Tip of the fortnight 4 - Best practices for building your e-signature workflow using forms

Tip of the fortnight 4 - Best practices for building your e-signature workflow using forms

Hello fellow form builders, 

It's another fortnight - ah, time flies, doesn't it! Recently, we rolled out our integration with Zoho Sign (read our announcement post here), and it can be incredibly useful in collecting secure e-signatures from your form respondents.

 
Getting your agreements, contracts, waivers, etc. legally bound through this e-signature workflow is easy, yet every use case needs a distinct workflow setup. That's why today, I want to share a few of the best practices you can follow to get your various deals signed hassle free!



Let's start by discussing the two types of signers your e-signature workflow can involve and the recipient setup that needs to configure for them. Assume a situation where the name and the email of one of the signers are known (say, the Landlord) whereas the other signer is your form respondent (say, the Tenant) whose name and email is not known until the form submission. For this, you need to configure the recipient details in both Zoho Sign and Zoho Forms. I'll break it down for you.
  • In the Zoho Sign template setup, enter the role, action, name and the email address of the Landlord. Add only the role and the action for the form respondent in the same setup when you create the template.


  • In the Zoho Forms integration setup, the landlord's details will be prefilled from the Zoho Sign's setup (Click the Recipient List to view this). Under the Recipient Details, choose the Tenant's Name and Email from the form fields and finish the remaining setup.



Get signatures automatically from verified respondents 

As discussed above, in the e-signature workflow using forms, the signer of the document can be a form respondent, a person of your organization, or even yourself. When you want to instantly send the document, and request a signature when the form submission is made, choose Send the document's link to recipients email inside the integration set up in your form, while also configuring the template and the field mappings. 



Now each recipient has to login into their email to access the link of the signing document before signing it. This way, each signing recipient is verified using their email address to ensure the authenticity of the recipient's signature. A preview of a completed Sales Agreement is shown below where the seller and buyer have signed the document agreeing to the stated norms.



Get signatures from certain form submitters

At times, when you wish to analyze the form submission and request e-signatures only when they meet a set of criteria, you can set up a manual workflow. So now, from the pile of form submissions you receive, you can analyze and manually select the desired entries and trigger the signing document to them. For this, choose None, I will send the document manually while setting up the integration. 

 

Collect signatures in the same device 

From a fitness service waiver to an event participation agreement, it's ideal to get signatures from your clients, employees or customers in-person, right after the form submission. To perform this, add only the role of the signer and mark it as Needs to Sign inside your Zoho Sign template. You don't need to fill out the email address or the name here.



Inside the form integration setup, pick out the email and the name from the form fields and choose Redirect to Zoho Sign document.



In the big picture, when the form is submitted, the document appears on the same device requesting for signature. On signing it, the respondent can click on the "message" icon to send themselves a copy of the signed document. (It is sent to the email address chosen under Recipients Details). Note that the in-person signing is intended for single signing recipient only. To have more than one signers, try adding a host to perform the in-person signing (read more on how to set up this in Zoho Sign template here).  

And, that's a wrap! You can get started with the Zoho Sign template creation here. Once you get the hang of it, read our help document to get started. For further queries, or to share your experience with us, comment below - we'd love to hear from you.  

Until next fortnight,
Prasana









      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          • Sticky Posts

          • Tip #10: Automatically add tags to Zoho CRM records using form responses

            You may be using tags to filter records, create reports based on specific tags, or let your sales team to know which clients to give priority to. Don't skip tagging for the crm records added via forms. The tags can be set to be automatically captured during the form submission. How it works When you set up a configuration to push form entries into CRM, you can add a tag to them automatically. The tag value can vary based on the respondent's input (captured using form fields), or you can include a
          • Tip #2: Prefill forms automatically with existing Zoho CRM data

            How to automatically prefill a form with existing Zoho CRM data? Prefilled forms can be useful when you want your prospects to view and confirm their data, and in a wide range of other situations. In Zoho Forms, we prefill the fields with the values from Zoho CRM using the Zoho CRM field. What is a Zoho CRM field? A Zoho CRM field acts as a two-way communication channel, by sending data to Zoho CRM from forms and fetching information from CRM into Forms. The field will look up data from your CRM
          • Tip #8: Pass Adwords data (GCLID) and UTM parameters to Zoho CRM using forms

