PDFs are nonetheless used everywhere in the world.
However it does not come with out challenges. In an period with growing cyberattacks and threats to companies, it’s extra essential than ever to make your contracts digital.
On this weblog, we’ll check out among the fundamental disadvantages of PDFs, however first let’s focus on what precisely a PDF is.
What’s a PDF?
A PDF, or transportable doc format, is a typical kind of file used to maintain the structure and formatting of a doc in place when it’s considered throughout totally different gadgets.
In contrast to different doc codecs that will show otherwise relying on the software program or machine, PDFs keep their authentic structure and design, making them a typical selection for sharing paperwork throughout numerous environments.
Initially developed within the early Nineties, PDFs have turn out to be the norm in contract administration, from enterprise reviews and tutorial papers to authorized contracts and authorities kinds.
The format’s recognition comes from its means to seize textual content, photos, graphics, and the rest on any web page right into a single file, guaranteeing consistency in look whatever the software program or working system utilized by the receiver.
PDFs typically supply choices for encryption and may even supply password safety, offering a point of safety for delicate data. This function has made PDFs seem notably helpful when doc integrity and confidentiality are very important, equivalent to in authorized proceedings or delicate company communications.
PDFs can help some primary options for doc navigation and interplay. Customers can simply navigate by way of pages, seek for particular content material, and annotate paperwork with feedback or highlights utilizing their machine’s search and discover features.
PDFs may also incorporate interactive parts like hyperlinks, buttons, and kind fields, permitting for extra dynamic and interesting content material. These capabilities make PDFs appropriate for varied functions, from creating interactive displays to distributing digital kinds.
4 key disadvantages of PDFs
PDFs have developed into a flexible and extensively adopted format for sharing and preserving digital paperwork. However they don’t seem to be with out their disadvantages, so let’s go into extra element about just a few key ones.
1. PDFs could be the reason for cyberattacks
PDFs can fall sufferer to cyber threats, with malware or viruses embedded inside seemingly bizarre information. This will trigger a danger to a number of gadgets inside your tech ecosystem, as viruses can unfold shortly.
PDFs may also steadily function bait for phishing assaults, the place attackers create realistic-looking paperwork that persuade customers handy over confidential data or open dangerous hyperlinks. These phishing PDFs are often nicely disguised, so it may be arduous to detect a a phishing PDF from a traditional one.
2. PDF metadata issues
PDFs can inadvertently expose metadata. If revisions have been made to the PDF — often on the subject of contracts — made by a number of individuals, then that may nonetheless be seen within the metadata when a PDF is shipped.
Metadata issues may result in an elevated danger of phishing assaults. If metadata is just not correctly encrypted, elements of it might probably doubtlessly be used to hint the server the place delicate buyer knowledge and private data is saved. This leads properly to the following level.
3. Potential for knowledge breaches
One of many key disadvantages of PDFs is that they go away scope for knowledge breaches.
Consider it this fashion. Most PDFs — be a contract or one other kind of doc — can’t be secured or encrypted. Because of this anybody who comes throughout it might probably learn it. Generally, this may be innocent. Nevertheless, somebody with extra malicious intentions may use your PDF to glean extremely confidential data.
Equally, had been your doc administration system to be breached, the hackers may bulk obtain all your PDF contracts — and all paperwork — in moments. The outcomes could be catastrophic for your corporation.
Many Britons nicely keep in mind the Folks’s Power knowledge breach of 2020. Folks’s Power, a sustainable vitality provider based mostly in Scotland, noticed all of its 270,000 prospects’ private data stolen in a single single obtain throughout a cyber assault. The ensuing injury to its popularity was huge, as had been the authorized implications. The victims of the assault noticed their private data freely posted on-line.
This can be a worst-case state of affairs, however PDFs go away your corporation extra susceptible to assaults of this sort and on this scale.
4. Revisions can result in lengthy threads
Each time you make a revision, you possibly can’t replace the ultimate PDF. This implies you must generate a totally new PDF and ship it to the receiver over again. This will result in seemingly countless electronic mail threads and leaves loads of area for human error.
For instance, suppose an older model of a PDF contract is signed. In that case, it might probably result in confusion because the phrases won’t match what was agreed upon following negotiations and revisions.
However this isn’t the one instance of the disadvantages of PDFs on the subject of signing your contracts. With attainable revisions, the passing of the contract between signees, and the truth that emails could be misplaced and forgotten in cluttered inboxes, it might probably take a very long time to get a PDF contract signed.
This will decelerate your pipeline and, consequently, your ARR, resulting in a backlog to your gross sales staff as they attempt to navigate an ever-increasing variety of offers on the cusp of closed-won.
For instance, if a prospect takes some time to signal and return a contract, it may nicely get misplaced in a salesman’s inbox. This might result in an embarrassing second for them as they ask for a standing replace, solely to get “I’ve signed it and despatched it again” because the reply.
In any case, PDFs, like paper contracts, solely result in much more scope for human error.
The best way to overcome the disadvantages of PDFs in your corporation
We talked concerning the quite a few disadvantages of PDFs, however there are methods wherein companies can curb the potential challenges.
Rent a contract admin worker
It’s comprehensible why some companies choose to stay with PDFs.
