Reference story PKF WMS

The digital signature offers many advantages for PKF WMS.

• Legal certainty
• Increased flexibility
• Improved environmental footprint
• Greater efficiency
• Lower costs

Audit, Tax & Legal Advisory – PKF WMS

The team led by department head Michael Strack spends more time with their clients than at their own desks. Around two-thirds of their working hours are spent on-site with clients of PKF WMS – tax advisors, auditors, and lawyers. It’s a normal part of their everyday work. But the audit itself is only part of the job. A signed audit report or certified opinion is what truly completes the assignment.

Before signing, however, all documents must be thoroughly reviewed – by both parties. Only once everything is in order can the auditor sign off. But while the paper documents may already be waiting for a signature back at the office, the auditor is often already on-site with the next client.

“When a final, signed report was due for delivery, we were sometimes already with the next client,” explains Michael Strack, Head of Audit at PKF WMS. “Before d.velop sign, employees sometimes had to make a detour back to the office just to sign a document. We lost days that way. We wanted to move away from paper and work more efficiently, sustainably, and flexibly.”

Signing Audit Reports and Business Closures on the Go

The idea: A digital signature allows auditors to sign existing reports and audit opinions while on the move. At the same time, PKF WMS can reduce paper usage and send documents to clients as digital PDFs.

However, a digital signature isn’t as simple as scanning a handwritten one. For PKF WMS, scanned signatures were not an option due to legal concerns. They needed a solution that met the following requirements:

• Legal certainty
• Increased flexibility: Employees should be able to sign documents securely while on the go, reducing delays. Accessing digital documents is also significantly faster than searching through paper files
• Improved environmental footprint: Digital reports, business closures, and audit opinions save paper
• Greater efficiency: Digital processes increase efficiency when aligned with company goals. Less friction means more time for creative or complex tasks
• Lower costs: Reduced paper consumption

At the end of 2019, PKF WMS began searching for a provider of digital signature solutions. Three vendors made the shortlist, including d.velop sign from d.velop AG. “We had more in-depth discussions with two providers,” says Michael Strack, Head of Audit at PKF WMS. “We liked the feature set of d.velop sign as well as the price-performance ratio.”

In December 2019, PKF WMS and d.velop AG began implementing d.velop sign. By February 2020, the first employees were already using digital signatures. “More and more countries are requiring companies to submit business closures, audit reports, or other documents digitally,” says Christina Thesing, Business Development Manager at d.velop AG.

Benefits of Digital Signatures

PKF WMS employees quickly noticed several advantages of working with digital documents:

• Much faster delivery
• Tax advisors and auditors can complete their work more quickly, and clients receive their reports and documents sooner
• Tamper-proof documents
• Digital signatures cannot be forged, thanks in part to two-factor authentication
• Multiple identification methods

PKF WMS chose the one-time video identification method for digital signatures. d.velop AG partners with D-TRUST, a company in the Bundesdruckerei Group, as the trusted service provider. PKF WMS opted for the cloud-based version of d.velop sign, eliminating the need for local installation. Users can start immediately, and the identification process is integrated into the application.

“The video ID process is just one option,” explains Christina Thesing. “It’s not a high hurdle – identification can also be done via Giro-Ident or the e-ID of the German electronic ID card.”

PKF WMS Expands Use of d.velop sign

Initially, only six employees used d.velop sign – but that number quickly grew. After the audit department, the external accounting department followed. By mid-2020, PKF WMS had rolled out d.velop sign across more departments. “We had a great experience,” says Strack, “and we want to deliver more audit and compilation reports digitally to our clients.”

The auditors also value a consistent appearance: they no longer want to deliver reports both on paper and as PDFs – only digitally. “That’s the future,” says Strack. “Soon, no one will talk about paper anymore. We want to lead the way in every part of the company.”