Anchorage Daily News: "Almost 80% of Alaskans Pick Electronic Signatures"

One factor we've found that determines how interested an organization is to moving to electronic signatures is proximity to the signers. 

Where business is typically done face-to-face, an electronic signature may still be of interest as a way to automate back-end business processes -- but it rarely helps accelerate closing the deal when the parties are already together. 

Conversely, we've found that for our HR customers, for example, the tipping point for using e-signatures is typically once a company is large enough to have multiple offices.  Walking that handbook acknowledgment around the office becomes a lot more challenging when everyone isn't together.  Similarly, sales processes that occur remotely, over the internet or over the phone, benefit dramatically from e-signatures.

On that note, it should be no surprise that in one of our country's least densely populated states, e-signature adoption should be sky-high.  The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that electronic signature take up for Permanent Fund checks has been dramatic:

"Division Director Deborah Bitney was particularly pleased that so many Alaskans -- almost 80 percent -- were choosing the so-called "eSignature" option, which allows applicants to file an official signature online and not have to mail one in. Using the eSignature greatly reduces the amount of mail and paper the division has to handle."

Electronic signatures will shave weeks off the time it takes residents to get their checks, as well as dramatically the amount of paperwork that has to be handled.