Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin

This article assumes that a DocuSign E-signatures Plugin configuration has been already set up in your workspace. If this is not the case, please reference the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin to set up a configuration.

If you would like assistance in setting up a DocuSign E-signatures integration, or editing an existing one, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager at WizeHive or to our Support Team.

Contents

• Overview
• The DocuSign E-signatures Plugin
• Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin
  • DocuSign and Document Templates
  • Sending a Document for DocuSign E-Signatures
  • Managing a DocuSign E-Signature Request
    • Re-Sending and Voiding an Envelope
    • Monitoring Envelope Progress: the DocuSign Transactions Form
• Summary of the DocuSign E-Signature Request Process
• DocuSign E-Signature Request Outcomes

Overview

The DocuSign E-signatures plugin integrates DocuSign together with a normal Zengine workspace to add an electronic signature (e-signature) process to any program workflow. This integration allows workspace administrators to send an unsigned document for e-signature through DocuSign to up to 10 signees, send the document to signees in a designated order, manage and track the progress of an e-signature request, and more - all without leaving the workspace. The actual signing process takes place through DocuSign, and a DocuSign account at the Business Pro or Enhanced Plan level is required for this integration to fully function.

This article will explain the process of using the plugin to send a document stored on a workspace record for electronic signatures to one or more recipients via DocuSign, as well as how to monitor an e-signature request and resend or void it if necessary.

For information on setting up a configuration for the DocuSign E-signatures plugin, please see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin.

The DocuSign E-signatures Plugin

The DocuSign E-signatures plugin allows administrators to seamlessly integrate a DocuSign electronic signature request into their Zengine workspace. This is ideal for situations in which awarded applicants must electronically sign an award letter or grant agreement contract before awards funds can be disbursed, although the tool can also easily accommodate other DocuSign-related program needs and situations.

The actual process of electronically signing a document largely takes place in DocuSign, but Zengine manages and tracks the progress of each signature and checkpoint, interacting with the DocuSign platform via an API.

Administrators begin by either generating a document to be signed within Zengine using the Document Templates plugin with embedded DocuSign Tags (for more information, see the article Using DocuSign Tags in a Document Template), or by uploading a PDF document created outside of Zengine. 

The DocuSign E-signatures plugin can then be used to send that document as an envelope (a DocuSign term and construct that includes the documents to be signed and associated data and security measures) to up to 10 designated recipients in a specific order. Those recipients can be fixed, entered manually, or drawn from email fields on various linked records. 

The recipients will receive the DocuSign e-signature request via email and sign the document in DocuSign. Name, Title, and Date fields can also be required. When an e-signature has been provided, the next recipient in order will receive the document automatically, until the document has been electronically signed by all necessary parties. 

In addition, the DocuSign E-signatures plugin will track the progress of an envelope  as it works its way through the full set of signees. If necessary, an envelope can be voided/canceled or re-sent to recipients who have not yet signed. Once all signatures have been completed, the signed document will automatically attach to a designated upload field in Zengine, and all signees will receive an email copy from DocuSign.

If your program utilizes DocuSign at any point in its workflow, and you are interested in using this plugin to integrate your workspace with DocuSign, please contact your Customer Success Manager at WizeHive. 

Return to Contents

Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin

A DocuSign E-signatures configuration set up in a Zengine workspace uses three form “roles” in the process that must be defined in a specific configuration:

• Trigger Form: this is the form from which a DocuSign e-signature request will be sent. It also contains the folders that will define when a specific e-signature request is ready, when it has been completed, or when it has failed.
• Documents Source Form: this is the form that contains the document name field and the unsigned document upload field (where the document to be electronically signed resides).
• Documents Target Form: this is the form that contains the signed document upload field, where the signed document will be attached automatically and stored after all e-signatures have been added.

Each configuration may have different forms filling each of these roles, and the same form may fulfill different form roles in the same configuration. For example, it is common to have the same form act as both Documents Source Form and Documents Target Form, so both the unsigned and signed copies of a given document exist on the same form record. 

The specific procedure of sending a request to electronically sign a document from Zengine will vary depending on the options selected in the configuration settings, but the overall process is the same.