            When you are using forms to capture leads, you may wonder: " How did they find me? Which marketing campaign worked best?"  You can answer this question by capturing the Google Adwords data (GCLID) or the UTM parameter details in your CRM using forms. This can be a great way to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns and identify the most effective ways to capture leads.  Capturing GCLID parameters How it works If a person finds your form by clicking an ad, a GCLID gets created. When they fill out
          • ZUG (Zoho User Group) In-person Meetups - Maximize Data Efficiency with Zoho Forms & Beyond

            Hello Zoho Community, Join us for our upcoming meetups in ANZ, where we'll dive into seamless data handling and maximizing efficiency through Zoho Forms and beyond. Explore the potential of Zoho Forms customization and integration, from mastering the
          • Tip #9: Modify deal properties in Zoho CRM using form responses

            How to modify deal properties of Zoho CRM records using form responses? Deal properties in Zoho CRM records are constantly modified based on the status of the deal. You can automatically modify deal properties (like the deal closing date, or deal name) and even update the deal stage, using form inputs. This can drastically reduce the work your team would otherwise do to search and change individual record details manually. How it works This works by integrating the form with the Deals module of Zoho

          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            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



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Cash payments before invoice date

                                    We have been using zoho books for our hospitality business for some time and have been very happy with the system. However in 2025 an update was pushed through and we are now not able to record payments for invoices before the invoice date. the case scenario
                                  • Copy / Duplicate Workflow

                                    I have workflows setup that are very similar to each other. We have a monitoring system watching servers, and all notifications - no matter what client it is about - will come from a  noreply@ address which is not very helpful in having it auto assigned to the right account. I have setup a workflow that will change the contact name of the ticket (currently it would say noreply@) to the correct customer which is based on the subject line, as that mentions which server the alert it is about. I need
                                  • Transfer between two customers (Peters Rental account to Peters Private account)

                                    we are a Property Management company. Our customers have to accounts (registered as two customers - Peter Rental and Peter Private On the rental account all income and costs fron rental activities are noted. On the private account all private are noted
                                  • Automation#18: Automatically Fetch Values from Contacts to the Tickets Module

                                    Hello Everyone, Welcome to this week's edition, where you can seamlessly sync fields from the Contacts to the Tickets module. For efficient business operations, it's crucial to have details mapped across different modules. Zylker Secure offers antivirus
                                  • Charge multiple invoices

                                    We use auto-charge/recurring invoicing for 100's of clients. If we create a single manual invoice we can charge it to the credit card for these clients with the CC added to their recurring invoices. If a client has multiple outstanding invoices, is there a way to make one charge for all of the invoices instead of a separate charge to the cc for each invoice?
                                  • Handling/tracking escalation management in Zoho

                                    Hi all, I am working on finding a tool to register and track our escalation management process. Specifically, this is about client escalations, typically related to project delivery issues. The idea is that we could have some sort of form with core questions
                                  • Global Choice List share ownership

                                    I have created several forms that use one or more Global Choice Lists. These lists have been published to Org. I would like to allow one or more admins to edit the choices in these lists. Any help appreciated. Geoff
                                  • Setting up property management in Zoho Books

                                    Hi, I run a property management business that manages property complexes. There are multiple owners, some owning more than one property on the same complex. My role is to manage the fees they pay for maintenance of common areas, such as the swimming pool
                                  • How to prevent users from switching price lists in an order?

