E-signature

Get agreements signed without printing, scanning or chasing. You send a PDF from a record, each person gets a secure link by email, and they sign on any phone or computer with no account. When the last person has signed, a sealed signed copy is saved on the record and emailed to everyone.

Everything starts in the record’s Files tab. To make the PDF from a template first, see Documents.

Use cases

Situation	What e-signature helps you do
A customer must sign an agreement	Send it from the deal. They sign in about a minute, and the signed copy lands back on the deal.
Your team countersigns after the customer	Add your own person as a second signer and choose In order, so your turn comes only after the customer has signed.
Several people sign the same paper	Send to all at once, or one after another, or in groups.
Someone has not signed yet	The app reminds them by email every few days, and you can send the email again yourself.
The email address was wrong	Fix the name or address. The old link stops working and a new one is sent.
You need proof later	The last page of the signed copy lists who signed, when and from where. A digital seal shows if the file is changed afterwards.
Teammates want to know where it stands	Anyone who can see the record can open Signing status. Only the sender or an admin can cancel it.
Your team wants to see progress on the record	Pick a field on the record to show the signing’s progress, so everyone sees it and automations can react.

Before you begin

A PDF on the record. Upload one, or make one from a template. It must be a finished PDF. A document you are still writing is a draft and must be turned into a PDF first.
Edit rights on the record. Anyone who can see the record can see its files and the signing status. Only people who can edit the record can place signing fields and send. Viewers see no Send to sign button.
Each signer’s name and email. If the person is on the record, or on a record linked to it (for example a deal’s contact), you can pick them from a list instead of typing.
Optional guided setup. An admin can run Set up signing once to get a ready-made agreement with places to sign already on it. You do not need it to send your own PDFs.

Send a PDF for signing

1. Get the PDF onto the record

Open the record and select the Files tab.
Select Upload and choose your PDF. You can also drop files on the tab, or use New, then Upload files. Up to 50 files at a time.

Or make one from a template:

Select New.
Choose From a template, ready right away and pick the template. The PDF is made at once and filled in from this record. It appears in the list after a moment.
Or choose From a template, to edit first (or Blank document) to change the text for this record. When you are happy, select Make the PDF. If the template already has places to sign, the app goes straight on to sending.

2. Show where to sign

If the PDF has no signing places yet, selecting Send to sign opens the field editor first. You can also open it any time from the file’s More menu with Place signing fields.

Under Who fills it in, pick a person. The first one is called Signer 1. To add more, type a name such as “Customer” under New person and select Add person. Each person has their own colour and signs with their own link.
Under What to place, pick the kind of box: Signature, Initials, Date signed, Full name, Email, Text, Number, Checkbox or Choice.
Click the page where it should go. Drag the box to move it. Pull any edge or corner to fit it to the line.
With a box selected, Selected field lets you change Who, What, a Label, the Text size (pt) and the Must be filled in switch. A Choice box needs its options in Choices, separated by commas, for example Small, Medium, Large.
To remove a box, select Remove field or press Delete.
Select Save fields. You see “Signing fields saved” and the app goes straight on to sending.

What each box does for the signer:

Box	What the signer does
Signature, Initials	Click it and adopt a signature or initials.
Date signed, Full name, Email	Nothing. They are filled in for them when they sign.
Text, Number	Type into it. A number box only accepts numbers.
Checkbox	Tick it. If it is required, it must be ticked.
Choice	Pick one of your options.

Rules to remember:

Every person you will send to needs at least one Signature box.
Every person with a box must be sent to as a signer, one person per role.
New boxes are required, except checkboxes. Turn Must be filled in off for optional ones.
A PDF can have up to 500 boxes, and a box cannot hang off the page.

You (when sending). One entry in the list is You (when sending). Boxes given to it are filled in by you while sending, and are fixed into the document before anyone signs. Use it for things like a start date. These cannot be signatures or initials, because you do not sign through this entry. To sign yourself, add yourself as a normal signer.

3. Choose who signs

After saving fields, or by choosing the file’s Send to sign button, the Send for signing window opens. You can also start from the top Send for signing button, which lists your ready PDFs and also lists drafts that still need Make the PDF.

Step 1 of 2 is Who signs.