1. The administrator will initiate the process by selecting a button on the form view of a specific Trigger Form record.
2. The administrator can then edit the recipients if necessary and designate a routing order in which the recipients will receive the document e-signature request. 
3. Once this has been completed, the document will be packaged with security measures through DocuSign into what is known as an “envelope.” For practical purposes, the envelope represents the e-signature request.
4. Each recipient will receive an email from DocuSign with a secure link to the document. The recipient will open the document in DocuSign, sign where directed, and finish the process. If a signing (or “routing”) order has been determined, the next recipient will receive the request via email in a similar fashion once the previous recipient has completed signing; if no order has been determined, all recipients will receive the signature request at the same time.
5. Administrators can monitor the progress of the envelope via the DocuSign Tracking form (see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin -> Creating a New Configuration) as various recipients sign the document. They can also manage the envelope by re-sending it to recipients or voiding it (see the section Managing a DocuSign Signature Request below).
6. Once the envelope has completed its journey and all recipients have signed the document, the completed document will be automatically attached to the designated upload field on the Documents Target Form. (If the Documents Source and Documents Target Forms are different, and a linked record on the Documents Target Form does not yet exist, a new draft record will be created to store the signed document and linked to the Target Form. Any other fields on this form record will be left blank.) In addition, the folder of the Trigger Form will be changed to the folder designated as the Signature(s) Received Folder in the configuration settings. This will complete the process.

However, before an e-signature request can be initiated, three conditions must be met (see the section Sending a Document for DocuSign Signatures below for more information):

1. A document name must be entered into the text field designated as the Document Title Field on the Documents Source Form
2. A PDF file must be present in the upload field designated as the Unsigned Document Field on the Documents Source Form
3. The Trigger Form record must be in the folder designated as the Send to DocuSign Folder

—IMPORTANT—

If these three conditions are not met, the button to initiate the process will not appear on the Trigger Form.

Note that this process must be completed one at a time for each individual record to be used with the DocuSign E-signatures configuration; there is no way to automate this process for multiple records or send many envelopes for e-signature at once.

For more information on configuration settings, folders and form roles used in this process, and requirements for these form roles, see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin.

Return to Contents

DocuSign and Document Templates

Any document, either created externally and uploaded or generated through a Zengine workspace, can be uploaded to a record on a form that is used in a DocuSign E-signatures configuration. However, the best practice is to use a document with DocuSign tags.

DocuSign tags are text identifiers that are added to a document. These are typically not seen by the signee during the signing process, but they identify where the signee must sign and/or date the document. In a document without DocuSign tags, the user will be able to drag and drop the signature, signature date, recipient information (name, email, company, and title), and checkboxes and free text anywhere into the document. In situations where the document to be signed represents a grant agreement or legal contract, this can lead to actions that invalidate the agreement; for this reason, we do not recommend using a PDF document without DocuSign tags except in specific scenarios.

Luckily, the Document Templates Plugin available in Zengine allows administrators to configure document templates with DocuSign tags. The document can then be generated for each individual set of linked records representing a single submission, personalizing each document with information from those records. Recipients will then be directed to place their name, title, e-signature, and the current date in specific places within the document.

For more information about how to add DocuSign tags to a document template in the Document Templates plugin, see the article Using DocuSign Tags in a Document Template. For more information about configuring document templates generally, see the article Document Templates Plugin. 

The rest of this guide article assumes that administrators will be using a document with DocuSign tags configured in the Document Template plugin, and that the template is configured to generate the document to the same upload field as that designated in the Unsigned Document Field.

Return to Contents

Sending a Document for DocuSign E-Signatures

Three conditions must be met before a document e-signature request can be initiated:

1. A document name must be entered into the text field designated as the Document Title Field on the Documents Source Form in the configuration settings;
2. A PDF file must be present in the upload field designated as the Unsigned Document Field on the Documents Source Form in the configuration settings;
3. The Trigger Form record must be in the folder designated as the Send to DocuSign Folder in the configuration settings.

The instructions that follow will walk through the process of completing each of these steps. However, note that these three actions can be completed in any order.

1. Logged into the workspace, navigate to the form designated as the Trigger Form in the configuration settings. 
2. Select the record that will be involved in the DocuSign electronic signature request to open the form view for that record.
3. Change the folder status of the record to the folder designated as the Send to DocuSign Folder on the Trigger Form tab of the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin configuration settings.