                                    Hi, I have Zoho Finance integrated with Zoho CRM. My team will be placing orders through the CRM using the Finance module. When creating a new customer I will assign it a price list, I don't want the sales rep to switch to a different Price List, other
                                  • Mollie Connect in Zoho Books

                                    Have noticed that Zoho Books is missing the most popular payment provider in Europe: Mollie. Knowing that Mollie has a solid Java SDK, why is this not yet implemented in Zoho Books for European customers?  More info: https://docs.mollie.com/oauth/ov
                                  • Unable to change Lookup field from Multi Select to Single Select

                                    I am trying to change a Lookup field in my Zoho Creator form from Multi Select to Single Select, but I am unable to find any option to do this.
                                  • Simple Callback Notifications Needed

                                    My team are terrible at remembering their CRM callbacks, often due to how long in the future they are set for. Is there a way i can set an e-mail notification for when a callback is due? For example we set it for 9am one day and five minutes before they
                                  • Personal Data (RODO), Cookies / Trackers - ePrivacy

                                    I have noticed several issues that should be addressed on the customer support page. Zoho Desk provides the support portal, but it currently lacks the following options: A GDPR and personal data processing consent checkbox before logging in, located in
                                  • How to set a multi-lookup field as mandatory?

                                  • Allow Multiple Scheduled Appointments with Zoho Support

                                    Dear Zoho Team, I hope you're doing well. First, thank you for introducing the option to schedule support calls via the Zoho CRM booking link. This has been a fantastic enhancement, eliminating the need for back-and-forth coordination when scheduling
                                  • Audit Log for Zoho One Admin Panel

                                    Dear Zoho One Team, We would like to request the addition of an Audit Log feature in the Zoho One Admin Panel. This log should provide visibility into any changes made within the Zoho One admin panel and directory, including but not limited to: Adding,
                                  • Personalize your booking pages with Custom CSS

                                    Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re introducing Custom CSS for Zoho Bookings, designed to give you complete control over the look and feel of your booking pages. With this new feature, you can upload your own CSS file to customize colors, fonts,
                                  • Bug: OAuth 2.0 State Parameter fails with Pipe Delimiters (RFC 6749 Non-Compliance)

                                    I've discovered a bug in how Zoho's API Console handles the OAuth 2.0 authorization flow when the state parameter contains pipe characters (|), and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue Zoho's OAuth 2.0 implementation
                                  • Custom Function to increment a value by one

                                    Hi, I'm trying to find a solution to set up a counter on CRM records that tracks how many times certain actions have taken place. As a specific example: We have a field on Deals called "Times Close Updated". This starts at 0 on record creation. I'd like
                                  • Customer address in Zoho Bookings

                                    Hello,  Is it possible to add customer address information to the Zoho bookings appointment screen? Or have it pull that information automatically from the CRM? We are wanting to use this as a field management software but it is difficult to pull the address from multiple sources when it would be ideal to have a clickable address on the appointment screen that opens up the user's maps.  It would also be advantageous for the "list view" to show appointment times instead of just duration and booking
                                  • Access token generate from the refresh token not working for API

                                    Dear Sir/Madam, When I use my refresh token to obtain new access_token, that token return INVALID_TOKEN when the same API is called. I made sure that my api site is correct and match the auth web site. However the original access_token work fine.
                                  • why does my campaign move back to draft?

                                    Every time I try to send my email campaign, it reverts back to Draft status.. this has happened three times in a row..how do i find out what the problem is? Thanks
                                  • Service and Parts Line Item Limitations

                                    Hi FSM Team, We work with clients who deliver large-scale field service projects. In many cases, a single work order can contain 200+ service and parts line items. Currently, Zoho FSM limits work orders to 30 service and parts line items. While this works
                                  • 【Zoho CRM】やりとりの要約機能リリースのお知らせ

                                    ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、新機能のやりとり要約機能をご紹介します。 Zoho CRMのやりとりの要約は、Ziaが生成する機能で、データに関連付けられた最近のやりとりを簡潔にまとめて提供します。 メール、通話、ミーティング、メモなどを1つの明確な要約にまとめ、重要なポイント、過去の話し合いの要点、結果、次のステップを表示することで、日常的な課題に対処します。 Ziaの強みは、単なる要約にとどまらず、内容の解釈も行える点です。やりとりの要約では、顧客との会話に潜む遅延、フォローアップ漏れ、約束、期限、感情、意図を特定します。
                                  • Recent post analytics not very useful

                                    Hi, I'm enjoying some aspects of the Zoho Social. like being able to schedule posts to multiple channels. However, the recent posts analytics is disappointing. For example, I put up a reel on Instagram and Facebook yesterday. Instagram insights shows
                                  • Zoho Commerce and Third-party shipping (MachShip) API integration

                                    We are implementing a third-party shipping (MachShip) API integration for our Zoho Commerce store and have made significant progress. However, we need guidance on a specific technical challenge. Current Challenge: We need to get the customer input to
                                  • What happens to the files created by user, whose account is deleted.

