Doubtless you're all familiar with the basic concept of electronic signatures. After all, this popular technology is an exceptionally great fit for our document-intensive industry. Still, there's no time like the present to develop this basic familiarity into a more complete understanding of technology that can truly make a difference in your business.

Although each electronic signature solution serves the same primary purpose (allowing greater speed and flexibility in the signing of documents), they are all slightly different. To help you learn more about e-signature solutions, we recommend reading the following articles. They're a good place to get started:

• E-Signature Security: A Primer for Agents
• Ask the Expert: How Do I Choose an eSignature?
• Electronic Signatures FAQ

Choosing the Right Tool

If you're in the market for an electronic signature solution, there are questions you can ask to evaluate which option is right for you, like:

• Does this technology support the forms that are required in my MLS? What other formats are supported (i.e. .pdf and Word documents)?
• Does this technology integrate with my document and/or transaction management solution?
• Does this technology support biometric as well as digital signatures? (Learn more about the difference in this article: "Not All Electronic Signatures Are Created Equal."
• Can clients sign using a tablet or Smartphone? What other functionality does the mobile app have to offer?

Find more questions to ask in our 2014 Technology Guide. It's a free resource for real estate pros who want to learn more about the technology products available to them.