Electronic Signature — how is it obtained

TL;DR

Electronic signatures are created, applied, and managed through web or mobile eSignature workflows that let signers fill, eSign, and return documents online. signNow supports secure, legally recognized eSignatures compliant with ESIGN and UETA, offers templates, bulk send, audit trails, and integrations, and can be used across HR, sales, legal, real estate, and healthcare workflows.

What electronic signature means

An electronic signature is a digital action that shows someone agreed to a document, like typing a name, drawing a signature, or clicking to accept. Think of it as signing a paper with a pen, but done on a computer or phone so the document is complete instantly. The platform captures who signed, when, and where, then stores a tamper-evident record. In formal terms, eSignatures use authentication, audit trails, and cryptographic protections so they meet U.S. laws such as ESIGN and UETA.

Legal validity and business reasons

Electronic signatures streamline approvals, reduce turnaround time, and provide legal defensibility under ESIGN and UETA while lowering paper handling costs across common business processes.

Common obstacles to obtain eSignatures

• Unclear signer intent can delay acceptance; documents should include clear signing fields and instructions to prevent ambiguity.
• Poor identity verification creates risk; choose authentication levels to match transaction sensitivity and regulatory needs.
• Incompatible file formats or large attachments may block upload; provide PDFs or optimized documents for reliable signing.
• Incomplete templates cause repeated edits; create standardized, reusable templates to reduce signer confusion and errors.

Who typically obtains eSignatures

Organizations of all sizes use eSignatures for contracts, onboarding, sales agreements, and regulatory forms across many industries.

• Real estate teams signing leases and disclosures on mobile devices.
• Healthcare clinics collecting patient consent forms under HIPAA controls.
• Finance and legal groups approving contracts and tax documents quickly.

Typical user personas

HR Manager

An HR manager uses eSignatures to distribute offer letters and onboarding forms, track who has completed required documents, and store signed records centrally to maintain compliance and speed new-hire processing.

Legal Counsel

A legal counsel configures signer authentication, reviews audit trails, and enforces signing order for multi-party contracts, ensuring the process meets evidentiary standards for future disputes or compliance reviews.

Security and compliance highlights

Encryption in transit: TLS 1.2 and 1.3

Encryption at rest: AES-256 encryption

Audit and logging: Detailed, tamper-evident logs

Regulatory certifications: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

Health data support: HIPAA compliant with BAA

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 Level AA

Risks if signatures are mishandled

Invalid signature: Challenge to enforce

Regulatory fines: Potential compliance penalties

Data breach: Exposure of sensitive data

Contract disputes: Higher litigation risk

Loss of evidence: Missing audit trail

Unauthorized access: Compromised signer accounts

Real-world examples with signNow

Customer stories illustrate how signNow is used to obtain signatures across industries and systems.

Optica Ventures (COO Brian Fitzgibbons)

The interface is simple and easy-to-use for their team, improving customer experience

• Uses templates and mobile signing for applicants and clients
• Reduces turnaround time and errors in field workflows

Resulting in faster closings and improved client satisfaction for remote transactions.

Xerox (Director Kodi-Marie Evans)

Xerox uses integration between NetSuite and signNow to automate document routing and signing

• Integration reduces manual upload and data re-entry
• Enables format flexibility and correct signer sequencing across departments

Leading to more accurate records and faster internal approvals across their enterprise systems.

Quick step-by-step: obtain an eSignature

Follow these clear actions to prepare, send, and collect an electronic signature using signNow in a single digital workflow.

• 01
  Upload Document: Open signNow, click Upload, and select a PDF or supported file from your device or cloud storage.
• 02
  Prepare Fields: In the document editor, drag signature, date, and text fields onto required lines where the signer must act.
• 03
  Add Signers: Enter signer names and emails, set signing order if needed, and choose authentication options for higher security.
• 04
  Send for Signature: Click Send, include a message, set reminders, and track progress from the dashboard until the document is fully executed.

