5 Reasons to Adopt Docusign eSignature

Over the past two decades, electronic signatures have transformed and improved the way we work. From greater convenience to enhanced security, e-signatures empower organizations of all sizes to streamline processes, lighten workloads, and improve collaboration. 

Though e-signature has become a permanent fixture of a digital-first business landscape, many organizations still haven’t embraced this digitized approach. In some cases, the main barrier to adoption may be resistance to change. In most cases, however, the lag is due to a lack of understanding of e-signature technology and its benefits. 

To better understand where decision-makers stand on e-signature, Docusign surveyed nearly 2,000 executives worldwide about their perceptions of and experiences with e-signature technology. The survey revealed the most common concerns of those who have yet to adopt an e-signature platform, including: 

• Trust: Will our customers feel comfortable using electronic signatures? (37%)

• Security and compliance: Are electronic signatures safe? (36%)

• Legal validity: Are electronic signatures legal? (33%)

Yet none of the above were raised as an issue by those already using e-signature. Instead, they emphasized that the adoption of e-signature yielded major benefits:

• Most organizations experienced significant ROI from their e-signature investments in less than two years

• Users rated security as e-signature’s top business benefit

• Nearly 95% of respondents completed implementation in less than 30 days

Let’s take a closer look at what the survey data reveals about these concerns and the benefits of e-signature. We’ve summarized the survey data into five key benefits that empower stakeholders to build a strong business case for adoption. For additional data on how e-signature helps organizations accomplish business faster, better, and more securely, check out the world’s leading e-signature solution from Docusign. 

1.  E-signature investments deliver quick ROI 

The organizations in the survey tell a promising story: e-signatures not only deliver substantial ROI—they do so swiftly. 

Almost three in four respondents (73%) realized ROI in less than three months when implementing an e-signature solution. By six months, 90% saw a return. 

Other key gains cited include:

Additionally, respondents highlighted that integrating e-signatures yielded significant improvements in critical areas such as customer experience, revenue growth, and legal compliance.

Respondents’ top business benefits of Docusign eSignature

• 28%

  faster time to revenue

• 26%

  cost savings

• 19%

  revenue gains

2. E-signatures are trusted and provide better customer experiences

The pandemic and the shift to digital interactions normalized e-signatures, reducing already shrinking skepticism and permanently changing customer expectations and preferences. Customers feel increasingly at ease with e-signatures—and they’ve come to expect the digital functionality. From eliminating the need to print and scan paperwork to the ability to view, sign, and send documents from virtually anywhere, customers across demographics are clear on the benefits and convenience of e-signatures.   

3. E-signatures are more secure than paper and wet ink signatures

Unlike wet ink signatures, which can easily be forged and tampered with, e-signatures integrate multiple layers of security, authentication, and court-admissible proof of transaction, including:

• Certificates of completion: Key e-signature data points such as event timestamps, signature image, and the signer's IP address help organizations meet requirements like Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and regional regulations.

• Tamper-evident seal: E-signature solutions that include digital seals using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) assure that documents haven’t been tampered with or altered since the signing date. 

• Audit trail: Depending on the solution adopted, senders canreceive an auto-generated history of all activity within a document—including viewing, printing, and signing.

• Docusign Identify: Get enhanced signer identification and authentication capabilities built into the eSignature workflow, enabling you to transact a full range of agreements seamlessly. This keeps the convenient experience intact while building trust.

75% of signers have greater trust in organizations that use Docusign eSignature.

Docusign eSignature accelerates document turnaround times

• 57%

  faster agreement cycle times

• 41%

  of signatures are completed in under 15 minutes

• 76%

  of documents take one day or less to complete

4. E-signatures meet legal and compliance standards across the globe

E-signatures are legally admissible in court and widely accepted for most business transactions worldwide. They are granted the same legal status as handwritten signatures in the U.S., the European Union, and many countries in the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. Combined with tamper sealing, strong authentication, and audit trails, they provide stronger court-admissible evidence than wet ink signatures or scanned documents.

Moreover, modern e-signature platforms meet the most rigorous global privacy and security standards, including ISO 27001:2013, SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2. Additionally, features like ID verification and digital seals can help support compliance obligations with specialized industry regulations, such as HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11, and specified rules from the FTC, FHA, IRS, and FINRA.

After implementing Docusign eSignature, users report:

​​Which e-signature laws apply to your region and your organization?

Consult the Docusign eSignature global legality guide for more information on electronic signature technology regulations for your country.

5. E-signature integrates seamlessly with a wide range of enterprise software tools

E-signature platforms are designed for swift implementation and seamless integration with enterprise software platforms. 

More than half (55%) of survey respondents adopted e-signature in less than five days, and almost all (95%) did so in less than a month.

Integration with cloud-based platforms is equally straightforward, thanks to pre-built plugins for popular enterprise software. API integrations facilitate e-signature functionality within CRM, ERP, and DMS applications and ensure seamless synchronization of e-signature data with connected databases and systems.

Some of the top benefits of integrations cited by respondents include:

71% of organizations using Docusign eSignature saw reduced error rates, and 79% reported improvements in data quality

Which Docusign eSignature integration saves you the most time?

• 34% Microsoft Office Suite

• 30% Customer relationship management

• 30% HR resource management system

• 29% Identity verification software

Make the move: Step into the future with eSignature

Organizations worldwide choose Docusign eSignature for its reliability, ease of use, and trustworthiness. 

Docusign eSignature by the numbers:

• 75% faster agreement turnaround times

• 44 languages supported by the signing experience

• 14 languages supported by the sending experience

• 99.9% system uptime with no maintenance downtime

With over one million customers and one billion transactions across 180 countries, it’s the world’s #1 way to send and sign documents. 

• Streamlined efficiency: Fast-track agreement turnaround times and improve collaboration with digitized documents and automated workflows.

• Uncompromising security: Meet and exceed some of the strictest security and privacy standards worldwide and ease legal compliance with encryption, signer ID verification, and digital audit trails.

• Enhanced customer experience: Elevate customer interactions with fast and easy document navigation and a smooth signing experience across devices—eSignature has the most 5-star reviews of any electronic signature product on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Salesforce AppExchange

• Seamless integrations: Access over 400+ secure integrations for popular business tools, including Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, Google, ServiceNow, and more

eSignature is now part of Docusign IAM, our complete portfolio for Intelligent Agreement Management. This powerful combination transforms how you create, commit to, and manage agreements to accelerate revenue, reduce risk, and unlock hidden business value.

Talk to a Docusign expert today to learn how eSignature can help your organization digitize your agreements and empower you to compete in a digital world.

^*All stats taken from two Docusign surveys conducted in 2022 among organizations using e-signature technology.