Tired of juggling countless e-signature tools just to sign a document? All too often, this approach creates more chaos than convenience: documents get scattered across platforms, version control disappears, and deadlines slip through the cracks. In this article, we discuss why a signature alone isn’t enough and how a single platform – ZebraSign – can transform your entire document management process.
Electronic signatures are typically valid in the same manner as handwritten signatures. As a result, people often assume that it’s enough to find a free e‑signature service and sign the documents they need. In reality, however, the signature is just a small part of a document’s lifecycle. Before a document reaches the signing stage, it must be created, reviewed, and sometimes supplemented with forms, and then sent to colleagues or partners. After it’s electronically signed, the document must be stored securely and may need to be transferred to other systems or used later. If you use a combination of several different services, there’s a risk that files will be scattered, duplicated, or forgotten altogether.
This article explains why an electronic signature alone isn’t enough, what problems the “many accounts” approach creates, and how Zebrasign creates a single hub of order in which documents are not only signed, but the entire workflow is managed.
Signing is only one link in the chain. Proper management includes:
If you use different, separate “for signing only” accounts for these tasks, you lose out on document management.
Studies show that disconnected systems require a lot of manual work: employees waste time manually transferring data, fixing errors and checking whether all changes have been made. This reduces productivity and can cost additional revenue when sales or customer service teams can’t quickly obtain signed documents.
A small calculation: if an employee spends two minutes searching for one document and it happens 20 times per week, that’s 40 minutes a week or about 26.7 hours per year. For a team of ten, about 267 hours per year, more than six workweeks. “Free” can be very expensive.
A 2023 Adobe Acrobat survey found that 48% of respondents struggle to find documents, and 47% believe their company’s electronic filing system is confusing. Two-thirds of employees admit that poor digital organization hampers productivity, and 10% spend four hours a week searching for information.
If you manage documents through different systems, copies can be duplicated, changed, and sent separately. When e‑signature documents are spread across several platforms, it’s hard to determine which version is the latest. Moreover, the more people involved, the more time is wasted walking around the office or combing through emails to see who has yet to sign. Without a consistent record (who approved what version, when, and from where), it’s much harder to prove your process.
80% of organizations say application integration issues hinder digital transformation. Using several separate e‑signature programs means manually connecting systems and copying data, which increases the risk of errors and data inconsistencies. It’s also difficult to ensure traceability and compliance with legal regulations (such as the GDPR or eIDAS) when documents are stored in multiple locations.
ZebraSign’s platform includes an integrated AI assistant. This tool helps users analyze documents, draft new content (for example, contract templates or announcements), perform searches and translations, and automatically set reminders. Since the AI assistant is included in all plans, small businesses can benefit from it without investing in separate software. It saves time and reduces errors, increasing efficiency.
ZebraSign is a complete document digitization platform. You can create, fill in, and sign documents not only on a computer but also on a tablet or in an electronic logbook. One system means no need to juggle different programs or worry about document versions.
The platform lets you upload PDF documents, verify them, and store them securely. You can set key dates and receive automatic email reminders so you never miss a deadline. Users can create templates, tag documents, and filter them by signing status, date or author. Documents, contacts, and templates are organized into folders, which can be moved, deleted or shared easily.
Each ZebraSign plan includes extra features that help digitalize more tasks, for example:
One of the common concerns clients raise is what happens when their free or plan‑provided signatures run out. ZebraSign allows you to buy additional packages of signatures with a qualified timestamp. These extra signatures never expire and are used only when the plan’s included signatures are depleted. The more you buy, the lower the cost per signature.
The platform meets GDPR requirements, the eIDAS regulation, and ISO/IEC 27001 standards, which means your data is protected throughout the document cycle. Having everything in one system makes it easier to manage access rights, apply multi‑factor authentication, and maintain detailed audit logs.
If you answered “no” to at least two or three, then a signature alone isn’t enough; you need document management.
Even one signature requires a clear version, status, audit trail, and storage. When the process is centralized, you reduce the risk of errors and eliminate “manual” coordination.
You can, but then where will you keep it? When you use multiple services, files become scattered and hard to manage; ZebraSign provides a secure archive, tags, and search, so you never have to track down documents again.
Templates save time when preparing repetitive documents and ensure forms are filled in correctly. If you use services from different platforms, you may have to create templates separately on each one.
In other e‑signature tools, you might have to wait until the next month or buy a costly plan, but with ZebraSign, you can buy extra signatures as a package that never expires and can be used when needed.
The platform offers different plans, from a Mini plan for one user to a Corporate plan for large teams. Even small companies can start for free and scale up.
An electronic signature is a key part of modern business, but it solves only one link in a long chain. Using several free e‑signature tools solely for signing often leads to chaos, mistakes, and loss of control. Studies show that employees waste hours searching for documents, and separate systems raise the risk of data inconsistencies and lost information.
ZebraSign offers a comprehensive solution with full control over the workflow – creation, signing, storage, and management. This ensures transparency, security, and efficiency, and you can easily buy extra signatures if needed. For anyone who understands the risks of “just signing” and wants to manage the entire document lifecycle professionally, it’s the logical next step.
Haven’t tried electronic signatures yet? Now might be the perfect time! Try ZebraSign for yourself or get in touch, and we’ll find the best solution for your organization.
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