Create and Manage Digital Contracts and Forms with Interactive PDFs.

Digital contracts and forms are now used across a wide range of sectors — sales, legal, health, marketing, procurement, and human resources — just to name a few.

Creating digital agreements and forms in PDF format is a secure way to share and obtain information remotely via email and online, and, of course, within your IT system.

What you’ll learn.

• What digital contracts and forms are.
• Benefits of using digital forms and contracts.
• Tips for creating and managing digital contracts and forms.

What digital contracts and forms are.

Digital contracts and forms are simply electronic versions of paper documents. They are interactive documents used to record, collate, and collect the same information as paper copies. They are electronic or digitized so they can be shared and stored online, via email, and/or internal computer networks.

• Digital forms are fillable and used to collect, collate, and organize data and information from anyone you engage with, whether they’re clients, customers, employees, or independent contractors. They can include drop-down lists, calculations, checkboxes, and more. Data captured in PDF forms can be exported back into your system in various file formats.

• Digital contracts create binding agreements between two or more parties. All information that you would include in a paper contract is included, such as dates, terms of the agreement, and places to show that both parties agree, such as an “I agree” button and digital signatures.

Benefits of using digital forms and contracts.

The benefits of using PDF digital contracts and forms instead of pen-and-paper contracts include –

• Accessibility: PDFs are distributed easily and able to be accessed by electronic devices anywhere. This reduces the need to meet up in person or send hard copies by mail. This makes them convenient for all parties to access, complete and return them quickly.
• Cost-effectiveness: You can save money in both time and resources such as paper, printing, and postage costs. Whether you create your documents directly in PDF format, use existing form or contract templates, or convert your Word documents to PDF your overall work processes can be more efficient and streamlined.
• Editability and adaptability: Digital contracts can be edited in PDF format, annotated, notes and comments made by both parties, and progress tracked, without needing to handwrite changes and then retype or edit another document – a common process during contract negotiations and subject to inadvertent errors. Settings in PDF digital forms, such as password protection, can be used to prevent others from changing any of your form content, and only allow for the data to be entered that you want to capture.
• Security: PDFs can be encrypted, and password protected to ensure there is no authorized access to any party’s private or sensitive information. To make sure the correct person completes the form or contract, consider identity authentication settings with Adobe Acrobat.

Tips for creating and managing digital contracts and forms.

It’s relatively straightforward to digitize contracts and forms. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Templates: If you’ve never created an interactive PDF form or contract before, try using one of the in-built templates, or another from a reputable source, that you can adapt to suit.
• Convert documents: Convert to PDF any contracts you’ve already written, or forms you’ve already created in other applications.
• Automate: Learn how you can automatically populate fields in contracts and forms with information you may have in existing databases, for example, names and addresses.
• Break it up: Use features such as split PDF or extract PDF pages if you want to do things such as separate sections of a contract. Similarly, you can also merge PDFs.
• Keep track: Track respondents and monitor the completion of contracts and forms using the forms tracker feature in Acrobat products.
• Be safe and secure: Make sure to send, receive, and store digital contracts and form data securely, and your overall IT systems are secure and robust.
• Use one system: All-in-one digitized contract management systems on one platform with swift and intuitive keyword searching capabilities are essential for keeping track of digital contracts and forms. Take a look at Adobe Document Cloud services to see if that would be a good option to manage, store and secure your PDF contracts and forms securely.

Streamline your organization with digital documents.

Digital contracts and forms are increasingly used by many industries to legally create and capture information and agreements between parties. They help you ensure uniformity in contract management and data collection processes and cut down on physical paperwork and manual tasks. PDF contracts and forms can be easily stored, organized, and shared. They provide security and data protection – essential to not only follow laws and regulations, but also build and maintain trust with your customers, employees, and people you partner with in business.

Frequently asked questions.

How do I make sure my digital contracts and forms are secure?

There are a few steps to take to ensure your digital contracts and forms are secure. Use reputable apps to create your content and PDFs. Acrobat products have enhanced security feature options for you to protect your contracts and forms, data, system, and unauthorised access and editing. Use digital signatures and identity authentication features. Encrypt your digital contracts and forms to keep them secure. Always keep your electronic systems current with updates and security patches on all devices.

Are digital contracts legally binding?

Digital agreements and contracts are legally binding if they meet the minimum standards under any electronic signature legislation in your country. This includes ensuring that the document appropriately includes things such as the signatory’s name, the terms of the agreement, the date, and a valid digital signature. There are exceptions around certain types of documents, such as wills and trusts, so be sure to check that you use digital contracts properly. In Australia, the relevant laws are the Electronic Transactions (ET) Act 1999, the Electronic Transaction Regulations, as well as any local State or Territory laws.

Are there any potential risks with using digital contracts and forms?

As outlined above, be sure to use secure and encrypted documents and systems at all times to prevent fraud and manipulation. Seek legal advice if you want to be sure that the information you want to agree on in a contract or collect in a form can be obtained electronically legally in your State or Territory. If you’re using forms to collect sensitive data, make sure you delete the form data form after you have extracted it for analysis or integration into another system.