From Paper to Pixels: How Digital Signatures Changed Modern Business

By Kieron Byatt, PaperCut: Trivia question: What do the following have in common?

a) Working in the office
b) Ordering food in eating establishments
c) Signing documents

The answer: COVID-19 changed all of them forever.

Working in the office? The myth of absenteeism was well and truly debunked during the pandemic. Being in the office adds value to collaboration and connection. However, lockdown and quarantine protocols proved that you can be just as productive, if not more productive, while working from home. Businesses and employers responded, and, since exiting the peak of the COVID-19 global health crisis, flexible/hybrid working has been adopted in more and more workplaces.

Ordering food? Waiters and waitresses no longer have to scribble your order on a notepad. Or memorize your decaffeinated oat milk cappuccino without chocolate dust. Orders and payments can be made upfront with a QR code. Freeing up wait staff and reducing order errors. This began as a response to observing social distancing and other government guidelines, but has since stuck.

Signing documents? If you need to print and sign an official document like a contract or lease, you no longer need to worry about how you’ll print and scan those papers. Now, you can just use digital signature software to sign your document. No more hours spent reconfiguring the desktop printer that you only use when you need to sign something, or traveling to a printer/copier outlet to print off your documents.

All three forms of evolution were made possible due to technology. All three meant a shift in thinking. All three increased efficiency for businesses and customers. Ultimately it made sense and was long overdue. In fact, it could have been the status quo for some time…