Sending a document for e-signature takes a minute. Getting it back signed, quickly and without confusion, depends on a few choices you make before pressing send. This guide covers them in order.
1. Prepare the document
Make it a PDF. PDFs look identical on every device, so the person signing sees exactly what you see. Export from Word, Google Docs or Pages before you start. In Salsox, documents can be up to 4 MB, which fits most contracts; compress large scans first.
Read it once more. After sending, the content is fixed: you can correct who receives it, but not what it says. A typo found after one person has signed means starting again.
Give it a clear title. Recipients see the title in the email subject and on their screen. "Service agreement – Mensah Consulting – October" gets opened; "scan_0042" does not.
2. Decide who does what
List everyone involved and give each person a role:
- Signers fill their fields and sign. Most documents have one or two.
- Approvers confirm the document, often internally, before or alongside signers.
- Viewers need to read it but not sign.
- CC recipients receive the signed copy at the end.
Using the right role keeps the audit trail accurate and spares people emails they do not need.
3. Choose parallel or sequential signing
In parallel signing everyone is invited at once and signs in any order. It is fastest.
In sequential signing each person is invited only after the previous one finishes. Use it when order matters: a manager approves before the client sees it, or the client signs before you countersign. Salsox offers sequential signing on the Business plan.
4. Place the fields
For a document that just needs "sign here and date it", let Quick Send do it: it adds a signature and date field for each signer at the end of the document. For anything more specific, such as initials on every page, a name in a box or a checkbox beside a clause, place each field in the editor, choosing the signer first so their fields are assigned to them.
5. Set the expiry
Links should expire. An unsigned offer from three months ago should not be signable today. Thirty days suits most contracts; use seven or fourteen for offers and quotes. If a link expires before someone signs, renew the document rather than rebuilding it.
6. Write a short message
The email is from you, so write one or two lines of context: what the document is, what you need, and by when. "Here's the lease we discussed. Could you sign by Friday so we can hand over keys on Monday?" outperforms a bare link.
7. Send, and share where people read
Email goes automatically. If your signer is more likely to see a WhatsApp or SMS message, copy their link from the document's page and send it there too. Each link signs only as its recipient, so never forward one person's link to someone else.
8. Follow up without nagging
The document's page shows each recipient's status: sent, viewed or signed. Salsox reminds unsigned recipients automatically every three days, so you rarely need to chase. If someone has viewed the document but not signed, a personal message usually works better than another automatic reminder.
9. Fix problems in place
- Wrong email address: edit the recipient. The old link stops working immediately and the right person gets a new one.
- Link expired: renew the document. Signatures already given stay.
- Signer declined: read their reason, fix the issue, and send a corrected document.
10. Keep the signed copy
When the last person signs, everyone receives the signed PDF. Keep it with its audit trail. In Salsox it stays in your account, carries a verification code anyone can check, and is included in your export.
If you are preparing your first one, the request a signature tool lets you set it up before creating an account, and the send documents for signature page summarises the options.
Frequently asked questions
What file format should I send for signature?
PDF. It looks the same on every device, so everyone signs exactly the same pages. Export Word or Google Docs files to PDF before sending.
How long should a signing link stay valid?
Long enough for a busy person and short enough that an old version cannot be signed months later. Thirty days suits most contracts; offers and time-limited quotes deserve less.
What if the signer says they never got the email?
Check the address on the document page and correct it if needed, ask them to look in spam, or copy the signing link and send it by WhatsApp or SMS.