Updating The Status Of Your Documents

According to a blog written by airSlate, 81% of business owners prefer using eSignature software and 44% of businesses believe signing documents electronically is easier than signing in person. While the use of signing documents electronically is on the rise, the statistics just mentioned show there are businesses that may prefer to sign documents in person. 

Here at PandaDoc, we recognize that everyone has different preferences, and we are working around the clock to make sure PandaDoc serves your team in the best way possible. Today, we will review one of PandaDoc’s features, manually changing the status of a document, and how this feature can benefit your team as it can accommodate recipients of your documents who prefer to sign electronically as well as via wet signature. 

When Prospects Print & Sign

There are various reasons why prospects may need to print out a proposal provided electronically and physically sign it. For example, you send a proposal to a prospect and the next day receive a reply with an attachment from the prospect and a note that the proposal had to be signed physically due to internal requirements at the prospect's company. 

There are also situations where recipients may need to meet and sign documents in person. This could be the case with clients involved in contracting, roofing, industrial equipment, and trucking where the target audience is mainly out on the field and may not have the option to electronically sign a document. 

You may work with individuals who have various cultural expectations for signing documents. With sales at many companies going global, you may find yourself selling products or services in a culture or to a company that prefers face-to-face communication and you have to be prepared. 

With PandaDoc, you have the ability to upload the attachment of the signed document and manually change the status of a document to ‘Completed’. It’s important to note that when you change the status of a document to ‘Completed’, there will be no Signature Certificate available.

Managing Other Payment Methods

With PandaDoc, you can take payments via an integrated Payment App. When you send a document and it is signed and completed by the recipient, the status will change to ‘Waiting for payment’ and the recipient will be prompted to make the payment. In a case where the recipient pays in cash, sends a check, or pays via any other method, you can change the status of the document to ‘Paid’. 

A great example of when you might receive payment outside of the app and need to change the status is with clients who are out on the field, as I mentioned above. In this case, you can upload an attachment of the receipt of payment into the document so that you have it for future reference and quick access. When you change the status of documents from ‘Waiting for Payment’ to ‘Paid’, the Signature Certificate will be available. 

Recap & What’s Next

You no longer need to re-send documents to a recipient if the document wasn’t signed electronically, or if the payment was made another way. The ability to manually change the status of documents will enable your team to manage documents more efficiently as you move documents through the cycle for faster completion.

Next week, we are going to review PandaDoc’s Forms feature and the value Forms can bring to your team. Take some time this next week to review our Help Center articles on creating and publishing Forms. Once you have reviewed everything about Forms, you will be ready for our discussion next week!