What is an electronic signature and how to create one with signNow

TL;DR

Electronic signatures let people sign documents online in a legally binding way. signNow supports ESIGN and UETA compliance, secure storage, audit trails, and multiple signer authentication options. You can upload a document, add fields, send it to signers, and manage completed files via web, mobile, or API integrations while keeping HIPAA and enterprise controls in place.

Simple explanation of eSignatures

An electronic signature is a way to sign a document on a computer or phone instead of on paper, like drawing your name with a finger or clicking an I agree button. It proves someone agreed to the content and stores a record of when and how they signed. Platforms like signNow add identity checks, secure storage, and an audit trail so businesses can collect, verify, and manage signatures online under laws such as ESIGN and UETA.

Why eSignatures matter legally and operationally

Electronic signatures reduce processing time, lower costs from printing and shipping, and create tamper-evident records that support legal admissibility under US law including ESIGN and UETA. They also centralize storage for audits and help enforce consistent workflows across teams.

Common implementation challenges

• Choosing appropriate signer authentication methods for high-risk agreements can be confusing and requires policy alignment across legal and IT teams.
• Ensuring consistent document preparation and field placement is time-consuming if templates and conditional logic are not used.
• Integrating eSignature workflows with existing CRMs or ERPs may need API work and careful access controls to maintain security.
• Meeting industry-specific compliance like HIPAA or 21 CFR Part 11 requires contractual measures and feature configuration such as BAAs and audit retention.

Who typically uses eSignatures

Organizations across real estate, healthcare, finance, education, legal, and construction use eSignatures to speed approvals, reduce paper, and improve tracking.

• Real Estate teams signing leases, offers, and disclosures remotely for faster closings.
• Healthcare providers collecting patient consents and intake forms while preserving HIPAA controls.
• Finance and banking teams processing loan documents, tax forms, and approvals with audit trails.

Individuals from small businesses to enterprise IT and legal teams use electronic signatures to replace manual signing and centralize compliance and recordkeeping.

Representative user roles

IT Administrator

IT administrators configure SSO, user provisioning, and security settings for signNow. They manage account-wide policies, enable two-factor authentication, and oversee integrations with systems like Salesforce or NetSuite to ensure workflows respect corporate access controls and compliance requirements.

Business Owner

Business owners and operations managers create templates, define signing order and reminders, and monitor completion rates. They use bulk send and reporting to scale signature requests while reducing manual follow-up and maintaining visibility into signature lifecycle and ROI.

Security and compliance summary

Encryption: TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256

Certifications: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

Privacy: GDPR and CCPA compliant

Healthcare: HIPAA compliant (BAA)

Regulatory: 21 CFR Part 11 support

Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 Level AA

Risks of improper eSignature use

Invalid signatures: Legal challenges

Data exposure: Breach risk

Noncompliance: Regulatory fines

Operational delays: Slower approvals

Audit failures: Missing records

Reputational damage: Customer mistrust

Real-world examples using signNow

Companies across industries use signNow to digitize paper forms, accelerate approvals, and maintain compliance with ESIGN and UETA.

Optica Ventures (COO Brian Fitzgibbons)

Optica Ventures needed a simple interface for customers to sign documents online

• The team used signNow templates and mobile signing to remove in-person steps
• Customers experienced faster turnaround and fewer errors

Resulting in higher completion rates and improved customer satisfaction.

Xerox (Director Kodi-Marie Evans)

Xerox integrated signNow with NetSuite to route contracts automatically

• The integration populated fields and enforced signing order
• This reduced manual entry and accelerated contract cycles

Leading to faster revenue recognition and fewer administrative exceptions.

Step-by-step: create and send an eSignature

Follow these simple steps to upload, prepare, and send a document for eSignature using signNow’s web or mobile interface.

