Create Digital Signature with Signature Generator

Improvements and upgrades to online signature generators have made wet-ink signatures almost redundant, especially where security is of the essence. Businesses that want their processes to be in sync with the most recent business communication trends should as a rule have all their processes digitized. One way to do this is integrating an online signature generator like CocoSign into their workflows.

A signature generator is a software that facilitates the signing of documents digitally. It replaces papers to be signed with digital documents that can be easily tracked and audited.

Part 1: How to Make A Signature with A Signature Creator?

A modern alternative to signing documents using wet ink, digital signatures do not only reduce paper wastage and mailing costs to a bare minimum, but reduce the chances of forgery and tampering with data.

Electronic signature solutions make it easy to apply e-signatures to documents in quick, simple steps. We will be using CocoSign as an example for the purpose of this practical exposé. Here's how to create a digital signature using this simple, intuitive digital signature provider:

Draw or Type

Simply go to CocoSign's signature generator page . You will be offered two options to create your signature, "Draw" or "Type". The former allows you to draw your signature like signing on paper using a mouse, stylus pen, while the latter offers numerous fonts and styles for you to choose from after typing the text.

Save

After personalizing your signature with CocoSign e-signature generator, hit the button "Save". In drawing your signature, you may also choose "Clear '' to undo misperformed strokes before you design a perfectly suitable signature.

Download

Once the signature creation is complete, click "Download" to save your signature locally on your device for future use.

Part 2: How Does Digital Signature Work?

This special form of signature is based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) which uniquely ties a signature to the signer. Using this PKI mechanism, the digital signature provider produces two keys, one a private key and the other a public key.

The private key is stored securely by the signer while the signer gives the recipient access to the public key to be able to decrypt the contents of the data sent to him or her.

Take, for example, Stone wants to send a secure, encrypted message to Anne. The message is first encrypted by an algorithm into a 128/256-bit format known as a hash value. This hash value is then encrypted by Stone's private key. This document encryption by a private and public is what is known as the digital signing of a document.

The recipient, Anne, can only decrypt the contents of the message using Stone's public key. This public key decrypts the contents of the message, converting into another hash value. The program used to open the document e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel or PDF reader then compares this hash value to the hash value on Stone's end. If they do not match, the document does not open. Otherwise, the document opens with the message "The document has not been modified since this signature was applied."

Part 3: What Are Digital Signatures Makers Used for?

The increasing importance of electronic signatures to businesses and organizations has made electronic signature makers and solutions highly sought after. They are used for digitizing and streamlining several businesses processes.

The following are the use cases of digital signature makers:

New Customer Forms

For most businesses, there is no established relationship between the brand and the customer without a signed contract. In simpler words, an agreement cannot be finalized without the approval or consent of the customer in the form of a signature. Most times, business deals do not go through because of the over-reliance on physical paperwork.

Today's customers are a little impatient and expect that their needs are attended to as quickly as possible. If so, a customer onboarding process with instant e-signing capabilities can be embraced as a golden asset because it closes deals faster and reduces the need for re-keying of data.

Examples of businesses that use electronic signature makers include gyms and spas.

Change Orders

Large projects involve a lot of planning. However, no matter how well-planned they are, they sometimes need revision. Take, for example, a revision of the supply orders already made.

There might be changes in an order because the customer no longer wants to carry on with a project or because they are concerned about the quality of supplies. For whatever reason this change might be, changing an order can take time and hence, adversely affect the project's completion date.

Businesses that use electronic signatures to change orders can avert unnecessary breaks in project execution as well as maintain a documented paper trail.

Customer Approvals

For brands that deal with custom-made items, manufacturing cannot begin until there is a final approval. With electronic signatures, these organizations can quickly collect approvals from the stakeholders concerned so as to move on quickly with the manufacturing process.

Non-disclosure agreements (NDA)

NDAs are a requirement for transactions that need a special kind of security and confidentiality. Wet-ink signatures can present legal complications for the parties involved when signing NDAs. They are also pretty inconveniencing.
By using a signature maker online, organizations can process a complaint audit trail that sees to the end that the NDA is executed in compliance with the initial agreement and done in a timely manner.

Sales Contracts

Sales contracts among many other contracts and disclosure are regular transactional documents used in the automotive and real estate industries.
By using an electronic signature maker, businesses can easily manage, monitor and document their transactions' progress.

Employee Onboarding

Hiring a new employee involves a lot of paperwork. Different kinds of employee forms are needed to collect information about the new hire including benefits enrollments, tax and contact information.

Using a digital signature maker, businesses and their HR departments can quickly and with ease complete these documents.

Part 4: Key Considerations in Choosing Signature Generators

There are several electronic signature generators on the market today, each promising a truck load of benefits. But how do you know which one to go with and which to ditch. The following are the key considerations to make while choosing electronic signature generators.

Usability

The best electronic signature solutions have very easy-to-use and user-friendly platforms. Before choosing an online signature generator, try your hands on the platform, taking advantage of the free trial period to explore the full experience of sending and signing documents online.

Compliance with the law

Electronic signatures are usually legally binding as handwritten wet-ink signatures. However, there are some standards to be met before they become so. Take, for example, the authenticity and integrity of the signature. An electronic signature generator that doesn't rank high on these metrics isn't worth the try.

Verification

The online signature provided by the digital signing solution should be such that it cannot be denied. In other words, the signature should be verifiable by the parties involved.

Part 5: Signature Generator FAQs

Are security protocols and standards usually met?

Standardized and reliable signature generators use top-notch security protocols that meet lots of industry standards and regulations to secure the digital documents and the digital signatures inserted into them. Some of these standards include HIPAA, PCI DSS and ISO 27001.

What options are used to verify signer identities?

First things first, your digital signing solution must be compliant with e-signature laws like eIDAS and ESIGN Act. The first step in verifying the student's identity is sending an email request followed by a private link to the sender. The user also has the option of adding an enhanced authentication system like password, pin, IDs etc.

Can I use e-signatures to sign contracts with parties from other countries?

This largely depends on the prevalent laws in the country of the other party. If online signing is permissible by the laws of the other party's country, you can. But if not, you should consider another option of showing consent.
Can signatures be validated if I no longer have business with the digital signing vendor?

As a rule, digital signatures should be independently verifiable. But that isn't the case with all digital signing solutions. That is why you should stick with only digital signing solutions that provide independently verifiable signatures.

How is the receiver prompted to sign?

For an electronic signature to be legally binding, there must be some form of proof that there was an intent to sign. E-signature solutions therefore various methods to prompt users to sign. Some of them include an email notification or an SMS to verify identity.

Conclusion

Businesses have begun to welcome the idea of digital signatures with the rise in forgery and data tampering cases. However, they can only truly enjoy the benefits if they use the right electronic signing solution, one that can easily be integrated into the business' workflow. That is why choosing the right electronic signature integrator like CocoSign is very important.