Radboud University in Nijmegen, with a rich history of innovation since 1923, remains committed to quality education, solid research, and sustainability. During the pandemic, when remote decision-making was crucial, the university introduced digital signing via ValidSign. What started as a necessity has now become an indispensable part of the organisation and has spread organically.
It starts at the source
With approximately 22,000 students and 5,000 staff members, there is a substantial organisation behind the scenes at the university. We spoke with Anton van Dorp, head of the Department of Documentary Information Provision and Archives (DIV/Archief), and functional managers Richard van Gerrevink and Martin Versteeg. They oversee all archive processes and witness the impact of ValidSign on the administrative processes involving documents requiring signatures.
Anton explains: “Since our department is at the source of the documents, we can also ensure that the document-related processes run smoothly and are well-documented in the interim. We deliberately chose not to assign applications like ValidSign to ICT, but rather to DIV/Archief. Essentially, our department provides advice, control, and support for the entire organisation. Nowadays, archiving is largely digital, and what we don't receive digitally, we digitise ourselves.”
Integrating from the process
The application landscape within the department is still manageable. However, with the volume of documents and personal data processed, the department faces high quality standards. Martin adds: “Our role is to ensure that the systems correctly register and archive the documentary information provision. Increasingly, this involves our advisory role. How do we optimally set up processes? We want to make work processes smarter.”
“We always start with the human aspect,” says Martin. “For example, when deploying ValidSign, we assess where qualified signatures are truly necessary and where a subscription list suffices. The organisation increasingly embraces digital signatures because the processing is smooth and time-saving.”
Richard adds: “With integrations, we begin with the ‘low-hanging fruit’ because it can get complex. Does a new integration truly offer benefits, or does it create more hassle? This largely depends on the quality of the integration and a sound process analysis. It’s important to closely examine how the process runs, where the information goes, and who has access to it. Integrations often remain bespoke.”
The paper process, only faster
Digital signing with ValidSign is essentially the same as the paper process, but more efficient. The awareness that secure documents remain unchanged, just like on paper, is increasingly taking hold. Martin emphasises: “People sometimes expect that errors can easily be corrected, but digitally, we want to prevent content from being altered. Just as with paper: if there is an error, it needs to be redone.”
ValidSign is extensively used within HR processes at Radboud University. Martin: “That’s where the real added value lies. More and more areas are being discovered where ValidSign can be used instead of a wet signature. This comes from within the organisation, which speeds up the adoption process. So more is being added all the time.”
Quality assurance remains human
Digitalisation takes time. Innovation and rapid developments simply need to be assimilated within the organisation. Anton: “We are a large organisation with a large tool stack, within which habits must be broken and everyone reached. This remains complex.”
Users are satisfied with ValidSign. The tool accelerates processes within Radboud University. However, quality assurance remains a human factor. New employees who will work with ValidSign always receive a brief instruction on our method, and pre-programmed fields limit potential human errors in the processes. Richard explains: “We receive direct feedback from the organisation if something doesn’t work or if the process isn’t being properly followed by staff. That’s good, because usage is only increasing, and together, we maintain quality.”
Want to know more about implementing digital signing with ValidSign in your organisation?