How the signing flow works

A typical eSignature workflow moves from document creation through signing to secure storage; each stage is tracked and timestamped.

• Create: Upload or generate a document and add necessary fields for signers to complete.
• Authenticate: Select verification level such as email, SMS code, or two-factor authentication for critical agreements.
• Sign: Recipients complete fields and apply an eSignature using desktop or mobile devices.
• Store: Completed documents and audit trails are stored in encrypted cloud storage with access controls.

Core features that help obtain signatures

These essential functions accelerate signature collection, improve accuracy, and support compliance for routine business documents.

eSign

Legally binding electronic signatures with time-stamped audit trails and signer metadata to document intent and evidentiary history for disputes or compliance reviews.

Templates

Create reusable templates for common forms and contracts, pre-place fields and data, and reduce repetitive setup for recurring signature requests across departments.

Bulk Send

Send a single prepared document to many recipients at once with individualized signing links and track completion rates to streamline mass communications.

Offline signing

Allow signers to complete documents without a live connection; changes sync once the device reconnects, enabling field teams to collect signatures onsite.

Practical best practices for obtaining eSignatures

Adopt consistent procedures and controls to make signature collection reliable, auditable, and user-friendly for both senders and signers.

Match authentication to transaction risk

Use email verification for low-risk forms, SMS or two-factor authentication for sensitive documents, and advanced signer ID when legal proof of identity is required.

Standardize templates and fields

Create validated templates for repetitive agreements to reduce errors, enforce required fields, and ensure each document captures the necessary signer inputs.

Keep clear signer instructions

Provide concise on-screen guidance and field labels so signers understand what to complete, reducing incomplete returns and improving completion rates.

Retain full audit records

Preserve signed PDFs plus audit logs, IP addresses, and authentication records to support compliance, regulatory requests, and legal defenses.

Timing and common deadlines

Understand typical timing expectations for signature requests and automated reminders to ensure timely completion of workflows.

01

Initial response window

Set signer response windows to seven days by default.

02

Reminder cadence

Send reminders at 48-hour intervals until completion or expiry.

03

Escalation rules

Escalate to managers after repeated nonresponse or after expiry.

04

Document expiry

Configure expiration dates to protect stale signature requests.

Sample calendar milestones for signing

Use these dated milestones to plan multi-step signature processes and measure SLA compliance for stakeholder expectations.

Day 0 — Send document:

Initiate the signature request and record send timestamp.

Day 2 — First reminder:

Automatically send first reminder if unsigned.

Day 7 — Final reminder:

Send final notification before expiry.

Day 14 — Expire request:

Automatically close the request if unsigned.

Day 30 — Archive records:

Move signed or expired requests to long-term storage.

Advanced capabilities for reliable eSignature workflows

Advanced features address security, integration, and automation needs for enterprise-scale signature collection and document lifecycle management.

Authentication

Multiple verification methods, including email, SMS code, and two-factor authentication to increase signer identity assurance for critical documents.

Audit Trail

Comprehensive, time-stamped logs capture signer actions, IP addresses, and authentication events to build admissible evidence for compliance or disputes.

Integrations

Connect with CRM, ERP, cloud storage, and collaboration tools to automate sending, prefill fields, and archive signed documents within existing systems.

API Access

REST APIs to embed signing, create templates, and programmatically manage workflows for custom applications and automations.

Payment Collection

Accept payments during signing for invoices or order forms with integrated payment gateways and payment fields.

Conditional Fields

Show or hide fields based on signer responses to reduce clutter and capture only relevant data for each signer.

Manage audit trail and evidence

Follow these concise actions to ensure each signed document has a complete, defensible audit trail within signNow.

01

Enable logging:

Turn on detailed event logging in account settings.

02

Preserve PDFs:

Download final signed PDF with embedded audit report for records.

03

Export logs:

Export signer activity logs when required for audits.

04

Set retention:

Apply retention policies for regulatory compliance.

05

Control access:

Limit audit access to legal or compliance teams.

