How to set up a PandaDoc document to collect eSignatures

With PandaDoc most use cases we see involve getting a document signed. 

Since an eSignature is different from a standard handwritten signature, businesses moving to electronic documents that utilize eSignature for the first time are often concerned with how their documents should be set up so that their customers can sign.

In this article, I will quickly cover everything you need to know about this key part of the document creation process. I will give you the fundamentals as well as some tips and tricks to customize your workflow.

Before I jump into listing the basic steps that need to be taken to set up a document for eSignature, it is worth to mention that these could be applied to both templates and documents. We do however recommend setting this up on the template level. Templates are designed so that you can create many documents quickly without having to do much (if any) heavy editing.

Without further ado let’s see what you can do with a document/template you’ve already created to have it deliver those eSignatures to you:

1. The first thing you are definitely going to need to have on your document/template is a signature field for each person who needs to sign. You can find that field under the Content tab’s fields section on the right-side panel. Simply drag and drop the field on to your document and position it in your desired place.

2. The next thing you are going to want to do is to assign your fields to the specific recipients (roles for templates). All PandaDoc fields must be assigned to someone and a signature field is no exception. Click on a field to open the signature dialogue box, select the “Assign” option and then on the right panel either pick one of the recipients or template roles you already added to your document or type in the email address or the name of the recipient for the quick search from the Contacts list (this will also automatically add them to the document’s recipients list). If you don't have the recipient's record in PandaDoc contacts, click "Add new contact" and enter their contact data.

Once you assign the fields to Recipients/Roles, you’ll notice on the Recipients list, that the Recipients you have assigned, have a red Signer tag next to their name that tells you that the Recipients or Roles are actually assigned to any fields.

And that’s that!

These are the fundamental steps that will get you a document ready to be signed by your recipients. If you’ve already added the rest of the content that you need on your document, you can go ahead and send it but in case you feel like you need some more adjustments, take a look at the tips and tricks I’ve compiled for you.

Tips and Tricks: 

• If you want your recipients to sign your document in a specific order, make sure to go to the Recipients (Roles) list to turn the signing order on. With signing order enabled on your document/template, the document will only be sent to the next signer on the list once the previous signer completes it. You can click and drag the Recipients (or Roles) in the order you want them to receive the document.
  
• If you wish to sign your document in advance before it has been sent out so that your recipients get the document that already has your signature on it, double-click on the signature box and follow the prompts.
  Please note: this can only be done on a document level. You can sign your fields after a document has been sent out as well.
• Not sure who exactly should sign the document? Enable document and signature forwarding and your recipient will be able to forward the right to fill out the signature  field (including other types of fields) assigned to them to another email address. Open an existing template or document in Draft, Sent or Viewed status, or create a new one. Then click Roles (for templates) or Recipients (for documents). Under Roles/Recipients, click "Document Forwarding."
  

By and large, you only need 2 basic steps to set up an existing document to enable its recipients to sign it: you just need to add the signature field and assign it. But at the same time, you have a variety of solutions offered by PandaDoc to make it work for your particular needs.

Be sure to check out this article to learn how a document is signed on a recipient’s side.

Your Turn

Are you new to eSignature software and did the workflow described above turn out something you’d expected it to be? Share your thoughts in the comments.