For each person, either choose someone in Pick who signs as (the list shows people on the record and on records linked to it that have an email), or type their Name and Email.
If there are two or more signers, choose the Signing order:
- All at once: everyone gets the email now and can sign in any order.
- In order: the next person gets it only after the one before has signed. Use the arrows to move people up or down.
- Custom: give each person a step number from 1 to 20. People with the same number sign together. Higher numbers wait for lower ones.
To send a read-only copy of the signed document to someone who does not sign, select Send someone a copy and fill in their name and email. They get the signed copy at the end, with nothing to sign. Remove them with the bin icon.
Select Next. If a name is missing or an email looks wrong, you are told which person to fix. You can send to up to 30 people in total.

Your own team signs too. Add the second signer as another role in the field editor (for example your company name), give them a Signature box, and choose In order so the customer signs first. The guided setup’s You sign too switch does the same for its ready-made agreement.

4. Check and send

Step 2 of 2 is Check and send.

Under Your part, fill in any boxes you kept for yourself. This only shows if there are any.
Title in the email starts as the file name without “.pdf”. Change it if you like (up to 200 characters).
Type a short Message for everyone (optional, up to 2,000 characters). It shows in the email and on the signing page.
Open More options if needed:
- Link works for (days): 1 to 120. Starts at 30.
- Remind every (days): 0 to 30. Starts at 3. Enter 0 for no reminders.
- Show progress on the record: pick a text or choice field on the record to show the signing’s progress. It is set to sent, completed, declined, voided or expired as it happens. For a choice field, add choices with those names. This is handy for automations, such as telling your team when a contract is signed.
Select Send.

You see “Sent for signing” and the Signing status window opens. The file now shows Out for signing, with a count such as “0 of 2 signed”. While it is out, you cannot change its boxes or delete it.

What the signer sees and does

The signer gets an email with a button to open the document. The email is in the workspace’s language and shows who sent it, your message and the last day to sign. Replies go to your email address.

Open the link. The page shows the document title, who sent it and the signer’s name. Nothing else is shown yet.
Confirm it is them. They select Email me a code. A 6-digit code is sent to the same address. The page hints at the address, for example “j***@example.com”. They type the code and select Continue. This stops a forwarded link from being enough on its own.
Agree to sign electronically. They read three short points, tick I agree to sign this document electronically. and select Continue. Your message, if any, is shown here.
Fill in the document. The page shows the PDF with only their own boxes highlighted: amber for required, green when done. A bar at the top says how many required boxes are done, and Next field jumps to the next one.
Adopt a signature. Clicking a Signature box opens Your signature. They choose Type (their name becomes the signature), Draw (with a mouse or finger) or Upload (a PNG or JPG on a plain background), then select Adopt and use. The same signature is used in every signature box. Initials work the same way.
Check the result. Finish shows the page exactly as it will look. Change something goes back. Sign completes it.
Done. They see “Thank you, you’ve signed” and can Download what you signed. When everyone has signed they also get the sealed copy by email.

If it is not their turn, they see “It isn’t your turn yet. We’ll email you when it is.” A copy recipient sees “You’ve been sent a copy to read. There’s nothing for you to sign.”

If the signer declines

On the agreement or fill-in page, Decline asks “Why are you declining?”. A reason is required. The sender and anyone who already signed are emailed with the reason, and nobody can sign after that. The file shows Declined.

Follow progress, remind and fix

See where it stands

On the record’s Files tab, the badge on the file shows the state: Out for signing (with “x of y signed”), Signed, Declined, Cancelled or Expired.
Select See progress, or open the file’s More menu and choose Signing status.

The window shows the signing’s status (Waiting for signatures, Signed by everyone, Declined, Cancelled or Expired) and the days it works. People are grouped by Step. Each person shows Not sent yet, Sent, Opened, Signed or Declined, with the time and, for a decline, the reason. A step says “Signing now” while it is waiting, and “Waits for the step before” while it is queued.

History lists every step: sent, email sent, code emailed, email confirmed, opened, agreed to sign electronically, signed, declined, reminder sent, details changed, cancelled, expired and completed. Anyone who can edit the record also sees the address each person signed from. People who can only read the record see the outcome but not where or on what device. The same trail is printed on the last page of the signed copy.

See everything waiting

Open Documents in the menu and select the Signing tab. Switch between Waiting, Signed, Declined and Expired, and search by document or person. Each row shows who it is waiting on and when it expires. Open takes you to the record, and on declined or expired rows it says Open to send again.

The list only shows records you can see, newest first, up to 200. If the tab instead shows “Send agreements to sign online”, an admin first needs to select Set up signing.

Remind someone

The app sends a reminder by itself to people whose turn it is and who have not answered, every “Remind every (days)” days. Reminders and expiry are checked about once an hour.
To nudge now, open Signing status and select the envelope icon Send the email again next to the person. It only works for people whose turn has come.
On the Signing tab, Remind on a waiting row emails everyone whose turn it is.