Maybe your buyer base prefers extra conventional signing strategies. Maybe you principally work in or promote to international locations the place digital contracts and digital signatures are much less widespread. Regardless of the purpose, some companies are compelled to stay with conventional PDF contracts.
Nevertheless, there’s a solution to clear among the backlog issues they’ll create: rent an worker who works solely, or principally, with contract admin work. Slightly than leaving it as much as particular person salespeople or somebody from HR or authorized to type by way of a mountain of paper or information, you possibly can have a contract admin specialist whose main focus is to handle these points.
Such staff can arrange workflows and submitting methods that guarantee your contracts are correctly categorized, updated, and as safe as could be when utilizing PDF-level encryption.
Though hiring an worker to deal with contract admin work would represent an additional enterprise expense, when you merely have to make use of PDFs, then that is unavoidable.
Put money into contract administration software program
In the event you can, make the swap to a better, extra advantageous means of managing your contracts. It’d sound simpler stated than achieved, however the affect and financial savings for your corporation could be big, each in financial phrases and when it comes to the enhance to your ARR it might probably present.
On this part, we’ll check out just some of the the reason why.
All your paperwork in a single place
Gone are the times of getting to go looking folders or drives for one particular contract or model of a contract. As an alternative, they’ll all be in a single place, as long as the contract administration software program in query comes with an archive function inbuilt.
Earlier than a contract is archived, you possibly can categorize it. Also called including tags, a function equivalent to this implies you could make a contract retrievable based mostly on the place it’s within the cycle, which ICP the signee falls into, when the contract was signed, who the salesperson accountable was, and a lot extra.
When archived, contracts could be simply retrieved in just some clicks. Higher nonetheless, some archive options will let you put restrictions on entry in place. Because of this solely particularly chosen customers and admins can entry both particular person contracts or the archive as an entire.
As soon as that is in place, you could have added an additional layer of safety to your contracts, overcoming one of many fundamental disadvantages of PDFs.
Automated contract administration system
Typically, a number of stakeholders might want to signal a contract, and typically, one might want to signal earlier than the following one can. With PDF contracts, it’s not attainable to manage this course of, which may imply delays on the subject of signing and even needing to ship your contract out a number of occasions.
Thankfully, contract administration software program can assist right here, too. Some options include a function that means that you can set a signing order to your contract. In different phrases, you possibly can set the contract in order that till the primary signatory has signed, the second can’t.
The most effective half is that some options have options permitting you to arrange automated electronic mail sequences. These sequences imply that these within the signing order are notified when it’s their flip to signal.
Because of this you want by no means chase signatories once more. It additionally implies that your gross sales staff spends much less time chasing signatures and extra time doing what they do finest — promote.
Superior contract safety methods
As we have now already mentioned right here, PDFs can pose a menace to the safety of your corporation — no matter whether or not there’s a knowledge breach or the contract or doc is inadvertently despatched to the mistaken recipient.
Some contract administration options include particular security measures that solely enable your contacts to be accessed by their meant recipients. Talking from a Swedish perspective, some instruments solely will let you entry the contract upon getting signed in utilizing an app known as BankID. BankID is a extremely safe identification app that makes use of codes and facial recognition to confirm that you’re who you say you’re.
With security measures equivalent to these, you possibly can ensure that all your metadata, your buyer’s private data, and any personal knowledge that could be included in your contracts is as protected as could be.
Some European suppliers home their knowledge throughout the EU, which implies that it’s secured to among the highest requirements on the planet.
Contract administration integrations
Integrations in contract administration software program can assist you overcome one other key drawback of PDFs: your gross sales staff doing double the work.
At any time when a PDF contract is signed, your CRM must be manually up to date with the entire key particulars of the contract. A duplicate of the contract might also should be manually uploaded.
Some contract administration options include a two-way sync function. A two-way sync removes the very notion of double work, as, in some instances, you possibly can create, ship, and get your contracts signed and your CRM up to date, all with out having to depart stated CRM.
As soon as the correct integrations are in place, it is going to be simpler than ever to your gross sales staff to considerably scale back their admin work, enhance their pipeline, and enhance your corporation’s ARR.
Modifying and amending a contract made simple
One recurring drawback that we hear repeatedly from our new prospects right here at Oneflow is that they discover the static nature of PDFs to be a burden, not solely when it comes to creating electronic mail threads but additionally when it comes to discovering important data or figuring out the place to make edits.
That is one other drawback that contract administration software program can assist to unravel. An growing variety of software program firms depend on HTML code to assemble and help contracts in the course of the creation course of.
As such, which means HTML contracts are dynamic, simply editable, and could be created utilizing pre-made blocks and templates. With the correct contract administration software program, modifying and amending a contract could be as simple as modifying or updating an online web page in your CRM.
Even simply these few benefits make for a incredible ROI on contract administration software program for your corporation, all whereas overcoming among the key drawbacks of PDFs.
Prepare for a less complicated, smoother signing expertise
On this article, we explored a number of key disadvantages of PDFs and the way they’ll pose a problem to your corporation.
Nevertheless, it’s now clear that contract administration software program not solely makes for an excellent ROI but additionally helps you overcome the ensemble of challenges PDFs can create. Many platforms supply a free trial as normal. So, why not attempt it in the present day?
Uncover the intricacies of varied contract sorts and learn to choose the proper one to your wants.
Edited by Jigmee Bhutia