                                    Hello, I created a folder in the My folders names "Quote" I shared the same with my colleague. She created some files and folders in that folder over the period of 1 and half year. Now she left company, and I deleted her account from Zoho. What happens
                                  • Internal Error When Accessing Team Inbox.

                                    All our users are seeing this error in teaminbox. Because its a critical tool kindly resolve this issue ASAP.
                                  • Sharing URLs and direct access

                                    Hello, I am storing my team's email signature images on Workdrive. I am creating a public image download share and adding “?directDownload=true” so that the image can be accessed without the Workdrive interface. A few questions: 1) Can we generate friendly
                                  • Zoho Mail Android app update: Calendar enhancements

                                    Hello everyone! In the most recent version of the Zoho Mail Android app update, we have introduced various new enhancements for the calendar module. Let's explore what's new. Drag and drop events to update the date and time We have enhanced the calendar
                                  • Enhance Delay Configuration in Zoho Flow

                                    Dear Zoho Flow Support Team, We are writing to request an improvement to the delay configuration process within Zoho Flow. Currently, users are required to manually enter the exact delay duration (e.g., "2 days") in the delay block. This can be time-consuming
                                  • Contratação ProdutivosX

                                    Bem-vindo(a) ao processo de contratação da ProdutivosX. Este formulário tem como objetivo coletar informações essenciais para análise de perfil profissional, alinhamento de competências e possível integração ao equipamento ProdutivosX. A ProdutivosX é
                                  • Enhance Sign CRM integration

                                    Hello all, I'm working on a custom Deluge script to enhance the integration between Zoho CRM and Sign by using a writer merge template for additional flexibility. I want to replicate the post-sign document integration that exists between CRM and Sign
                                  • Unified WhatsApp Number Management in Zoho Desk and SalesIQ

                                    Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, We are currently utilizing both Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ for our customer support operations. While both platforms offer WhatsApp integration, we are facing challenges due to the requirement of separate WhatsApp numbers
                                  • Problem using Zoho Desk API

                                    Goodmorning, I am trying to use the Zoho Desk API to create a dashboard in Grafana, but I am having a problem. Following the instructions in the API documentation, I created the API Console application (server-based application). Then I created the string
                                  • Email Field Validation Incorrectly Rejects RFC-Compliant Addresses (Forward Slashes)

                                    I've encountered a validation issue with Zoho Creator's Email field that rejects RFC-compliant email addresses containing forward slashes, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue When entering an email address containing
                                  • Customer ticket creation via Microsoft Teams

                                    Hi all, I'm looking to see if someone could point me in the right direction. I'd love to make it so my customers/ end users can make tickets, see responses and respond within microsoft teams. As Admin and an Agent i've installed the zoho assist app within
                                  • Plug Sample #15 - Enable Human-Like, Contextual Interactions in SalesIQ with Zia Agents

                                    Zia Agents are conversational AI assistants designed to understand user intent and respond intelligently, helping businesses automate conversations and offer personalized support at scale. While Zia Agents are yet to be publicly released, access is currently
                                  • Best way to schedule bill payments to vendors

                                    I've integrated Forte so that I can convert POs to bills and make payments to my vendors all through Books. Is there a way to schedule the bill payments as some of my vendors are net 30, net 60 and even net 90 days. If I can't get this to work, I'll have
                                  • Seamless Round-Trip Navigation for Related Blocks (Detail View)

                                    As highlighted previously in this post (and here, here, here, and here), we still lack a fundamental capability for seamless navigation in Related Blocks. The popup that appears when adding a related record doesn't exist for viewing/editing existing records,
                                  • Next Page