06

Review periodically:

Schedule audits to validate trail completeness.

FAQs and troubleshooting common issues

Answers to frequent questions cover signing errors, plan capabilities, authentication issues, and compliance-related concerns for signNow users.

• Why can't a signer open the document?
  Confirm the recipient's email was entered correctly and that the file format is supported. Advise the signer to check spam folders and try a different browser or device. If the document requires authentication, ensure the signer completes the requested verification step before attempting to open the link.
• How do I add authentication for sensitive documents?
  Use signNow's signer authentication options to require SMS codes, two-factor methods, or workflow permissions. Choose the appropriate level based on document sensitivity and regulatory requirements, and note that stronger authentication increases evidentiary strength.
• What plan includes bulk sending?
  Bulk send is included with signNow Business Premium plans; verify your account plan or upgrade if you need to send the same document to many recipients simultaneously to improve mass distribution efficiency.
• How can I retrieve an audit trail?
  Open the completed document in signNow, select the Audit Trail or History panel, and download the signed PDF along with the event log that lists timestamps, IP addresses, and authentication events for legal or compliance review.
• Is signNow HIPAA-compliant for healthcare forms?
  signNow supports HIPAA compliance when a Business Associate Agreement is executed. Configure access controls, enable strong authentication, and store PHI with required retention and encryption settings to meet healthcare obligations.
• Why is a signature considered invalid?
  A signature may be invalid if signer identity is unverified, the audit trail is incomplete, or the document was modified after signing. Use required fields and secure authentication to preserve enforceability.

Signing timeline in stages

Visualize the signing process as sequential steps with typical timeframes and responsibilities for each participant and system action.

01

Draft and Prepare

Sender uploads and configures fields, usually within minutes.

02

Send and Notify

Recipients receive a signing notification via email immediately.

03

Signer Completion

Signers review and complete fields; time varies by signer.

04

Automated Reminders

Reminders sent at configured intervals until completion.

05

Finalization

Document is time-stamped and locked on completion.

06

Storage

Signed document archives to designated cloud or account folder.

07

Audit Export

Export audit logs for compliance or legal review as needed.

08

Retention

Apply retention rules for long-term storage or deletion.

Where and how to obtain signatures

Access and complete eSignature workflows via web browser, mobile apps, or embedded APIs depending on your environment and user needs.

• Web browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox supported
• Mobile platforms: iOS and Android apps available
• API access: REST API for custom embedding

Common workflow configuration settings

Recommended default settings for sending, tracking, and enforcing signature workflows with signNow are shown below.

Setting Name	Configuration
Authentication Method	Email or SMS
Reminder Frequency	48 hours
Signing Order	Sequential or parallel
Expiration Policy	14 days
Document Retention	Archive after 30 days

Feature availability comparison

At-a-glance comparison across signNow, DocuSign, and Adobe Sign for common eSignature capabilities and limits.

Feature / Vendor	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign
Bulk send capability	yes, on premium
Audit trail included	yes, detailed
HIPAA support	yes, baa req.	depends on plan	depends on plan
Envelope or usage limits	no envelope cap	100 envelopes/year	varies by plan

Pricing and plan feature comparison

Data current as of the latest vendor published pricing; annual billing noted where applicable for comparability across signNow and common competitors.

	$8/user/mo (annual)	$8/user/mo (annual)	$13/user/mo (annual)	$19/user/mo (annual)	$15/user/mo (annual)
Free Trial	7-day free trial, no card	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Bulk Send	Yes, Business Premium includes	Available on higher tiers	Available on enterprise plans	Included on certain plans	Available on business plans
Audit Trail	Yes, detailed audit trail	Yes, standard feature	Yes, standard feature	Yes, standard feature	Yes, standard feature
HIPAA Compliant	Yes, BAA required	Depends on plan, BAA	Depends on plan, BAA	Depends on plan	Depends on plan
Envelope Cap	No envelope cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Depends on plan	Depends on plan	Depends on plan