For some years now, the government has been trying to move most of its operations online. Nearly, all government agencies now have portals and websites that provide services and information to people. In almost every aspect of state, local, and federal operations, contracts are created, signed, sent and archived electronically. However, for this digital or electronic chain to be possible, electronic signatures must be incorporated.
E signature capabilities are no longer viewed as “nice to have”. Government agencies have recognized e-signs as a secure, enforceable, compliant, and economical way to achieve digital transformation. And since electronic signatures can be set up either on the cloud or on-premise, governments can take advantage of the high degree of customizability, scalability, functionality, and control realized in an enterprise solution, without worrying about limited IT and financial resources.
Most notably, the need for speed and efficiency and the public’s high use of the internet makes now the right time for governments to embrace this foundational technology.
e-Sign Use Cases in government
Top electronic signature solutions like Foxit eSign have been proven to be effective in a range of government signing processes. Here a few ways state and federal governments are using e-signs to better their services.
Government businesses
Sending loads of documents across government departments and agencies can add up considerably, in ink and paper costs. Various form of contract work, including local and international work, can be easily transferred to an electronic service making it more economical. For instance, both local and federal governments can use electronic signatures to authorize paperwork for action orders, procurement, and tender agreements.
Citizen business
Many local and federal governments around the world propose citizen business applications be made or picked during official work hours. However, sometimes it can be difficult finding time to visit your intended government office during the busy 9 to 5 hours. Nowadays, these citizen business processes can be conveniently completed, thanks to the adoption of electronic signatures in executing licensing documents and permits applications.
Housing
Housing transactions in the state and local government space should also be efficient and swift just like it is with real estate firms. Even with simple housing process like changing of addresses, governments sometimes spend unnecessary time signing and mailing documents manually. However, modern-day governments, with the help of electronic signature solutions are able to sign and send even sensitive documents like housing program forms and homeowner exemption forms.
Health and social services
Many local municipalities and state governments have their own health divisions that provide health and other wellness-related services; however, doing so require heaps of paperwork to be completed. Using e-signs to execute public health forms and other common social services documents, government health agencies become more economical with their resources and are able to make healthcare services more efficient.
In-house government operations
Streamlined processes are essential for governmental in-house processes. Electronic signatures are transforming the federal and state government landscape with simple-to-implement electronic processes, including the following:
- Recruiting and onboarding forms
- HR and personnel forms
- Project management forms
- Purchase and expense requests forms
Essentially, why should all government bodies adopt e-signs?
- Save time and money on processes – Top e-sign solutions like Foxit eSign have helped government agencies to minimize their overhead costs, associated with wet-ink signatures, to a greater extent. They get rid of time-consuming tasks like faxing, scanning and printing.
- Improve responsiveness and efficiency – paper is very time intensive and complicates the work cycles. Investing in e-signature software can help governments improve responsiveness considerably. Paperless workflows boost the internal operations of government agencies by giving employees and citizens seeking assistance the chance to review and sign contracts online as per their convenience.
- Security and authentication capability – Some government documents are very confidential. eSign and other leading electronic signature software provide superior security and authentication capabilities to their users. Most notably, e-sign solutions can be integrated with various authentication protocols and security applications as needed.
- Transparency in government contracts – Governments’ processes needs to be transparent. Electronic signatures help government organizations to streamline their contracting processes and maintain transparency, since retrieving data for audit and compliance purposes is very easy.
- Going green – Governments organizations should be at the forefront of conserving the environment. e-signatures ensure there is the reduced usage of paper and other materials related to printing, hence minimizing the burden on the environment.
Conclusion
It’s apparent; governmental agencies are always challenged to minimize costs, offer quality services and maintain compliance all the time. In addition, they are expected to be at the forefront in ensuring all their processes are environmentally friendly.
Electronic signature platforms like Foxit eSign can help government bodies address these unique paperwork-related needs and challenges. With it, government agencies can become more efficient, ultimately freeing up resources to offer more and better services. And better yet, it reduces administrative budgets; hence, the savings realized can be channeled to more meaningful initiatives.
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