The Executive's Guide to Getting Paperwork Signed Quicker: 5 Strategies for 80% Faster Turnaround Time

In the high-stakes world of B2B operations, time is not just money-it's a critical competitive advantage. The manual process of printing, signing, scanning, and emailing documents is a relic of the past, costing businesses millions in lost productivity and delayed revenue.

If your contract turnaround time (TAT) is measured in days, you are losing deals and frustrating clients. The question is not if you should digitize, but how to implement a strategy that delivers maximum speed and ironclad compliance.

As eSignly experts, we know that simply having an e-signature tool is not enough. True speed comes from optimizing the entire document workflow.

This guide provides a forward-thinking, five-step framework to help busy executives and operations leaders dramatically accelerate their paperwork signing process, moving from days to minutes. 🚀

Key Takeaways for Executives and Operations Leaders

1. The Cost of Slowness: Manual signing processes can inflate contract TAT by up to 80%, directly impacting sales cycles and customer experience.
2. The Core Solution: Implementing a robust, compliant electronic signature platform like eSignly is the foundational step to achieving near-instantaneous signing.
3. The 5-Step Framework: Speed is achieved through a structured approach: Preparation, Automation, Tracking, Accessibility, and Integration.
4. The Speed Guarantee: eSignly's API is engineered to deliver a 50% time-saving Guarantee over manual sign, with the ability to get your first document signed in minutes.
5. Compliance is Non-Negotiable: Faster signing must not compromise security. Look for platforms with ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance.

The Anatomy of Slow Signing: Why Your Paperwork is Stuck 🐌

Before optimizing, you must diagnose the problem. The 'messy middle' of the document signing journey is littered with friction points that sabotage speed.

For a busy executive, these bottlenecks translate directly into delayed revenue recognition and increased operational costs. Here are the three most common culprits:

1. Manual Document Preparation: Creating and sending documents one-by-one, manually adding fields, and double-checking recipient information is a time sink. This step alone can add hours to the process.
2. The 'Print-Sign-Scan-Email' Loop: This is the most egregious offender. It relies on the recipient having a printer, scanner, and the willingness to complete a multi-step, frustrating process. This is especially problematic when you need to get someone overseas to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
3. Zero Visibility and Tracking: Once an email is sent, the document enters a black hole. Operations teams waste valuable time chasing signatures, leading to unnecessary follow-ups and missed deadlines. Without a real-time audit trail, you lack the data to identify where the process is failing.

The Hard Truth: If you are still relying on email attachments for critical contracts, you are not just slow; you are creating unnecessary legal and compliance risk.

The solution is a robust, compliant e-signature platform.

Strategy 1: The Foundation-Adopt a World-Class eSignature Platform 💡

The single most impactful step to How To Use Electronic Signatures to get paperwork signed quicker is the adoption of a dedicated, enterprise-grade e-signature solution like eSignly.

This is the non-negotiable foundation for speed and compliance.

The Three Pillars of eSignature Speed:

1. Instant Accessibility (Any Device, Any Time): The signer must be able to sign instantly, whether they are on a desktop, tablet, or mobile phone. eSignly ensures documents can be signed get everything signed and tracked all remotely all in one place with eSignature, eliminating the need for downloads or proprietary software.
2. Simplified Creation: The ability to quickly upload a PDF, DOC, or DOCX and drag-and-drop signer fields (signature, date, text) is crucial. Features like templates for frequently used documents (e.g., NDAs, MSAs) drastically cut down preparation time. You can even learn how to create an electronic signature on a Microsoft Word document directly within the platform.
3. Receiver-Friendly Experience: A clunky signing experience leads to abandonment. eSignly ensures that Receivers do not have to pay any money to sign documents, and the process is intuitive, which is key to a high completion rate.

Quantified Insight: According to eSignly research, companies that fully automate their document workflow can reduce their contract turnaround time by an average of 80% compared to traditional paper-based methods.

This is a direct result of eliminating the 'print-sign-scan' friction.

Strategy 2: Optimize the Workflow with Automation and Templates ⚙️

Once the platform is in place, the focus shifts to process optimization. This is where you move beyond simple digital signing to true workflow automation.

Checklist for Workflow Optimization:

The Neuromarketing Angle: Automated reminders gently nudge the recipient, leveraging the psychological principle of urgency without creating a negative, high-pressure experience.

This respectful automation drives completion rates higher.

Strategy 3: Leverage API Integration for Hyper-Speed ⏱️

For organizations with complex, high-volume needs, the fastest signature is the one that never leaves your system.

This is the power of an e-signature API. Instead of logging into a separate portal, the signing process is triggered and completed within your existing business applications.

The eSignly API Advantage:

1. Embedded Signatures: Allow users to sign directly within your website or application interface, eliminating context switching.
2. Real-Time Data Flow: Instantly push signed documents and their metadata back into your system for immediate processing.
3. Guaranteed Speed: We offer a bold promise: Get Your First API Document Signed in 5 Minutes! This is backed by a 50% time-saving Guarantee over manual sign and up to 100% uptime SLA.

