Timing is Everything in Recruiting & On-boarding
As an avid saltwater angler, I am always aware that the timing of setting the hook when the fish takes the bait is critical. Too early, and you pull the bait and hook away from the fish’s mouth. Too late, and well, you’ll never see that hook again.
The timing of catching customers and employees is similar in my mind. (Ok, stay with me…)
As we look across use cases for e-signatures, we see digital processes falling into two timelines – early in the workflow process or at the tail end to eliminate paper signatures.
You are probably familiar with the loan industry. You shop around, find an institution that you want to go with, complete all the paperwork, then sign. If that signing involves an electronic signature – cool. By the time you sign the papers, you’ve already ‘taken the bait and are hooked’. You’ve already decided to do business with that company; and they know quite a bit about you by now because of the lengthy process in getting you to the signing stage.
Let’s take a look at another process – recruiting. In recruiting, it’s a win/loss game – or to use our fishing analogy, ‘caught or got away’. In the Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard, it’s a much bigger commitment. Personnel recruitment campaigns don’t just target folks who are shopping for a loan. It’s a much bigger commitment. These recruits are prepared to devote their lives (or at least a few years of them) to the mission.
Digital natives
We’re all familiar with the mounds of paperwork so many processes involve: loan origination, tax compliance, personnel recruitment and onboarding, wealth management and school applications, to name just a few. And just as often, this paperwork is time-sensitive, so deadlines are critical.
Businesses now find themselves dealing with the expectations of “digital natives” – a generation that has grown up knowing nothing but the digital or electronic way. Are you beginning to see my fishing corollary? Timing is critical.
Please sign here
Interestingly, many paperwork processes that demand authorized signatures are low risk undertakings. They’re simple request forms to accomplish low value activities, such as obtaining a camping license. Of course, signatures are virtually always required on documents where lives and futures are at stake.
When security, identity and high-value processes are on the line, this is where using a secure, trusted e-signature process matters. Critical to that process might be identity authentication, auditability and compliance, time-sensitivity or even a life-or-death decision.
E-Signatures
Electronic signatures such as eSignLive provide a completely auditable signing process; moreover, the audit data is part of the completed document – it lives with it. A digital signature, or encryption, backs EVERY e-signature. This means that when viewing the completed document, any data entered on the document can be associated to a specific signer. Every signature is documented as a revision to the original document providing proof that the person signed; and, should you enable signers to enter data (as on a self-serve fillable form), you can associate that as well. This is referred to as Non-Repudiation.
Secure Government Access
For security in government access, employees and contractors receive government-issued identification cards (CAC / PIV) each which contains a digital certificate (like that little gold square on your credit card). Not all vendors can leverage derived credentials for onsite or mobile access. (Read more about this here: “E-Signing with Smart Cards in U.S. Government Agencies”). So look for an e-signature vendor that complies with Government security standards.
So…like fishing, it’s important to know when to strike and when not to. And when you do decide the timing is right, you’ll be glad you had the best bait and hook possible!