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FormFiler®
Frequently Asked Questions
What is FormFiler
FormFiler is a software product for businesses that allows the general public
to easily conduct business online when a handwritten signature is required before a transaction is considered to be complete. It facilitates e-commerce by eliminating data entry
costs and mailing costs, reducing turnaround time, and improving customer service. The unique FormFiler process is protected by both U.S. and foreign
patents and is, therefore, a safe technology platform in which to invest.
What are the advantages of FormFiler
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FormFiler is a no-cost solution for end users and a low-cost solution for businesses.
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FormFiler provides a pen-and-ink signature, the legality of which has been affirmed through centuries of precedent-setting cases.
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FormFiler requires no special software for end users - only a free, standard Internet browser (IE or Netscape) and a free, standard PDF file reader (Adobe's Acrobat Reader).
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FormFiler does not require end users to provide information to anyone other than the business with whom they wish to conduct a transaction.
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FormFiler can be used from any Internet-connected PC by anyone, anytime, from anywhere.
How do businesses benefit by using FormFiler
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Initial data entry
costs are eliminated
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Mailing costs (often
bi-directional) are eliminated
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Paper processing
costs are significantly reduced
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Business processes
are streamlined
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E-commerce
abandonment rates are lowered
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Business
responsiveness and customer service are improved
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Pen-and-ink
signatures are backed by legal precedent
How does the general public benefit by
taking part in FormFiler-enabled transactions
What about digital signatures
Digital signature legislation was passed in the U.S. which says that the use of digital signatures
is considered legal authentication. However, just because digital signatures are
"legal" does not guarantee that they will be accepted and used by the general public. Despite their technical elegance and endorsement by technology enthusiasts,
digital signatures continue to defy adoption by the general public, being used by only a select few well-to-do technically elite individuals.
The major offerings in this area are:
1) Expensive biometric technologies such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, hand scanners, and retinal scanners,
which are too costly and too impractical for use by the general public. Similarly, even lower-end systems that involve the use of capture devices such as signature pads are still too expensive (about $100 per unit) and cumbersome in that they require the end user to install and maintain hardware and software components on a single, designated PC.
2) The most widely advertised and publicized choices are the digital certificates being offered by a variety of vendors. To sign a document using these
Public Key Infrastructure-based (PKI) certificates, an individual must first register with a third-party certificate authority by providing personal information such as email address, date of birth, zip code, etc. Although costs vary, the
least expensive option is about $15 annually for a digital ID. Once the registration process is complete, the end user is provided with a unique certificate file, which must then be installed onto the user's PC. The installation process requires some level of technical savvy to complete and verify proper operation. Because the various competing systems cost the end user money, can only be used from the PC on which they are installed, and are not compatible with one another, we predict that they will not gain broad acceptance until they overcome these deficiencies.
What are the requirements for acceptance
by the general public
The main issues are:
1) Any product that does not financially benefit the end user must be free.
End users are not going to spend money for hardware and/or software whose usage
benefits a company or organization with whom they wish to conduct business. History has shown this to be true. Consider that the earliest browsers offered by Netscape cost over $10 per copy. When Microsoft introduced Internet Explorer for free, Netscape first lowered its price before finally offering their browser for free too. By then it was too late and Microsoft's IE had won the hearts and minds of the general public.
2) Large businesses are risk averse.
In the early days of document imaging, before the legality of digital images had been established through precedent-setting cases, only a tiny number of
"early adopters" used the technology. After the legality of digital images had been tested in the courts, imaging and workflow software became mainstream. Today there are no legal precedents affirming the use of digital certificates. Their use must be tested and upheld in local, state, federal, and foreign courts before there can be a reasonable expectation of widespread adoption by large business.
3) Large businesses prefer standards.
Although there are a number of vendors of digital certificates, there do not appear to be industry-wide standards or an ability to use one vendor's certificate with another vendor's system. The E-Sign legislation
discusses a vendor-neutral implementation and does not mandate standards or inter-compatibility.
4) End users have privacy concerns.
In order to obtain a digital certificate, an end user needs to provide personal information to a trusted third party. However, many recent studies confirm that end users are reluctant to
disclose their private information.
5) Digital certificates lack universality.
As the technology exists today, it's one certificate per PC. An end user must install, maintain, and use the certificate from a single designated PC. Many individuals who might consider using a digital certificate do not own a PC. Their access to the Internet
may be from school or work, or from a library or other publicly available PC such as at a hotel. This presents a significant obstacle to acceptance by the general public.
Will FormFiler be adopted faster than other online signature technologies
Every weakness identified by other signature capture technologies is a corresponding strength available in
our patented FormFiler solution. FormFiler additionally offers all of the financial benefits of digital certificates or other electronic signature technologies, such as the elimination of data entry and paper handling costs, while posing none of the risks or disadvantages of these solutions.
What could be better? Pen-and-ink signatures coupled with the FormFiler process provide a no-cost to end users, universal common denominator solution for online e-commerce that will always work regardless of the PC configuration, technical savvy of the end user, or requirements of the business.
In our opinion, FormFiler is the only product that possesses all of the attributes required for broad-based acceptance by the general public.
From whom can I purchase FormFiler
FormFiler may be purchased either directly from Comfidex or through an authorized Comfidex reseller.
Click here for a complete list of resellers and contact information.
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