4. Navigate to the linked record of the form designated as the Documents Source Form using the Linked Records Pane on the right side of the form view of the record. (If one does not yet exist, select the green + button to create one.) 

If the Trigger Form and Documents Source Form are the same, skip this step and continue to Step 5.

5. On the form view of that record, identify the text field designated as the Document Title Field (on the Documents Source Form tab of the configuration settings) (see image below). 
6. Enter a title for the document into this field. If there are additional required fields, complete those as well and save the record. (If this action returns you to the form view of the trigger record, simply open the Documents Source Form record again.) 

7. Locate the button labeled Generate at the top of the record (for the Documents Source Form; see image below, Step 8). This button allows administrators to generate a document using Zengine’s Document Templates plugin. It will only appear if a template is set up for this form (see the section DocuSign and Document Templates above). 

If using an external document rather than one generated in Zengine, simply upload the document to the upload field designated as the Unsigned Document Field and continue to Step 9.

8. Select this button to see a dropdown list of available templates tied to this form, and select which template to use.

Zengine will begin generating the document as a PDF. When it is done, the document will automatically upload to the designated upload field on this record. Generating the document should take about 10-15 seconds for shorter documents (i.e., a few pages long); longer documents may take up to 60 seconds. However, the PDF may not appear in the upload field right away. To expedite this, refresh the browser screen or save the record. (For more information on using document templates, see the article Document Templates Plugin.)

9. Save the record and return to the linked Trigger Form record from Step 1 & 2 above, if the Trigger Form and Documents Source Form are not the same.
10. If everything was done correctly, a new Send button should appear at the top of the Trigger Form record. The button label will vary depending on what was customized in the Send Button Label Text on the Trigger Form tab of the configuration options.

— IMPORTANT — 

This button will not appear if the conditions described at the beginning of this section are not met. It may also not appear if a DocuSign envelope request has already been sent and completed using this configuration for the specific record or applicant.

11. Select this Send button to begin the DocuSign e-signature request process for this specific record. Upon doing so, a pop-up message will appear allowing the administrator to confirm the recipients and their email addresses, designate a routing order (which determines the order in which the recipients will receive the envelope for e-signature), and add or edit recipient names and emails if necessary (see image below for reference).
    • A - The box will also display the minimum and maximum number of recipients.
    • B - Any  names and email addresses that were configured as recipients on the Recipients tab (see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Recipients Settings) will appear here, pre-populated in the Recipient Name and Recipient Email boxes. 
    • C - If a static recipient was configured to receive a signature request for all envelopes, that recipient’s name and email will appear in the designated recipient box/order.
    • D - If configured, recipients can also be added manually before sending.
    • E - Additional recipients can be added up to the maximum number by selecting the green button labeled +Add New Recipient to create another row. Any optional rows left blank will not be included in the recipient list.

In addition, an envelope routing order can be configured to ensure that the document is sent for electronic signature to each recipient in a specific order. If configured, the second recipient will not receive the e-signature request until the first recipient has signed it, and so on. This can be skipped if there is only one recipient, or if all recipients should receive the e-signature request at the same time.

12. Select the toggle next to Send to recipients in a specific order?. It should turn green and the text will say Yes.

13. A dropdown box will appear next to each recipient displaying a number that represents the order in which the recipient will receive the e-signature request (see image below for reference). 
    • A - Select the dropdown for each recipient and choose the order.
    • B - Select reset to reset the routing order to its original state.
    • C - Select the green toggle again to turn off the routing order.
    • If this option is not enabled, all recipients will received the e-signature request at the same time, upon sending. Recipients with the same order number will receive also the e-signature request at the same time.

14. When all recipient settings have been confirmed: 
    • D - Select Send to send the envelope request to the first recipient. Select Cancel to return to the record form view without sending the signature request. 

Once these steps have been completed and the DocuSign e-signature request has been sent, the first recipient will receive an email from DocuSign with a link to the document (hosted by DocuSign) that can be electronically signed. 

The email Subject line and Body will display the text that was configured in the settings on the Trigger Form tab (see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Trigger Form). If the Email Body was left blank, the body will display the text “Please DocuSign [Document Title]”, with the Document Title representing what was entered into the field designated as the Document Title Field (see Steps 5 & 6 above) on the Documents Source Form tab.