• 01
  Upload Document: Open signNow, click Upload, choose the file from your device or cloud storage, and import it into the editor.
• 02
  Add Fields: Drag signature, date, and text fields onto the document where signers must act and assign each field to the correct recipient.
• 03
  Set Signing Order: Define signer sequence, add authentication methods, set reminders, and enter signer email addresses before sending.
• 04
  Send for Signing: Click Send, confirm recipients and message, then monitor the envelope status until all signers complete their actions.

How a document flows for eSigning

A typical signNow workflow moves a file from upload through preparation, signature collection, verification, and secure storage with audit evidence.

• Upload: Import file from computer or cloud storage into signNow.
• Prepare: Place fields, apply conditional logic, and save templates for reuse.
• Sign: Recipients authenticate and eSign via web or mobile app.
• Archive: Completed files are saved with audit trail and access controls.

Core eSignature features explained

Key features streamline signing, verification, and document management so organizations can replace paper-based approvals with repeatable digital workflows.

Templates

Create reusable templates with prefixed fields, conditional logic, and signer roles to accelerate repeat transactions and reduce setup time for common agreements.

Bulk Send

Send the same document to many recipients with individualized fields and track each response separately, useful for onboarding or mass notices.

Authentication

Support email, SMS, and two-factor authentication options to verify signer identity and increase evidentiary strength for sensitive agreements or regulated workflows.

Audit Trail

Automatic tamper-evident logs capture timestamps, IP addresses, and actions to provide court-ready evidence of transaction history and signer intent.

Advanced capabilities and integrations

Beyond basic signing, signNow provides advanced fields, integrations, and enterprise controls that support complex workflows and system integration.

Conditional Fields

Show or hide fields based on earlier answers, enabling dynamic forms that adapt to signer responses and reduce errors during completion.

Payments Integration

Collect payments during signature workflows by enabling payment fields and linking to supported payment processors for contracts that require immediate payment.

API Access

Use the signNow API to embed signing into web apps, automate document flows, and integrate with ERPs and CRMs for system-driven agreements.

SSO and SAML

Enterprise plans support single sign-on via SAML to centralize user authentication and streamline provisioning through identity providers.

Document Merging

Pre-fill documents with data from CRMs or ERPs, merge records into templates, and reduce manual data entry during contract creation.

Kiosk Mode

Enable in-person signing on a shared device with controlled access and quick invite links for events or on-site agreements.

Best practices for eSignature workflows

Use consistent templates, clear signer instructions, and secure authentication to reduce errors and improve completion rates when using eSignatures.

Standardize templates and field placement

Create and store validated templates for recurring documents to reduce signer confusion and errors, and to ensure compliance with legal and industry requirements.

Choose appropriate authentication levels

Match authentication to transaction risk: email authentication for routine approvals and two-factor or phone verification for high-value or regulated documents.

Maintain clear signer instructions

Provide concise instructions and contextual help to guide signers through required fields, which reduces incomplete submissions and follow-up time.

Retain audit trails and backup copies

Ensure retention policies preserve completed documents and audit logs for the required period to support audits and legal defensibility.

Timing and reminders for signing

Set explicit deadlines and automated reminders to improve return rates and reduce processing delays for signature requests.

01

Initial deadline

Set a specific due date when sending the request.

02

Automatic reminders

Schedule reminder emails at defined intervals before the deadline.

03

Escalation notifications

Notify managers if signers do not respond within SLA.

04

Expiry settings

Expire links after a set period to reduce stale access.

Recommended retention and retention dates

Define retention periods based on legal, regulatory, and business needs; store completed records with audit metadata for retrieval.

Short-term operational storage:

Keep for 1 year for routine administrative access.

Contract retention:

Retain signed contracts for 6 to 7 years post-termination.

Healthcare records:

Follow HIPAA retention rules; consult legal counsel.

Tax and financial documents:

Retain per IRS and industry requirements, typically 7 years.

Disposal and archival:

Archive older records and purge according to policy.

Audit trail and record management steps

Manage audit trails by enabling logging, reviewing events, exporting evidence, and setting retention rules for legal defensibility.

01

Enable Logging:

Turn on audit logs for all transactions.

