d.velop & Tax Tech Alliance: digital signatures for the tax sector

Approvals and similar processes require a legally valid signature. The solution involving the fewest media breaks is the digital signature. With its product d.velop sign, d.velop offers a solution that enables legally valid digital signatures. hsp CEO Paul Liese spoke to Kai Schwenkler, team leader at d.velop, about added value, new features in Opti.Tax and more during the Friday live broadcast „hsp live at 11“.

Legally valid signatures are a laborious business. The traditional approach consumes vast amounts of time and resources: printing the document, sending it off, having it signed, copying or scanning it if necessary, returning the original document, scanning it if necessary, and archiving it. It’s madness. d.velop sign enables documents to be signed digitally – completely without paper, pens or printers. What makes this product special is its legal validity, i.e. the legal standing of the signature provided.

Kai emphasises that the product is aimed at anyone looking for an experienced German provider in the field of digital signatures. d.velop has been on the market for 30 years and, like hsp, is therefore one of Germany’s established software manufacturers. Particularly when it comes to digital signatures, which involve the handling of highly sensitive data, companies place their trust in a reputable provider from Germany.

Streamlining processes rather than simply digitising them

To put it bluntly, Kai describes the use of pen and paper as „Stone Age“. Yet his arguments prove him right. Clinging to old processes simply out of habit, even though a method exists that is countless times more efficient, faster, more convenient and more secure, is nothing short of Stone Age. That said, Kai isn’t keen on digitising every single process come what may. Digital signature technology streamlines the process – and on a massive scale. „Digitising a normal process when it’s rubbish just leaves you with a rubbish digital process,“ Kai quotes as a pithy saying.

That is why he does not want to digitise every signature. In some cases, introducing digital signatures would not in itself streamline the process. So the expert says: ‘The process could be digitised, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.’ So, rather than simply selling the product and leaving it up to the customers, the experts at d.velop take a close look at the processes. Only then can they ensure that the product is actually used in a way that generates profit. Kai refers to this as a free process consultation, which customers receive alongside the product.

It is not the software that is sold, but the correct way to use it

Kai emphasises how important it is to look after and support customers both before and after a purchase. If the company were to leave customers to their own devices with the product, this could lead to buyer’s remorse. Put simply, buyer’s remorse describes the feeling of thinking: „If only I hadn’t bought this product“. This can be triggered by many factors, such as false product claims, confusion about how to use the product, the price, or a better offer from a competitor. To minimise buyer’s remorse, companies employ a variety of methods. For example, the user manual lavishes praise on buyers whilst simultaneously emphasising the product’s benefits once again. Furthermore, factors such as ease of use, a wide range of useful applications or a positive surprise effect are helpful.

d.velop supports customers in implementing d.velop sign, thereby ensuring that the product is used efficiently and effectively. This demonstrates the added value to buyers – and prevents buyer’s remorse. Paul has a particularly curious example to share. hsp recently ordered a new test system for development purposes. After placing the order, hsp was sent a PDF that was to be signed and returned – without a legally binding digital signature. Subsequently, further documents arrived by post, which also needed to be signed. Mind you, this was from one IT company to another IT company. Paul aptly notes that in such cases, a company is not only holding itself back, but often its customers as well.

In HR, digital signatures can make all the difference

Kai cites human resources as a particularly topical example of where this applies. A high percentage of employees in Germany are looking to change jobs. Competition for top talent is fierce, and companies must present themselves as attractive in all areas. Many companies still rely on paper documents when it comes to employment contracts and other HR records. However, they often overlook just how time-sensitive some of the processes are for job applicants – take the notice period, for example.

In many of the interviews that job applicants have these days, there may be several favourite options by the end. Now, one company is offering to send the employment contract digitally shortly before the notice period ends. The applicant has the option to receive the contract, read it through, sign it and send it back. All within one or two hours. The other two companies offer to post paper contracts. It is entirely unclear whether the contracts will arrive in time before the notice period ends. Which company would the applicant choose? It is precisely these kinds of situations that Kai is concerned with. Streamlined processes are not only attractive from an accounting perspective, but can ultimately also bring tangible benefits to other areas of the business.