Zoho Sign: Product Updates - Mid-2021

Zoho Sign: Product Updates - Mid-2021

Hello!

We are halfway through 2021, and it has been a busy journey for us at Zoho Sign.

Driven by the rise in remote work culture, the adoption of e-signatures by businesses and other organizations has become increasingly widespread. Here's an outline of all the features and enhancements we have introduced in Zoho Sign over the past six months and a sneak peek of what is coming.

What's new?
  • Document sharing
  • Template sharing
  • Windows app for signing with USB Token DSC
  • Print and sign support for regional conventions
  • Document type and folder management
  • On-demand bulk backup to cloud
  • Short-hand text tags
  • Merge enhancements in bulk send
  • Enhancements to limiting responses in SignForms
  • Enhancements to field properties in Document Viewer
  • Email bounce notifications
  • Support for spreadsheet upload
Document sharing
Administrators can now enable document sharing between users across the organization, allowing users to access and track the documents of other users that have been shared with them. This enhancement can be accessed by visiting the Users section and selecting the desired users to share documents between. It allows for better collaboration without compromising on internal data privacy.



Template sharing
Functioning largely similar to the document sharing enhancement, this allows administrators to now choose the users whom they want to share each template with. This helps with segmented access and prevents templates from being readily accessible to all the users upon creation. However, the users with whom a template is shared can only view and use it. Template creation and management is still only accessible to the administrators.



Windows app for signing with USB Token DSC
Zoho Sign now offers a USB Signer app on Windows that enables users to digitally sign documents using a USB token or drive carrying their digital signature. A USB token for digital signature is a digital signature certificate (DSC) in a password-protected device and in the physical form. This digital signature certificate is self-acquired by the signing individual from a regional certificate authority or identity provider. This type of signature is also referred to as advanced electronic signatures (AeS) in some legal contexts. Thus, this now allows users to sign documents using their personal or organizational digital signatures. The app can be downloaded on Windows from the Microsoft Store.



Print and sign support for regional conventions
Signers can now download the documents sent to them for signature, sign them physically, and then upload a scan of the signed paper documents back onto Zoho Sign to complete the digital signature process. Zoho Sign will attach its digital signature certificate onto the scanned copy that was uploaded and then proceed with the sign workflow as defined by the sender. This is handy in scenarios where regional conventions dictate that signers must sign documents physically and also maintain a copy in the form of signed paper documents. Alternatively, senders may also upload a scan of the signed paper documents they receive from signers, physically or via fax, on behalf of the signer and mark their signing activity as completed to advance the workflow onto the next recipient.



Document type and folder management
Users can now manage their document types and folders in Zoho Sign. By accessing the respective tabs in the Account settings section, users can edit or delete existing document types and folders or create new ones. Deleting a document type or a folder will not delete the documents associated with them. Users can associate documents with a document type and a folder, or modify existing associations, by editing the document signature requests from the Documents tab.



On-demand bulk backup to cloud
Users can now back up all their completed documents in bulk to one of the integrated cloud storage providers on-demand. Upon initiation, the backup task will immediately start saving a copy of all the completed documents belonging to their organization to the location specified in their cloud storage. Once the backup task is completed, an email notification containing a summary of the activity will be sent to the user from Zoho Sign. However, due to its potential to create a greater load on our servers, this feature will only be activated for organizations at the request of their administrators. Administrators can send a mail to our support team at any time requesting its activation.



Short-hand text tags
Users now have the option to use much shorter text tags in place of the older text tags in Zoho Sign. These tags function like merge tags for signer fields. When these tags are placed alongside the content in a document, they are automatically replaced by the corresponding signer fields upon upload to Zoho Sign for the signing process. An example of the newer short-hand text tag would be using {{FN:R1}} instead of {{First Name:Recipient1}}. For further information, users can send a mail to our support team requesting assistance and documentation.

Merge enhancements in bulk send
Apart from the predefined signer fields, users can now also merge recipient data onto custom text fields in documents when sending them for signatures using the bulk send feature. The data for the custom text field must be included in the bulk recipients CSV file in additional columns with the columns carrying the same headers as the respective fields' data labels. Similarly, a private note can also be added for each recipient by including the data in a column titled 'private_notes' in the CSV file.



Enhancements to limiting responses in SignForms
Users can now disable duplicate responses from the same email address in SignForms. When disabled, anybody trying access a SignForm document by entering an email address already used in a response made in the last 7 days, will, by default, be asked to contact the form owner. However, users also have an option to allow signers to resume signing the SignForm document if their previous response was incomplete.



Enhancements to field properties in Document Viewer
We have introduced new properties that can be set for signer fields in the Document Viewer screen - Resizable, Fixed width, Fixed height, and Character limit. It is now easier for users to duplicate a custom text field to create multiple occurrences of it containing the same data and properties. To do this, users can simply select the text field and then copy-paste it onto the document and reposition it wherever it needs to appear again. Alternatively, users can add more fields and set a common data label to make them share properties. This functions such that once the signer inputs the data in the first occurrence of the field, it is automatically filled into the subsequent occurrences.



Email bounce notifications
Users now get an email bounce notification when an email sent from Zoho Sign is not delivered to its recipient. This notification is received by the user in their mailbox and will carry a reason identifying the cause of failure due to which the email could not be delivered. This can be essential for organizations to identify and fix when a breakage occurs in communication related to paperwork due to email delivery issues.



Support for spreadsheet upload
Zoho Sign now supports the upload of spreadsheet documents for signing and sending for signatures. The supported file formats belonging to this type are XLS, XLSX, and ODS.

What's coming?
  • Qualified Electronic Signatures (QeS)
  • Signing with cloud-based identity providers for different regions
  • Trusted timestamping in documents
  • Offline signing
  • E-sign workflows in Google Docs
  • Software development kit (SDK) for mobile development
We are now in the final stages of introducing options to sign documents with several integrated regional and cloud-based identity providers. For the EU region, we will have Qualified Electronic Signatures (QeS) available via bit4id, a certified provider of digital signature services. For businesses in India, we will have cloud-based eSign or e-KYC (based on the guidelines laid out by the Controller of Certifying Authorities or CCA) available via eMudhra, a leading provider of digital identity services. We are also working with a few more vendors to make these capabilities available across other regions and hope to introduce them in the coming months.

Additionally, we are also working with several regional timestamping authorities (TSA) to introduce trusted digital timestamping in documents for added document security and validity. This also greatly reinforces Zoho Sign's legal applicability for use by governmental bodies and other public administration organizations.

Soon, there will also be an offline signing capability that enables agents to collect signatures in person from signers in remote areas without internet connectivity and also allows signers to download documents on their mobile apps and sign them offline at their convenience. Besides this, we are also nearing the release of a full-fledged software development kit (SDK) for mobile application and integration development using Zoho Sign's services. Users of the Google Workspace ecosystem will also soon have the capability to initiate sign workflows directly from their documents in Google Docs using Zoho Sign.

Do follow this space closely for our announcements (very soon!) introducing these capabilities.

If you need further details on any of these features or enhancements, feel free to comment below. For any other support or assistance needed, please write to support@zohosign.com.

Happy Zoho Signing!

Regards.
Sai Anand

    Access your files securely from anywhere







                          Zoho Developer Community






                                                • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                • Digest


                                                • Functions


                                                • Meetups


                                                • Kbase


                                                • Resources


                                                • Glossary


                                                • Desk Marketplace


                                                • MVP Corner


                                                • Word of the Day


                                                • Ask the Experts





                                                          Manage your brands on social media



                                                                Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                    Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                      Zoho Books Resources


                                                                        Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                          Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                            Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                              Qntrl Resources


                                                                                Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                    Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                    • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                      CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                    • Kaizen

                                                                                      Kaizen

                                                                                    • Functions

                                                                                      Functions

                                                                                    • Meetups

                                                                                      Meetups

                                                                                    • Kbase

                                                                                      Kbase

                                                                                    • Resources

                                                                                      Resources

                                                                                    • Digest

                                                                                      Digest

                                                                                    • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      CRM Marketplace

                                                                                    • MVP Corner

                                                                                      MVP Corner







                                                                                        Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                        Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                        Get Started Now


                                                                                          Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                            Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                            Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ





                                                                                                Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                    ご検討中の方




                                                                                                          • Recent Topics

                                                                                                          • Zoho Forms CRM Field Mapping

                                                                                                            Using the Zoho CRM Field in Zoho Forms, there is no direct integration between the Zoho Forms Time field, and Zoho CRM. We use this single field in most of our client-side forms to collect information. Initially reading this request, you might think that
                                                                                                          • How to Improve the Speed of the Website Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                            Is there another way to improve the speed of the website in Zoho Commerce that was created?
                                                                                                          • Free Webinar - Fundamentals of Zoho Sign: Overview and latest updates for new users and evaluators.

                                                                                                            Hello there! Want to get the most out of your favorite digital signature provider? Did you miss our last session on Zoho Sign features but eager to learn more? We have just the thing for you! Join us for the second edition of our free monthly webinar:
                                                                                                          • 【Desk ナレッジベース】 記事自体のフッターのカスタマイズについて

                                                                                                            お世話になります。 サービスのヘルプセンター構築のために、Deskとナレッジベースを使い始めていますが、 構築にあたり以下の質問があります。 ・質問 記事自体のフッターにある「評価」と「共有リンク」(添付ファイル参照)を非表示にしたいのですが、 これを非表示にするのはどうしたらよいでしょうか。 ヘルプセンター自体ののヘッダー、フッターはカスタムできるのですが、 記事そのもののフッターはカスタムできるところが見つかっていません。 もしご存知の方がいらっしゃいましたら、教えて下さい。
                                                                                                          • Timeline View in CRM - a linear way to visualize records over time

                                                                                                            Hello all, We would like to introduce the next phase in our quest to deliver a seamless user experience as part of the CRM for Everyone: the Timeline View. It allows you to visualize your records plotted across a given timeline. You can view the records
                                                                                                          • SalesIQ not loading on mobile

                                                                                                            We have installed the snipped through Google Tag Manager and it's working as it should on PC but the widget is not loading on mobile. Is there something we're doing wrong from our side? Edit: Widget seems to be loading just fine on Android and the problem
                                                                                                          • Is there a way to disable the Activity Reminders Pop-Up Window every time I log in?

                                                                                                            Just wondering if there is a setting to disable the window from opening every time I open my CRM? Thanks Chris
                                                                                                          • Unable to make calls at the moment.

                                                                                                            One of our employees has been getting this message all day when trying to make an outgoing call. We use the zoho phone bridge, and all other employee calling works as intended. 
                                                                                                          • Importing multiple Zoho backstage events at once

                                                                                                            Currently it seems it's only possible to import data from one Zoho backstage event into Zoho Analytics using. This means that if you have 10 events, you have to import them all separately into Zoho backstage. What I would like is to import all events
                                                                                                          • How can an employee edit their tax withoholdings / w4

                                                                                                            I have an employee who has already been onboarded and wants to adjust his tax withholdings / W4. I would prefer that employees have access to make this change themselves without relying on an admin. How can they do this?
                                                                                                          • 【Zoho CRM】 「自動メール送信」機能廃止のお知らせ

                                                                                                            ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、自動メール送信機能廃止についてお知らせします。 Zoho CRMの「自動メール送信」機能は2025年9月30日をもって利用できなくなります。 自動メール送信機能でフォローアップを自動化している場合は2025年6月30日までに 「ケイデンス」に移行することを強くお勧めします。 本記事で言及している「自動メール送信」機能は、こちらの機能を指しております。 ワークフロールールで設定している通知メール送信処理やカスタム関数で設定しているメール送信機能とは異なります。
                                                                                                          • Quick timeline for each field

