E-Sign for Vertical Apps is a feature that can be added into your Vertical Solution, enabling users to request electronic signatures for documents. This functionality allows users to send documents to any recipient, both inside and outside your Company, for them to sign digitally. This feature is accomplished through implementing Zoho Sign Product's E-Signature capabilities.
How Does E-Sign Work?
E-Sign feature leverages Zoho Sign or Vertical Sign products to provide the core digital signature functionality. However, this implementation could be achieved through purchasing either full product licenses(Zoho Sign or Vertical Sign) or just the Vertical Sign's API credits.
1. Zoho Sign or Vertical Sign as a Product:
In this option, users will be using Zoho Sign or Vertical Sign as a standalone product, integrated with their your developer account. This grants access to the full suite of Zoho Sign/Vertical Sign features, offering a comprehensive set of tools for managing electronic signatures.
This option has a fixed monthly cost of $24 per user applicable only to Vertical Sign product. Users will have access to the full suite product of Zoho Sign in this option.
2. Vertical Sign with API Credits model subscription:
This option utilizes the Vertical Sign APIs to incorporate the Send for E-Sign functionality directly within the solution. Users have access only to the Send for E-Sign functionality through Vertical Sign, offering a streamlined experience focused on requesting electronic signatures. This option uses an API credit model, allowing users to manage costs by only paying for credits used to send documents for signatures. Users don't need to purchase the full Vertical Sign Product License. The cost structure is:
- $5 per month per user for 15 documents.
- Additional documents cost $0.40 each.
Vertical Sign Features:
Upload Options: Upload single or multiple files from the Desktop, use mail merge templates, or utilize attachments for E-Signing.
Recipient Management: Add multiple recipients with various roles (Sign, View, In-person signer) and delivery methods (email, SMS).
Signing Order (Optional): Manage the signing sequence for documents, ensuring a specific signing order if needed.
Customization: Modify document names, add notes and descriptions, and define expiry timeframes for signing requests.
Sending documents for e-sign
You can integrate the Send for E-Sign button into any module within your Solution, allowing users to easily initiate the signing process This button enables users to send documents for digital signing by Contacts, Users, or other recipients.
To initiate the process of sending documents for digital signing:
- Navigate to the module in which e-sign button is enabled
- Open a record, and go to the detailed view.
- Click Send for E-Sign in the record's details page.In the pop-up, enter the following details:
- Add Document : Select the documents to be send for e-signing. One may choose to upload files from the desktop, use a mail-merge template, or use attachments. Please note that at least one of the uploaded documents must have the Signature field. Users can upload up to five documents for e-signing. Please refer to the #Upload Documents section for more details.
- Recipient Details : Select the recipients for signing the documents. For details on the different options available, refer to the #Recipient Details section.
- Set the Signer Role as one of the three available options : Sign, View, In-person signer.
- Select the delivery mode for the recipient as EMAIL or EMAIL & SMS, depending on the requirement.
- Users can add more than one recipient by clicking on the Add Recipient button. Click on + New Recipient to add the name and email ID for new recipients.
- Enable Set Signing Order, and set the order if you want to send the documents to be signed in an order.
- Document Names : By default, the name of the uploaded document will be used as the Document Name for the Sign document. If more than one document is uploaded, the name of the first uploaded document will be used by default. One can choose a name of their choice for the Sign document using this field.
- Notes : Add any message you may have for the recipients.
- Description : Add a description for the Sign document for personal reference.
- Expires in : Define an expiry timeframe for the sign requests, in days. If the user has specified a signing order with multiple recipients, the expiry applies only to initiating the signing process. Essentially, it applies to the first recipient. Once the first recipient signs, subsequent recipients can sign the document even after the initial expiry date.
- Click on Save
Once saved, the documents will be sent for e-signing to the recipients in the chosen order. If the user has not enabled a sign order, it will be sent to all the recipients simultaneously.
Upload Documents
When selecting documents to be sent for e-signing, users have three options available:
- Documents from the Desktop: Users can upload files from their desktop. Users can upload various document formats, including: pdf, docx, zdoc and images files
- Attachments in the Chosen Record: Users can also attach documents directly from the chosen record within the solution.