Fix a name or email

In Signing status, select the pencil Change name or email next to the person.
Edit and select Save.

If you changed the email, their old link stops working and a new one is sent to the new address. If you only changed the name, the link stays the same. You cannot change someone who has already signed.

Cancel a signing

In Signing status, select Cancel signing.
Optionally write why. Everyone who was asked to sign sees this reason.
Select Cancel signing again.

Nobody can sign after this, and links stop working. The file shows Cancelled and you can send it again. For a document you wrote in the app, Edit again reopens it for changes.

Who can cancel, remind or fix

Only the person who sent the signing, as long as they can still edit the record, or a workspace admin. Other teammates see “Only the person who sent this, or a workspace admin, can cancel it, send it again or fix an address.” A signing started by an automation has no sender, so only admins manage it.

When everyone has signed

A new file named like the original with “(signed)” is added next to it, in the same folder. The original shows Signed.
The signed copy has the signatures and filled-in boxes in place, a final page that lists each person, when they signed and where from, and a digital seal.
Everyone, including the sender, is emailed the signed copy. It is attached when it is under 7 MB, and sent as a download link when larger.
In the Signing status window, Download signed copy is available. On the record’s timeline you see “was signed by everyone”.
If you chose a progress field, it now says completed.

The copy appears a few seconds after the last signature, because it is built in the background.

If it does not finish

What happened	What it means for you
A signer declined	The file shows Declined. Open the file, change what they objected to, and Send to sign again.
The link expired	After the link days run out the signing ends, and the sender and everyone reached are emailed. Send it again with a new date.
You cancelled	The file shows Cancelled. Edit and send again.

When a signing ends without completing, the file unlocks. You can move boxes, change the people and send it as a fresh signing.

Limits and defaults

Setting	Value
People per signing	Up to 30 (signers and copy recipients)
Step numbers	1 to 20
Link works for	1 to 120 days, 30 by default
Reminders	Every 0 to 30 days, 3 by default, 0 turns them off
Email title	Up to 200 characters
Message	Up to 2,000 characters
Reason when cancelling	Up to 500 characters
Reason when declining	Up to 1,000 characters, required
Boxes on one PDF	Up to 500
Role name	Up to 60 characters
Typed text in a box	Up to 500 characters
Code	6 digits, works for 10 minutes, one time
Wrong codes	5 wrong tries lock the signer out for 15 minutes
New codes	5 per 15 minutes
Staying verified	About 2 hours on that device

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to do
Send to sign is missing	You can only edit the record’s files if you can edit the record. Ask an admin for edit rights. A draft document needs Make the PDF first.
The window says “Show people where to sign first”	The PDF has no boxes for anyone. Select Place signing fields and add a Signature for each person.
“Choose who signs as …” or “Place a signature field for …”	Each role in the document needs a person, and each signer needs a Signature box.
“Add a name for …” or “Check the email for …”	Fill in or fix the person named.
“This is already out for signing”	It is already sent. Use Signing status, or cancel it to start again.
Cannot delete or move boxes on a file	It is out for signing. Cancel the signing first (“Cancel the signing before removing this”).
“Pick a text or choice field of this record for the signing status”	Show progress on the record needs a text or choice field. A choice field also needs a choice named like the status.
Signer did not get the email	Ask them to check spam. In Signing status select Send the email again, or Change name or email if the address was wrong.
Signer did not get the code	Select Send a new code. After five codes in 15 minutes they must wait. Five wrong codes lock them for 15 minutes.
“This link doesn’t work. It may have been replaced or cancelled.”	The signing was cancelled, or the email was changed and a new link sent. Use the newest email.
“This link has expired. Ask the sender for a new one.”	Send it again with more days in Link works for (days).
“Please confirm it’s you again.”	Their two-hour session ended. They request a new code.
“Add your signature” or “Fill in …”	The signer missed a required box. Next field takes them to it.
Cannot resend or fix a person	Resending needs the person’s turn to have come and them not to have answered. Fixing needs them not to have signed.
“Only the person who sent this, or a workspace admin, can change it”	Ask the sender or an admin.
The signed copy is not there yet	Wait a few seconds and select Refresh on the Files tab.

Also from Autopilot and the Assistant

The same sending is available as the Send for signature step in Autopilot, for example to send a contract as soon as a deal reaches a stage. The Assistant can also send a PDF from a record and tell you where a signing stands. These use the same people, order, link days and reminder settings as above, and the result looks the same in the Files tab.