Today we will start with a question that our customers often ask us. Why do I actually need the Auttenti® or DocuSign® platform when I already use a qualified signature and can sign all documents electronically? That’s a good question! Today we will explain to you the differences between using a qualified signature alone and using a special platform.

Qualified signature – what is it?

What is a qualified signature? It is the most advanced form of electronic signature and certified identity confirmation, whose value is equivalent to that of a traditional handwritten signature. It can be used to sign almost all types of documents, including official letters, tender documents or employment contracts (in the case of an employment contract, a written form is required only on the part of the employer).

Before you can use a qualified signature, you will need to undergo identity verification. How to do it? Much depends on which certificate you choose. In some cases, the whole process can be done electronically, while in others you will need to visit one of the points responsible for issuing qualified signatures in person.

How to make a qualified signature?

A classic qualified signature is just a tool for inserting a signature into a document. How can you put a qualified signature? The entire signature process has to be coordinated manually, which can be cumbersome especially when several people are to put their signatures on a document in different places.

Each time a signature is affixed, it must be confirmed, for example, with a special card, a certificate stick or a cloud-based certificate. The qualified certificate itself also does not give the possibility to indicate in the document the places where the signatures are to be made – all instructions must be given verbally or in writing, such as in the body of an email.

A document signed by one person must be sent to the next by email. Each person authorized to sign must download the file to his or her drive, use his or her certificate, save the file, attach it to the email and send it on. Such a process is very time-consuming and subject to delays – there is a risk that the file will get stuck with someone who is busy at the moment, and the email with the document will drown in a sea of other messages.

How do Autenti® and DocuSign® support electronic signatures?

Both Autenti® and DocuSign® are platforms that significantly improve document signing and take care of the entire signature process. What capabilities do they provide?

• The platforms allow you to make a document available for signature at the same time to all the people whose signatures are required. The person who prepares the document can decide whether all signatures can be submitted simultaneously or in a predetermined order.
• Both platforms work with qualified signatures – Autenti® with mobile signatures, and DocuSign® with all types of signatures – including those that require additional external devices.
• Both platforms also allow documents to be signed with a regular, non-qualified or advanced signature.
  DocuSign® additionally enables precise indication of the locations to which specific individuals are to affix their signatures, and the signature itself is visible in an easy-to-read graphical form.

Autenti® and DocuSign® are platforms that organize, simplify, streamline and accelerate the electronic signing of documents. They are tools that give you capabilities that no qualified certificate has. Want to see if electronic signature platforms are the tools for you? Contact us and take advantage of our 30-day trial period.