If the document requires multiple signatures and was generated using the Document Templates plugin in Zengine (see the section DocuSign and Document Templates above), the DocuSign tags can be formatted to include the recipient order. In other words, if a DocuSign signature tag in the document was formatted for Recipient #1, the first recipient will be prompted to place their signature in that corresponding signature place. 

If DocuSign tags included in the template but were not formatted to accommodate the signing order for multiple signature requirements, the first recipient will be required to sign or enter their information in all places indicated by DocuSign tags before continuing; subsequent recipients will be prompted to drag-and-drop their signature information anywhere in the document before completing their request.

For more information, see the article Using DocuSign Tags in a Document Template.

Return to Contents

Managing a DocuSign E-Signature Request

Once a DocuSign e-signature request has been sent to recipients, administrators can manage the request in their Zengine workspace by re-sending the request email to recipients who have not yet signed the document, or by voiding the e-signature request entirely, before all signatures have been completed. In addition, administrators can monitor the progress of the envelope using the Docusign Transactions form, which is created automatically when the first configuration is created in a workspace. 

Resending and Voiding an Envelope

Once an e-signature request has been sent, administrators can resend or void the envelope at any time before all signatures on a document have been completed. 

At the top of the Trigger Form record from which the e-signature request was initiated, the button to Send a document for e-signature request will change to two buttons once:

• Resend envelope to DocuSign: select this button to send a reminder email to all recipients that have not completed signing the document. If a routing order was selected when the e-signature request was sent, this reminder email will be sent to the current recipient.
• Void envelope on DocuSign: select this button to cancel the DocuSign e-signature request.

If voiding an envelope, the administrator will be prompted to identify a reason the request is being voided after selecting the appropriate button. 

1. Type in an explanation in the message box that appears.

2. Select the blue Void button to cancel the e-signature request, or Cancel to close the dialog box and return to the form view of the record without voiding the envelope.

If voiding the envelope, an email will be sent to recipients who have yet to sign notifying them that the envelope was voided. This email will include the message added by the administrator who voided the envelope.

In addition, the Resend envelope to DocuSign and Void envelope on DocuSign buttons will disappear, and the folder of the Trigger Form record from which the e-signature request was initiated will be changed to the folder designated as the DocuSign Failed Folder on the Trigger Form tab of the configuration settings (see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Trigger Form for more information).

The folder can be manually changed to the Send to DocuSign Folder to initiate the process again (the record’s form view may need to be refreshed in the browser for the Send button to appear once the folder has been changed). 

Return to Contents

Monitoring Envelope Progress: The DocuSign Transactions Form

Creating a first DocuSign E-signatures configuration will create a new form in the workspace called “Docusign Transactions.” This form will be linked to the Trigger Form designated in the configuration (see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Trigger Form for more information). A new record will be created on this form for each DocuSign e-signature request initiated that will display several pieces of data related to the envelope status.

The envelope status record can be accessed in one of two ways: first, the Docusign Transactions record associated with an e-signature request is accessible using the Linked Records pane on the right side of the form view for any record on the Trigger Form for which a request has been sent. This will include any e-signature requests, both current and completed.

1. Select the record name to open the form view for the associated DocuSign Transaction record.

Second, this form can be accessed directly by selecting the form from the Forms toolbar in a workspace.

1. Navigate to the DocuSign Transactions form in the workspace. This will open the data view displaying active and completed DocuSign e-signature requests initiated from the Zengine workspace using any configuration.

2. Select a row to open the form view for that record.

The form view will display the following fields, allowing administrators to understand the current status of the envelope (see image below for reference):