- Mail Merge Templates: Mail merge templates added for the module can be selected for use. Users have the flexibility to choose multiple templates, merge them, and send them in a single document signature request.
Users can upload up to five documents for e-signing. At least one of these documents must contain the signature field for adding the e-sign. Users can add corresponding fields automatically to the document using text tags. This enables users to send out the document for signature more quickly than manually adding the fields every single time.
For example:
{{Signature}}: A signature field added for the first recipient.
{{Company:Recipient2}}: A company field added for the second recipient.
When the recipients add their signature, it will be automatically populated in the defined area. For further details on text tags that can be added to documents before sending them for e-signing, refer to the
Zoho Sign User Guide.
Recipient Details
You can add up to 25 recipients to sign the documents. Recipients can be either your existing contacts within your solution, or external parties. For each recipient, you can assign a specific role:
- Sign: This recipient needs to electronically sign the document.
- View: This recipient can only view the document. They receive a copy of the documents, but are not required to sign them.
- In-person signer: You may designate a host from your organization to collect the signed document in person.
You can choose the delivery mode for each recipient as EMAIL or EMAIL & SMS. If EMAIL & SMS delivery is selected, users have the option to enter the recipient's phone number and country code for SMS delivery. In this case, in addition to the email, your recipient(s) will receive a SMS similar to one that you can see below.
You have the option to enable a signing order for the documents. By checking the Set Sign Order option, users can designate a specific order for recipients to sign. Assign each recipient with a number, and the document will progress to the next recipient only upon completion by the previous signer. If the same position is entered for two or more recipients in the signing order, the document will be sent to them in parallel for signing. Subsequent recipients in the signing order will receive the document only after all previous signers to whom the document was sent in parallel finish signing it.
Users can add more recipients by clicking on the Add Recipient button. For new recipients, click on + New Recipient to add their name and email ID. To delete a recipient, click the minus icon located to the far right of the corresponding recipient's details.
Once documents are uploaded and recipient details are added, users can customize document settings. They can set the Document Name, add Notes for recipients, include a Description for personal reference, and define an expiry timeframe for sign requests. Once configurations are complete, users can save their settings to proceed.
![](https://help.zoho.com/galleryDocuments/edbsn1df3dc365db5bea3a823643eb8ff79c8297dca46e22b2a0ad40d87b823bc34b785af380617978ee0bf1a23b95ab6efbf?inline=true)
Modules associated with E-Sign
The E-Sign feature in the solution comprises three modules, each serving distinct functions:
- Sign Documents (ZohoSign_Documents): This module stores records of Sign Documents sent for E-Sign. It includes information such as Sign Documents Name, Sign Documents Owner, Document Status (INPROGRESS, COMPLETED, EXPIRED), Contacts, Modified Time, notes, and descriptions. Additionally, it contains the documents sent for E-Sign and details of recipients as related lists.
In addition to viewing Sign Documents information, users can perform the following actions from the module's detail view page: - Send E-Sign Reminder: Users have the option to send E-Sign reminders to recipients. If a signing order is specified, reminders are sent only to the first or next person scheduled to sign the document.
- E-Sign Recall Document: Users can recall E-Sign documents, rendering them inaccessible for recipients. Recipients will be notified via email about the recall. However, recall is restricted under specific conditions:
- If the user has already signed the document.
- If the document is in draft stage.
- If the document is in the trash.
Recalling the document is only permitted when its status is "in progress".
- Completion Certificate: Users can obtain completion certificates for Sign Documents with a COMPLETED status. The completion certificate serves as the signed document, providing confirmation of the signing process.
- Sign Recipients (ZohoSign_Recipients): This module houses recipient details from various E-Sign jobs initiated in the account. It includes recipient names, the associated sign document records sent for E-Sign, email addresses, Recipient Status (Signed, UNOPENED, VIEWED, NOACTION), and Type, among other details.
- Sign Document Events (ZohoSign_Document_Events) : This module records events related to E-Signature processes, such as SIGNATURE_REQUESTED, SIGNATURE_INPROGRESS, and COMPLETED. Each record contains the associated sign document record as a lookup, along with descriptions and additional information.