02

Review Events:

Check timestamps and signer IP addresses.

03

Export Evidence:

Download PDF with embedded audit history.

04

Store Securely:

Save documents in encrypted storage.

05

Set Retention:

Apply document retention policies.

06

Access Controls:

Limit who can view audit logs.

FAQs About what is an electronic signature how to create

This troubleshooting section answers common issues when creating, sending, or completing eSignatures with signNow and explains configuration steps and fixes.

• Why did a signer not receive the email?
  Confirm the email address was entered correctly, check spam filters and organization email policies. If using large distribution lists, review bulk send limits and sending cadence. Resend the request and monitor delivery status in signNow’s activity log to confirm successful delivery.
• How to fix incomplete or missing fields on a document?
  Open the template in the editor, verify field assignments to the correct recipient, and confirm conditional logic does not hide required fields. Republish the template and resend the invite to affected signers to collect any missing responses.
• What if a signer cannot authenticate with SMS?
  Verify the phone number format and carrier restrictions, ensure the SMS option is enabled on the account, and consider alternate authentication such as email or knowledge-based verification until SMS is resolved.
• How to retrieve the audit trail for a completed document?
  Open the completed document in signNow, choose View History or Audit Trail, and export the combined PDF with embedded audit evidence for legal or compliance review.
• Why is a completed document not appearing in my archive?
  Check folder permissions and retention settings, confirm the document completed status, and search by signer email or document name. If missing, review activity logs or contact your administrator.
• How to resolve API integration failures?
  Verify API keys, review rate limits and request payloads, ensure proper scopes are authorized, and consult signNow API logs for error messages to correct authentication or parameter issues.

Typical signature process timeline

A standard signing timeline includes preparation, dispatch, reminders, completion, and archival; use automation to keep each phase on schedule.

01

Document preparation

1-2 hours depending on complexity.

02

Initial send

Immediate once document prepared.

03

First reminder

3 days after send if unsigned.

04

Second reminder

7 days after first reminder.

05

Escalation

Notify manager after 14 days.

06

Completion confirmation

Instant upon final signature.

07

Export and archive

Within 24 hours of completion.

08

Retention review

Annually based on policy.

Where you can access signNow

signNow is available via web browsers, native mobile apps, and a developer API for embedding signing into your systems.

• Web Browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari support
• Mobile Apps: iOS and Android apps
• Developer API: REST API for embedding

Use the browser for full editing, mobile apps for on-the-go signing, and the API to automate or integrate eSignature workflows into enterprise applications.

Typical workflow configuration settings

Below are common workflow settings to configure when implementing eSignature processes in signNow for consistent operations and compliance.

Setting Name	Configuration
Signer Authentication Method	Email or SMS verification
Signing Order	Sequential or parallel
Reminder Frequency	48 hours
Audit Trail Retention	Seven years
Template Access Control	Role-based permissions

Feature availability snapshot

A short comparison of common feature availability across signNow, DocuSign, and Adobe Sign to help align feature needs with vendor selection.

Feature comparison across eSignature vendors	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign
Bulk send capability	yes (premium)
Audit trail included
HIPAA support	yes, baa	yes, baa	yes, baa
Envelope limits	no cap	100 envelopes/year	varies by plan

Pricing and feature comparison (data as of May 2026)

This table summarizes starting prices and select features for signNow and common competitors. Pricing is shown on an annual billing basis where available and may vary by contract or promotions.

	signNow	DocuSign ($8 ser/mo)	Adobe Sign ($13/user/mo)	PandaDoc ($19/user/mo)	HelloSign ($15/user/mo)
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$8/user/mo	$13/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies by vendor	Varies by vendor	Varies by vendor	Varies by vendor
Bulk Send	Yes, Business Premium	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audit Trail	Yes, full audit trail	Yes, full audit trail	Yes, full audit trail	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes, BAA required	Yes, BAA available	Yes, BAA available	Varies	Varies
Envelope Cap	No envelope cap	100 envelopes/year	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan