While I normally don't quibble with Mr. Webster, for the purposes of this discussion I would like to expand the concept of correspondence to include all properly authenticated transmissions of information between people. By properly authenticated , I really mean signed. A staff summary or action officer processing form may not look like a letter, but it fulfills the same role with a few extra functions thrown in. The same applies to forms that people use to request or authorize various things. In the digital environment, digital signatures will be essential for EIM systems, as they are the guarantor of integrity.
Signatures are important at all points in the process.
During workflow, they authenticate agreement or disagreement with the action being worked. As part of document and records management, they assure readers that the document is authentic. In the electronic world, digital signatures can give us a higher degree of reliability and integrity than pen and ink signatures on paper. However, they may also complicate some processes if we're not aware of how they work. Letters are a fairly simple model.