This level of integration is what separates a good e-signature tool from a true digital transformation partner. It's how you move from simply signing documents faster to fundamentally accelerating your entire business process.

Strategy 4: Prioritize Security and Compliance (Speed Without Risk) 🔒

A common executive concern is whether a faster process means less security. The answer, with a world-class platform, is a resounding no.

In fact, digital processes are often more secure and auditable than paper.

The eSignly Compliance Shield:

1. Global Standards: Our signatures comply with all major security rules and regulations, including PCI DSS COMPLIANCE, 21 CFR PART 11, GDPR COMPLIANCE, HIPAA COMPLIANCE, SOC 2 TYPE II COMPLIANCE, and ISO 27001 security certification. This is critical for businesses operating in the USA (our primary market), EMEA, and Australia.
2. Real-Time Audit Trail: Every action-viewing, signing, sending-is logged and time-stamped, creating a non-repudiable record. This Realtime Audit Trail is your legal proof, providing the trust and security needed for high-value contracts.
3. Data Security: With ISO 27001 certification, you have the certainty that your sensitive client and contract data is handled with the highest level of information security management.

Strategy 5: Continuous Monitoring and Improvement 📊

The final strategy for getting paperwork signed quicker is to treat your document workflow as a continuous process, not a one-time fix.

A world-class e-signature platform provides the data you need to become a process optimization expert.

1. Real-time Reporting: Use the dashboard to track key performance indicators (KPIs) like average contract TAT, completion rates by department, and the most common drop-off points.
2. A/B Testing Workflows: Test different reminder schedules or signing sequences to see which yields the fastest results.
3. User Feedback Loop: Use the data to identify which signers or departments are the slowest, and provide targeted training or adjust the workflow to accommodate their needs.

By leveraging real-time reporting and analysis, you can sustain the speed gains and ensure your 95%+ user retention rate remains high, both internally and with your clients.

2026 Update: The Future of Fast Signing is AI-Augmented

While the core principles of e-signature remain evergreen, the technology continues to evolve. In 2026 and beyond, the next frontier for speed is the integration of AI and Machine Learning (ML) into document workflows.

This is not science fiction; it is the next step in process optimization.

1. AI-Driven Field Detection: ML models can automatically identify and place signature and form fields in complex documents, reducing manual prep time to near zero.
2. Predictive Analytics: AI agents can predict which signers are likely to delay a document and automatically trigger a personalized, high-impact follow-up sequence.
3. Smart Contract Generation: Future systems will use AI to generate legally sound contracts from simple prompts, further accelerating the entire document lifecycle.

The takeaway is clear: choose a technology partner, like eSignly, that is already building these future-ready capabilities into its platform to ensure your solution remains relevant and competitive for years to come.

Accelerate Your Business, Not Just Your Signatures

Getting paperwork signed quicker is no longer a luxury; it is a fundamental requirement for modern business agility.

The transition from slow, manual processes to a lightning-fast, compliant digital workflow is a strategic move that delivers immediate ROI, improves customer experience, and reduces operational risk.

By implementing the five strategies-adopting a world-class platform, automating workflows, leveraging API integration, prioritizing compliance, and using data for continuous improvement-you can move your contract turnaround time from days to minutes.

Don't let outdated processes be the anchor holding back your growth. Take control of your document lifecycle and start closing deals faster.

Reviewed by the eSignly Expert Team: As a leader in online eSignature solutions since 2014, eSignly provides secure, compliant, and innovative SaaS and API services to over 100,000 users globally.

Our expertise in B2B software, process optimization, and compliance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR) ensures our content and solutions are future-ready and built for executive-level trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much faster is an electronic signature process compared to a manual one?

On average, implementing a fully optimized e-signature workflow can reduce contract turnaround time (TAT) by 50% to 80%.

For example, eSignly offers a 50% time-saving Guarantee over manual sign, with many users reporting completion times in minutes rather than days. This is achieved by eliminating printing, scanning, and mailing delays.

Is a quicker e-signature process still legally binding and secure?

Absolutely. A compliant e-signature solution like eSignly provides a higher level of security and non-repudiation than traditional paper.

We are compliant with major global standards, including the US ESIGN Act and UETA, as well as international standards like GDPR. Our platform provides a detailed, real-time audit trail that records every step of the signing process, ensuring legal validity and peace of mind.

We hold certifications like ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA.

What is the fastest way to get a high volume of documents signed?

The fastest method for high-volume signing is leveraging an e-signature API (Application Programming Interface).

This allows you to embed the signing functionality directly into your existing business applications (CRM, ERP). For one-off bulk needs, a platform's bulk sending feature with automated reminders is the next best option. eSignly's API is designed for hyper-speed, with a guarantee to get your first document signed in 5 minutes.