The Best Digital Signature Software of 2021

What Is Digital Signature Software?

Signing documents online has become significantly more popular in recent years. It helps businesses streamline their processes and close deals without ever needing to meet someone face-to-face. For modern business owners, e-signatures are essential.

As technology evolved, people and governments needed to address the legality of these electronic signatures. Various laws, such as the U.S. E-SIGN Act, made them legally binding. However, it didn’t address the issue of verification. Anyone can add an e-signature to a contract.

Digital signature software was the answer. Although digital and electronic are often used interchangeably when referring to online signatures, there’s a notable difference between the two.

While an e-signature is legally binding, it’s superficial. Essentially, it’s a visual representation of a signature and can be scanned, digitally generated, or even drawn on a notepad. However, it’s difficult to maintain and nearly impossible to authenticate.

Digital signatures are like a fingerprint. They work with PKIs or public key infrastructure.

When you digitally sign a contract, the software generates a private and a public encryption key. To verify your identity, the person opening it must provide your public code. If anything has been tampered with, the unique hash will have changed.

As a result, the key won’t authenticate the document. While it’s not foolproof, it’s one of the most secure and legally binding ways to sign and verify an electronic contract.

The two types often work hand-in-hand, and e-signature platforms will either include the service or offer it as an add-on. You’ll still get to add your symbolic John Hancock to the document. The backend adds the encryption, generates the hash, and gives the signature your digital fingerprint.

Must-Have Features for Digital Signature Software

We evaluated the best digital signature software for your business in 2021 against critical criteria before making our recommendations. Here are the crucial features you should look for in a platform:

• Multi-platform support: When you need an urgent document signed, waiting for someone to reach their desktop isn’t ideal. With multi-platform support, clients can add their John Hancock from anywhere, at any time.
• Sequential and parallel multi-party signing: Sometimes you’ll need a document to be signed by several people. With this feature, they can sign in parallel or sequentially. It eliminates the need to wait for an updated copy to be passed around after each individual added their e-signature.
• Authentication and PKIs: Fraud prevention is one of the most essential and powerful capabilities of the best digital signature software. By using PKIs, you can secure your documents and authenticate the identity of the signee.
• Task progress tracking: Sometimes approval is as easy as adding a signature. Other times, there are a few key steps you need to follow along the way. The best digital signature software will give you the ability to track the approval process. Others have the added option of sending you reminders and notifications, making sure no document is forgotten.
• Third-party integration: Most businesses already use several web apps, CRMs, or other platforms to manage their processes. It’s essential for your signature software to integrate seamlessly with these platforms.
• Audit trails and legal compliance: It’s imperative for an e-signature provider to be compliant and provide auditable digital paper trails. Despite moving your process online, you still need to obey the audit and compliance laws of your country or state.
• 24/7 live customer support: When you run into a problem with your software, you want to receive a quick and helpful response. That’s why you need a provider with 24/7 live support.