It’s early in 2022. Does it feel different to 2021? Well yes, there’s an air of optimism around. Consumers seem to be looking forward, positively, to life moving on to a new phase where we can all enjoy having our freedoms back that we took for granted pre-March 2020.

The business community has a renewed sense of optimism. Law firms dealing with conveyancing in 2021 have already been through a period of hyper-activity with the relaxation of stamp duty. Other departments are seeing growth in activity and should continue to see the impact on the top and bottom line in their businesses.

Taking away the positives from the pandemic and lockdowns is the imperative: retain the good, dispense with the bad, accept and embrace this new-normal.

Digital transformation as a term and activity has been in vogue for some time. The last two years have accelerated many programs and focused on client centricity.

With an ever-increasing demand for remote document signing and customer onboarding processes that can speed up completions and reduce the risk of identity fraud, the use of Electronic Signatures has become the norm for many law firms.

However, the frequent updates to legal guidelines coupled with the availability of an extensive range of products on the market, have created confusion about where, how and when the various types of eSignature can be used.

VirtualSignature.com has compiled a simple table (see below) highlighting typical applications of the three main eSignature standards, which can be used as a guide to prospective buyers looking for the most suitable product.

There may be a requirement within a law firm to use different standards for different areas of its business eg. QES for executing property deeds registered with HMLR, and Simple for the signing of basic contracts. The VirtualSignature platform provides the whole range of eSignature options, which can be introduced into document workflows and tailor made for each department within a firm, offering significant cost savings.

It is also worth noting that VirtualSignature’s tools can be integrated easily into existing document management, case management and CRM systems, such as Visualfiles, iManage, Proclaim, Tikit P4W and MS Dynamics.

If you would like to know more about how VirtualSignature can help, not just with eSignatures, but workflow automation and ID verification, please get in touch with the team on 0333 335 5176. They also provide a free trial evaluation and can be followed on Twitter and Linkedin for company news and updates.

 

Peter Gill, Director at VirtualSignature