DocuWare releases US survey on state of e-signatures

September 30, 2021

Results show 70% of US businesses are missing out on the benefits of the technology.

DocuWare releasd the findings from their latest survey, indicating that despite the convenience and efficiency of electronic signatures, many organisations in the US have not yet fully implemented the technology, due to myths and misunderstandings.

The survey of over 1200 business users revealed that businesses overwhelmingly cited efficiency and speed as the top reasons for adopting electronic signatures. But organisations are still missing out on these benefits, with most not having fully adopted the technology.

“Electronic signatures are no longer a ‘good to have’ but a vital tool to maintain business continuity,” said Dr. Michael Berger, DocuWare President. “At DocuWare we can help organisations fully embrace the benefits of secure electronic signatures, enabling organisations to seamlessly and securely complete workflow documents anytime, anywhere, and on any device.”

While over 80% of respondents indicated they use electronic signatures at least some of the time, they do not use the tool as much as they could. DocuWare’s survey shows that the main obstacles to fully implementing this technology are due to misconceptions and misunderstandings about security, technology, compliance, or forgery.

Key survey findings of the survey:

Around 44% of US respondents cited cyber security issues as the biggest risk for electronic signatures.
12% of respondents said the biggest roadblock to electronic signature use in their business was a steep learning curve.
29% of US respondents noted that changing legal requirements or noncompliance was a factor in implementing electronic signatures.
38% of US respondents reported being worried about unauthorised signatures.

DocuWare surveyed +1,200 people, all of whom have the authority to sign documents for their respective companies in their current job roles.