Paper vs. digital document management: what changes in your company
Many companies already work with digital documents but still manage them as if they were paper: they print them to sign, scan them to file and search for them in disorganized shared folders. The difference between the two approaches is not the file format, but how documents are created, approved, signed and found.
Point-by-point comparison
| Paper or “half digital” | Digital management | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding a document | Depends on who saved it and where | Search by name, counterparty, date or content |
| Versions | Copies by email named “final_v3” | A single current version and its change history |
| Approvals | Wet signatures, emails and manual reminders | Rule-based workflow with alerts and an approval log |
| Signature | Print, courier, scan | Electronic signature from anywhere |
| Access and security | Whoever has the cabinet key or the link | Permissions per person and an access log |
| Expiration dates | Spreadsheets and memory | Automatic reminders before each date |
| Loss or damage | A fire, a flood or an office move | Backup and recovery |
| Audits | Days gathering evidence | Evidence available with full traceability |
Is it legally valid?
In Chile, in the vast majority of cases, yes. Article 3 of Law 19,799 states that acts and contracts signed electronically are valid in the same way and have the same effects as those made in writing on paper. The exceptions are acts that require a formality that cannot be met in an electronic document, those that require the personal presence of the parties, and those related to family law. Other countries have their own rules, so check the regulation that applies to each document.
How to switch without stopping operations
- Start with what is new. Documents created from today on are born digital, with their own workflow and electronic signature.
- Digitize what is in force. Scan and classify first the documents that still have effects, such as contracts, insurance policies or certificates. The historical archive can wait.
- Set simple rules. How each document is named, who can see it and how long it is kept.
- Measure. Compare how long a signature or a search used to take with how long it takes now.
At Despapeliza we connect the digitization of what is still on paper, electronic signature and document governance in a single platform.