E-Sign: Our History

E-Sign has been providing digital signatures and document management solutions to businesses across the UK for nearly a decade. Founded in Liverpool in 2012, E-Sign’s software was developed to digitalise signatures, streamline document management, and eliminate paper-based processes.

Since then, E-Sign has grown into a leading provider of electronic signatures and digital solutions, both in the UK and across the globe.  With a user-friendly platform and innovative product range, E-Sign has evolved since its initial conception, expanding from an electronic signature provider to a document transaction management platform.

Since founding nearly a decade ago, we’ve also expanded our business further, setting up offices in Douglas, the Isle of Man in 2016 and taking on additional employees on both the island and in Liverpool, growing our skillset and talent pool, as well as constantly evolving our products and services.

At E-Sign, we pride ourselves on our ability to save businesses and organisations time, money, and hassle in their daily business operations. Indeed, using E-Sign’s software, both the private and public sectors have benefitted immensely from E-Sign’s efficient functionality, including the NHS and Government bodies.

 

An Approved G-Cloud Digital Marketplace Supplier

Since 2012, we’ve evolved our security and compliance to meet the highest standards for public sector organisations. Indeed, E-Sign has been an approved supplier on the G-Cloud Digital Marketplace for several years now, with all our products successfully vetted for use by Government bodies and public sector organisations. To save the public sector valuable time, organisations, including agencies and arm’s length bodies, can purchase IT services from a pre-approved pool of cloud and digital solution suppliers, including E-Sign, on this digital marketplace.

We’re proud to be trusted by the public sector and on the go-to list of reliable and reputable IT providers. It’s a testament to the hard work we’ve put into our platform and services over the years.

 

The Only Trusted Digital Signature Provider on the Public Service Network

E-Sign is currently the only PSN-certified electronic signature provider on the market, making our services stand out from the crowd with our excellent public sector compliance record.  The PSN is the UK Government’s high-performance network, which enables public sector organisations to effectively collaborate, reduce duplication and share resources.

PSN certification means E-Sign meets the strict regulatory requirements of the public sector and can provide assurance that our services are of the highest security standards, are exceptionally reliable, and that our team can address issues within a rapid timeframe.

Having this PSN accreditation in our arsenal means that we can supply our document management and electronic signature solutions to the public sector, including the NHS, allowing them to benefit from improved operational efficiency, as well as achieving significant cost savings by increasing productivity and reducing paper consumption.

 

Investing in Greater Automation and Integration Capabilities

One of the biggest improvements we’ve embraced recently is greater automation and integration capabilities. Alongside the idea of digital transformation, more and more businesses are striving towards the creation of a bespoke digital ecosystem. By making E-Sign easy to adopt through as many digital channels as possible, we can make collaboration with other software companies simple, providing the best user experience for our customers and empowering them to create a workflow that truly works for their business.

As part of this strategy, we’ve teamed up with Microsoft Power Automate to offer simple automation options for businesses looking to reduce manual processes, whilst improving operational efficiency. With pre-set workflows and a simplified ‘trigger’ and ‘action’ system, Power Automate offers a low code alternative to traditional automation, enabling businesses to take advantage of sophisticated techniques, even if they don’t have an experienced coder in their ranks.

 

E-Sign Named as Code Nation ‘Employer of the Year’

In 2022, E-Sign were selected as the Employer of the Year for Code Nation due to the level if support we provided and our commitment to the apprenticeship programme. We have provided opportunities for individuals to begin and grow their careers in tech and offer an inclusive environment where people can truly shine.

 

Tom Taylor Appointed to Advise World Bank on Digital Transformation in the Middle East

Tom Taylor, Managing Director, has been appointed to advise the World Bank on Digital Transformation in the Middle East. He is to advise the World Bank on how to build the kind of digital infrastructure and “trust-framework” that is already prevalent in Europe.

The advisory role builds on our award-winning work in helping public sector organisations across the world to adopt new digital technologies that improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Tom said about the appointment, “I’m thrilled to be working with the World Bank to help boost economic growth in the Middle East by enabling the region to embrace the kind of cutting-edge, robust digital infrastructure that citizens and businesses want and expect.”

 

Winners at the 2023 Digital Revolution Awards

In May this year, we were proud to be the winners of the Digital Transformation Project of the Year. The award recognised our work for the National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) for the digitisation of NHS prescriptions with our secure technology.

The strategic goal was to have a universal and scalable solution that addressed all of the issues relating to paper-based prescription transport. It was an honour to be recognised for our commitment to driving digital transformation and helping businesses streamline their operations through our innovative e-signature and digital document solutions.

 

What’s on the Cards for E-Sign?

Now we’ve discussed our history, it’s time to look forward to the future. Technology is constantly evolving and it’s our job to embrace these changes and pass on the advantages to our clients. As a digital provider, staying one step ahead is vital to our success.

One of our most exciting developments coming soon is the launch of new User Interface in the E-Sign platform. The new UI is designed to be even more user-friendly and will enhance the customer experience with new features being added.

We have also been shortlisted for two awards this year:

• Digital & Technology Business of the Year at the 2023 Merseyside Business Awards
• Innovative Service or Product award at the 2023 Liverpool Chamber Innovation in Business Awards

We will continue to promote digital transformation and inclusion across the UK, Middle East and further afield and are committed to ensuring that digital technologies are accessible to as many people as possible.

Ultimately, focusing on these aspects allows us to make E-Sign an advanced, yet accessible platform for businesses of all sizes and at various points of digital maturity. Whether you’re just starting out on your digital transformation journey or are already successfully utilising digital technology, our digital solutions have the functionality and capabilities that your business needs to embrace its digital future.

 

In Conversation With Thomas Taylor, MD of E-Sign

Why Was E-Sign Created? Did You See a Gap in the Market?

The company was founded as an initial solution to the problem of slow document turnaround times. The market was not quite ready to fully embrace this type of technology and there was uncertainty from a legal standpoint as to the validity of digital agreements. Over the years multiple industries adapted to ensure they kept up with their competitors. Today digital document management is seen as a necessity from a compliance point of view in many sectors.

How Has the Company Grown Since 2012? 

The company (like any software business) had a difficult beginning. The cost of creating a robust platform versus slow uptake amongst businesses meant E-Sign was operating at a loss for the first few years. However, with a great team came collective ingenuity and perseverance. We are lucky to have recruited some amazing people who have really bought into what the business is achieving and who truly feel part of the journey. This has led to huge growth and over the last two years, E-Sign has been adopted across various industries, so much so that other software partners now implement our products to further enhance their own client offering.

How Did E-Sign’s Product Range Expand Over the Years?

The product initially started with an advanced electronic signature capture solution. Over the years, this evolved to become a digital transaction management system, upon which users could capture payments within their agreements or run ID verification on document signers. E-Sign has now further evolved to become very agnostic in nature, and work with almost any other software to create ‘digital ecosystems’. This is where users can create bespoke workflows that meet the needs of their own companies. Presently E-Sign is involved in a UK wide project where multiple NHS trusts are using E-Sign to create bespoke prescription workflows (via E-Sign), that is unique to each individual care provider.

 

Curious about how electronic signatures and digital document management could benefit your business or organisation? Why not discover the unlimited potential of E-Sign for yourself with our 14-day free trial?  

 

E-Sign is a leading provider of digital transaction management solutions, supplying professional services including Electronic Signatures, Web Forms, ID Checker, Verification Tools, Personalised Emails, API and Payment Processingto businesses of all sizes across the UK.

To find out more about our E-Sign solutions and how they could transform your business, get in touch with us today.