In times of digital transformation, digital contract signing is becoming increasingly important for organisations, as contracts form the foundation of every business relationship. In practice, however, the picture often looks different: a contract remains pending because the responsible person is on holiday, an additional approval is missing, or the final signature is delayed. Many organisations are all too familiar with these bottlenecks. The main causes are manual steps, unclear approval processes and poorly connected systems, leading to long waiting times, rising costs and high resource consumption.
The Solution: Digital Contract Signing
It replaces paper-based and manual steps with fully digital processes. Contracts can be created faster, signed online in a legally compliant way and managed efficiently. d.velop contracts, in combination with d.velop sign, simplifies these processes and ensures full legal compliance. In this blog post, you’ll learn everything from standardised contract creation to the final signature – and how this process can be made completely digital for all parties involved.
Why Digital Contract Signing Is Essential for Organisations
Digital contract signing not only reduces costs and effort but also offers additional benefits:
- Go paperless: Save on printing and postage costs
- Boost efficiency: Faster contract completion without media breaks
- Stay flexible: Sign contracts anytime, anywhere
- Ensure legal compliance: eIDAS and GDPR compliant
- Promote sustainability: Conserve resources and protect the environment
Digital contract signing is therefore a key success factor for modern organisations.
The Path to Digital Contract Signing
d.velop’s digital contract management supports the entire contract lifecycle – from creation and timely task handling to storage and analysis. This enables collaborative teamwork while keeping all stakeholders informed. The following features facilitate digital contract signing:
Contract Creation Assistant
With intuitive navigation, the Contract Creation Assistant helps you create contracts. A predefined contract type can be selected with a click to access a template. Stored master data and additional information from the leading system can be used to complete the contract form and are automatically maintained during contract creation.
Deadline Manager
To ensure you never miss a deadline, the software can calculate contract duration and termination dates. Automatic email notifications can be set at custom intervals, and deadline alerts are displayed on the d.velop contracts dashboard.
Digital Collaboration – Review & Approval
Once the contract is created, it must be reviewed by relevant stakeholders such as Legal, Finance or department heads. Collaboration is simplified through Microsoft 365 or d.velop documents, allowing authorised users to add comments and changes directly in the document.
Executing Digital Contract Signing with the Signature Workflow
After all stakeholders have reviewed and approved the contract, the digital signature workflow can begin. To make signing as efficient and effortless as possible, d.velop sign is used. This eIDAS- and GDPR-compliant e-signature software enables organisations to sign contracts and documents of any kind digitally and legally.
Once all parties have signed, the contract is automatically made available to everyone – saving time and eliminating manual effort.
A Fully Digital Process Right Through to Contract Signing
Using solutions such as digital contract management and e-signature software saves time, money and resources throughout the process. The benefits are clear:
- Save costs: No printing, paper or postage
- Accelerate processes: Faster review, approval and signing
- Work anywhere: Sign contracts without on-site appointments
- Act sustainably: Conserve resources and reduce CO₂ emissions
But signing is just the beginning – contract management, analysis and archiving follow.
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Conclusion: Rethinking Contract Signing
Digital contract signing is evolving from a helpful tool to an integral part of modern business. It enables organisations to close contracts faster, make processes more transparent and strengthen trust among all parties. At the same time, compliance with legal requirements such as the eIDAS regulation ensures that digitally signed contracts are legally valid and binding in Germany and across the EU.
Moreover, digital signing contributes significantly to sustainability. By eliminating paper documents, printing and postage, resources are conserved and administrative effort is greatly reduced. Organisations can focus more on core tasks while working more efficiently.
Those who digitise their contract processes now benefit not only from time and cost savings but also gain a clear competitive advantage in an increasingly digital economy.
FAQ on Digital Contract Signing
Yes, digital contract signing is legally compliant. In Germany and across the EU, it is regulated by the eIDAS regulation. With a qualified electronic signature (QES), digitally signed contracts have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures.
Digital signing saves time, costs and resources. Contracts can be signed online anytime, anywhere, eliminating postage, printing costs and manual processes. Organisations accelerate contract completion and increase efficiency.
There are three types of electronic signatures used for digital signing:
– Simple Electronic Signature (SES): e.g., a scanned name
– Advanced Electronic Signature (AES): uniquely linked to a person
– Qualified Electronic Signature (QES): offers the highest security and is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature
Yes, digital signing works not only internally but also with external business partners. With solutions like d.velop sign, contracts can be sent online and signed digitally by recipients worldwide – without additional software installation.
Digital signing is highly secure. It is eIDAS- and GDPR-compliant, meeting the highest European data protection and security standards. Encryption, certificates and secure servers ensure confidentiality and prevent tampering.
Digital signing can be easily integrated into existing business processes. With a digital contract management system like d.velop contracts and the e-signature solution d.velop sign, contracts can not only be signed online but also created, reviewed, managed and archived centrally.