                                                                                                            Hi, The timeline feature is great, and so is its API. However, both aren't suitable for day-to-day quick fetch of a specific field timeline/history. A very good example of a similar feature can be found with the "show edit history" in Google Sheets. Ideally,
                                                                                                          • How to sync Zoho CRM Quotes with Zoho Books/Finance Estimates or Quotes

                                                                                                            Hi everyone, We’re building quotes in the Zoho CRM Quotes module because of its strong CPQ features and better communication options (multiple contacts, email customization, etc.). However, these don’t sync directly with Zoho Books/Finance for invoicing.
                                                                                                          • [Free Webinar] Building Data Relationships Using Subforms - Creator Tech Connect

                                                                                                            Hello Everyone! We welcome you all to the upcoming free webinar on the Creator Tech Connect Series. The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar that runs for around 45 minutes. It comprises technical sessions in which we delve deep into
                                                                                                          • Is it possible for using Zoho Creator as a public application without login?

                                                                                                            Hi there, I recently had a client who was looking at building a learning resource on Zoho Creator. However he had a requirement that course content that he builds may be publicly accessible. My question is that, is it possible to have public pages with
                                                                                                          • OpenAI Alert! Plug Sample #11 - Next-generation chatbots, Zobot + ChatGPT Assistant

                                                                                                            Hi Everyone! We have great news for all AI enthusiasts and ChatGPT users! The much anticipated Zobot integration with ChatGPT Assistant is now available with Plugs. Note: SalesIQ offers native integration with OpenAI, supporting several ChatGPT models,
                                                                                                          • COQL Query using multiple Lookup conditions causes SYNTAX_ERROR

                                                                                                            Hi everyone, I'm trying to build a COQL query that includes conditions on multiple lookup fields. Each condition works perfectly on its own — and also the condition on the Payment_Date field works fine. But when I try to combine two lookup conditions
                                                                                                          • Zoho Books | Product updates | May 2025

                                                                                                            Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements to elevate your accounting experience. From configuring approval at the module level to allocating landed costs to multiple bills, these updates are designed to help you stay on top of your finances
                                                                                                          • Beyond Email: #1 Stay in Sync with Calendar

                                                                                                            Weekly Tips: Beyond Email As we approach the International day of Productivity, we are excited to bring you something extra special! Alongside our usual weekly tips, we have curated a dedicated series focused entirely on productivity apps available within
                                                                                                          • Zoho Booking > Enquiry Status change automatically

                                                                                                            Hello, We have a Zoho Booking link, we want the following to happen when it is complete: 1) it finds the person in Zoho CRM who submitted the booking and updates the Enquiry Status Column to 'Self Booked'. 2) is it possible to customise the booking form
                                                                                                          • Zoho Bookings and cancellations/reschedules

                                                                                                            Hi, I noticed that when someone books, they can reschedule/cancel; on the booking page that pops up and the option is in the upper right-hand corner. Is there a way for this option to also be available in the email that the client receives?
                                                                                                          • API question - adding a thread to an existing ticket

                                                                                                            Hi Is there an API function for the customer to add to an existing ticket thread? example, customer puts in new support ticket. support replies and ask for more details. customer replies with more details -what api function is used for this (will add record append to same ticket number?) Thanks
                                                                                                          • Bookings page very slow to load

                                                                                                            I recently switched to Zoho bookings from calendly and yesterday I switched back. Zoho Bookings page was taking 7-23 seconds to load. We were losing paid clicks from Google because they had to wait too long. Does anyone have any suggestions?
                                                                                                          • Presenting the brand new Zoho Bookings!