• Document Title: The title of the document sent for e-signature. This is the name of the document entered into the Document Title field on the Documents Source Form.
• Envelope ID: An envelope is a DocuSign term and construct, consisting of the document to be signed and associated data and security measures. Every document sent for e-signature in Zengine creates an envelope in DocuSign. The unique identifier for the envelope is stored here.
• Envelope Sent Date: The date the initial request for e-signature was made and the DocuSign envelope was created.
• Envelope Status: DocuSign envelopes have a series of statuses that make up the envelopes’ workflow. This field displays the current status. Envelope statuses are:
  • SENT: DocuSign has received the electronic signature request and sent a signature request to the first recipient(s).
  • DELIVERED: The first recipient(s) have opened, but not completed, their signature request.
  • SIGNED/COMPLETED: All recipients have signed the document. 
  • DECLINED: Any recipient has declined to sign and the Envelope is no longer active.
  • VOIDED: The requestor had voided the electronic signature request and the Envelope is no longer active.
• Envelope Status Date: The date of the latest Envelope status change.
• Transactions Log: The Transaction log identifies multiple Envelope events that can occur. This field displays all events, not just the most recent, and includes the date and time for which the event occurred. Events are:
  • An Envelope is Sent to the first recipient(s): processing started
  • A Recipient's Document is Delivered: Signature Request Initiated for [Document Title]. [X] signature(s) Requested.
  • A Recipient has Signed the document
  • A Recipient has Declined to Sign
  • A Recipient's Document Delivery Failed
  • An Envelope is Voided: Signature Request has been rescinded.
  • An Envelope is Signed/Completed
  • Event definitions are the same as described above for Envelope Status.
  • All timestamps for events will record in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone.
• Linked Record on Form “[Trigger Form Name]”: The Linked Form field connecting this record to the Trigger Form record. If more than one configuration is created using different Trigger Forms, more than one Linked Form field may exist here, each connected to the respective Trigger Form; however, only the field linking to the form that initiated the e-signature request will be filled in.

Return to Contents

Summary of the DocuSign E-Signature Request Process

1. Navigate to the desired record on the Trigger Form and change the folder status to the Send to DocuSign Folder.
2. Navigate to the related Documents Source Form (if different from the Trigger Form) and complete the Document Title Field and any other required fields. Save the record. 
3. Generate the document to be signed using the Document Templates plugin, or upload an external document to be used to the Unsigned Document Field on the Documents Source Form.
4. Return to the Trigger Form record and select the Send to DocuSign Button at the top of the record’s form view. 
5. Review the recipients names and email addresses on the dialog box that appears, edit or add any if necessary, and designate a routing order if desired. When ready, send the e-signature request.
6. The recipient(s) will receive email notifications from DocuSign requesting that they e-sign the document. Administrators can monitor the status of the envelope using the DocuSign Transactions form, Resend the envelope to the current recipient, or Void the envelope if necessary.
7. When all recipients have completed the request, the signed document will appear in the Signed Document Field on the Documents Target Form, and the Trigger Form record folder will update to the Signature(s) Received Folder. 
8. Administrators can review the signed document if desired and move the portal user to the next stage in the program workflow.

Return to Contents

DocuSign Envelope Outcomes

A DocuSign e-signature request initiated from a Zengine workspace can have two outcomes.

If all recipients have successfully completed an e-signature request:

• All recipients will receive an email confirmation from DocuSign with a link to the signed document (stored in DocuSign).
• In the Zengine workspace, the signed document will be automatically uploaded to the Signed Document Field designated on the Documents Target Form tab in the configuration settings. If the Documents Source and Documents Target Forms are different, and a linked record on the Documents Target Form does not yet exist, a new draft record will be created to store the signed document.
• The folder of the Trigger Form record (from which the request was initiated) will be changed to the folder designated as Signature(s) Received Folder on the Trigger Form tab in the configuration settings.
• The associated record on the DocuSign Transactions form will be updated with a new entry in the Transactions Log field, and the Envelope Status field will be updated to SIGNED/COMPLETED

If the envelope was voided by a workspace administrator, the signature was declined by the recipient, or the envelope failed for another reason (such as the envelope was sent to an invalid or non-existent email address):

• In the Zengine workspace, the folder of the Trigger Form record (from which the request was initiated) will be changed to the folder designated as the DocuSign Failed Folder on the Trigger Form tab in the configuration settings. 
• The incomplete document will not be uploaded to the Documents Source Form.
• The associated record on the DocuSign Transactions form will be updated with a new entry in the Transactions Log field, and the Envelope Status field will be updated to VOIDED, DECLINED, or FAILED, depending on the action or cause.
• If the envelope was voided by an administrator, recipients will receive an email notification from DocuSign indicating the reason it was voided.

Return to Contents

What did you think of this article? If you found this article helpful, let us know below! If you have suggestions for how to improve this article, please leave a comment. Your feedback helps us improve the experience for everyone.