced security and compliance

Even when you receive an original document signed by wet-ink signatures, you can’t be 100% confident that it was actually executed by the right person, or if it hasn’t been altered along the way since wet-ink signatures can be easily forged.

On the contrary, with esignatures, only the relevant parties can be in a position to sign a document, given that they are the only ones who can access a private key, handy in executing the signature. Basically, with such a technology, it is impossible for someone to allege that their signature on a document has been copied or forged. Imagine the document you are supposed to sign as a “lock” and your signature as a “key”. Whenever anybody alters the document unnecessarily, the “key” will not disengage the “lock” making the document invalid. Actually, this is what makes it perfect for digital esignatures to stand up in court.