Comparison
SkySign vs email: who actually read the notice?
Most safety notices and procedure changes still go out by email. It is quick, free and universal. What it can’t do is show, for each person, that they read the notice and accepted what it says.
- SkySign is for
- Issuing a document to the people who must follow it, and keeping a record that each of them acknowledged it.
- email is for
- Fast, universal messaging: telling people something, discussing it and sharing files.
Side by side
SkySign and email, capability by capability.
Judged on one job: getting a document to staff and proving each person acknowledged it.
| Capability | SkySign | |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching the right people | Yes Issue to groups by station and department, or to named people. | Partly Distribution lists work while someone keeps them current; leavers and new starters are easy to miss. |
| Proof each person read it | Yes Each person ticks the statement and types their name; SkySign’s server records the time. | No Read receipts are optional. Outlook lets the recipient decline to send one, and Gmail offers them only on work and school accounts. |
| What they agreed to | Yes The exact statement accepted, such as read-and-comply wording, is stored on the record. | No A reply or a receipt says nothing about what the person agreed to. |
| Which version they saw | Yes The SHA-256 fingerprint of the file as issued is stored with each acknowledgement. | Partly The attachment is in the sent message, but forwarded or saved copies can differ. |
| Who is outstanding | Yes A live unsigned list for every document, with completion by group. | No Someone compares replies or receipts with a staff list by hand. |
| Chasing | Yes Nudge everyone outstanding in one click, or schedule one reminder when you issue. | Partly Resend to the whole list, or write to each person. |
| Checking understanding | Yes An optional knowledge check with a pass mark before staff can acknowledge. | No Not part of email; a separate form is needed. |
| Evidence for an auditor | Yes A CSV export, a filtered PDF report and a certificate for each acknowledgement. | Partly Mailbox searches and saved receipts, assembled by hand. |
| Questions and discussion | No There is no reply or comment thread on a document. | Yes Replies, questions and forwarding are what email is for. |
| Cost and set-up | Partly A subscription, plus setting up groups and importing staff. | Yes Already in place for everyone with an address. |
Which should you use?
When email is the better choice
- Information that needs no record: rota changes, team news, reminders about things already acknowledged.
- Conversations: questions, replies and discussion about a change.
- Messages to people outside your organisation, such as a customer airline or a contractor’s office.
- A one-off note to a handful of people, where a reply is evidence enough.
When SkySign is the better choice
- Safety bulletins, SOP changes and policies where you must show who acknowledged them.
- Notices that must reach every shift and station, with the people outstanding visible.
- Anything an auditor, an investigator or a customer airline may ask about later.
Use both: email tells people, SkySign records it.
SkySign sends its own email when a document is issued, with a link straight to the document. Keep using email and messaging for the conversation around a change — the reasons, the questions — and point people to SkySign for the acknowledgement.
Where SkySign falls short today
- Each person needs an email address and an account. SkySign doesn’t send text messages.
- There is no discussion or reply thread on a document.
- Single sign-on isn’t available yet; staff sign in with an email address and password or with Google.
- Revisions aren’t tracked: a changed document is issued as a new one.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Aren’t read receipts enough?
No. A receipt, when one is sent at all, says a message was opened. Recipients can decline to send one, and it records nothing about what they read or agreed to.
Does SkySign replace our email?
No. It uses email to tell people a document is waiting. The acknowledgement happens in SkySign, where it is recorded.
Can staff reply to a SkySign document with a question?
Not inside SkySign. Say in the document who to ask, or discuss it by email or at a briefing.
Sources
What we say about email comes from the public documentation below, read on 7 October 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, email support@useskysign.com and we will correct it. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
Compare it with email on your own documents.
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