                                                                                                            Hello everyone, Greetings from Zoho Bookings! We're happy to announce a new version of our product with enhanced features to simplify scheduling, coupled with a sleek interface and improved privacy across teams. Here's what you can expect from the latest
                                                                                                          • Zoho Desk API - Influence which layout is used

                                                                                                            Hello, how can the ticket layout be changed using the API? I would like to choose the layout directly when creating the ticket. If this is not possible, my question would be how can I change it afterwards? Best regards, Sven
                                                                                                          • Zoho API Deal Creation and Pipeline

                                                                                                            I want to sync my zoho crm and backend with eachtoher, I can receive webhooks from crm and sync from it but when I try to sync to crm , I get this error for Deals module Zoho error: { data: [ { code: 'MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND', details: [Object], message:
                                                                                                          • Intermittently high CPU usage

                                                                                                            I get high CPU usage intermittently both using Zoho Mail on Firefox as well as on the Zoho Mail Desktop app (Mac). To me it seems like a bug because idle usage is normally quite low. Right now, for example, the desktop app uses <1% in the background which
                                                                                                          • Transfer to agent not working on flutter app after integration

                                                                                                            [media pointer="file-service://file-LF6KAwkyDJNd6MbzZmctS3"] [media pointer="file-service://file-FN66XQUngquBJGLdrS827u"] +7 -2 Lines changed: 7 additions & 2 deletions Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change @@ -1,10 +1,11 @@ import
                                                                                                          • Zoho Blog from Zoho Sites

                                                                                                            I keep receiving this error after trying to edit blog posts that were previously saved for posting at a later date: Additionally, I try to make new posts and they show this message, "Failed to save".
                                                                                                          • Help Center Home Tab Search Bar Description

                                                                                                            How do I change what it says above the search bar?
                                                                                                          • First Respons time questions regarding ticket SLA's, Ticket Re-Assignment, and Ticket Closure.

                                                                                                            I am chasing down a few outliers on tickets that my team is reporting to me seen in some of our Zoho Analytics Dashboards with regards to Zoho Desk with regards to First Response Time. Our support organization is setup with different SLA's based on three
                                                                                                          • Toggle Option for SQL Query Auto-Formatting

                                                                                                            We all write SQL queries in a style that makes them clear and easy to understand. However, I’ve noticed that Zoho Analytics sometimes reformats queries in a way that reduces readability - especially when editing existing queries written in a specific
                                                                                                          • payment configuration process

                                                                                                            payment configuration process
                                                                                                          • Lookups from Standard Modules to Custom Modules

                                                                                                            I have created an "External Contacts" Custom Module for adding Contacts who aren't directly associated with a Customer or Vendor but who are related to Orders by being a Site Contact, Job Contact, Warehouse Contact, etc for third party. How can I go about
                                                                                                          • Run automation on quiz completion

                                                                                                            Hello, We're exploring Zoho Learn as a possible solution to creating some training courses to external users on our system. We'd like to run a workflow/ integration to Zoho CRM when a course is completed. Is this possible?
                                                                                                          • Dynamic user applications for CPQ?

                                                                                                            Hi, I've been enjoying getting to know CPQ, the Product Configurator and Price Rules components have been very useful, albeit with some issues. I have noticed that I don't have the power to decide which level of sales staff has permissions when it comes
                                                                                                          • Need details on search criteria for zoho.crm.searchRecords

                                                                                                            Hi, If I understood correctly the integrated functions (getRecords, searchRecords, etc..) I can use inside Functions in Zoho CRM are actually using the Zoho CRM V2 API. I am looking for all the field types and criteria I can use with searchRecords. The
                                                                                                          • Do my notebooks get transferred to a new phone?

                                                                                                            Hello I was wondering about a new phone and I'd like to know whether your notes are automatically transferred to the new device? Regards Will.
                                                                                                          • Client Script Error - Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'CRM')

                                                                                                            Hi Guys I have a custom form, and I have a client Script set for onLoad of the new form. Below is the script I have defined and the error: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'CRM') See Screen Shot Attachement for Details. Here is the Script:
                                                                                                          • Notebook sync

                                                                                                            Hi,After Restart Mobil-Phone since i pressen „Synchronisation“ in my Notebook-App (iPhone) the App is hanging all the time and I have no possibility to Break up. Also Not After Restart my mobile-Phone. After the Restart ( inkl. Connection to WiFi or mobile
                                                                                                          • Next Page