Using DocuSign Tags in a Document Template

This article is meant to be used with the Setting Up the DocuSign E-Signatures Plugin, Using the DocuSign E-Signatures Plugin, and Document Templates Plugin articles. If you are unfamiliar with these tools and processes, we recommend reading those articles before continuing.

Contents

• Overview
• Document Templates and DocuSign
  • DocuSign Tags
• Adding DocuSign Tags to a Document Template
• Formatting DocuSign Tags for Signing Order
• DocuSign Signee Experience

Overview

The Document Template plugin allows administrators to create templates that are used to generate documents, such as applicant award agreements, which can be customized with information from different linked records in Zengine. Often, administrators wish to have these documents electronically signed in DocuSign using the DocuSign E-Signatures plugin. This process is intended to be used with Document Templates: administrators can add DocuSign Tags, which will direct e-signature signees to add their names, signatures, and more in specific places in the document. A signing order can also be designated to accommodate multiple e-signature recipients on a single document.

This article explains how to create DocuSign-enabled Document Templates by adding DocuSign Tags and designating signing orders. It also describes the signee experience when electronically signing a DocuSign-enabled document. 

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

For more information on using a DocuSign E-signatures configuration that has been set up, see the article Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin.

For more information on setting up and using Document Templates, see the article Document Templates Plugin. 

Document Templates and DocuSign

Document Templates are an important component of a functional DocuSign integration. Administrators can set up templates to generate a document that is customized for the award recipient that can then be sent for electronic signature through DocuSign. 

One typical use-case of the Document Templates is to generate an award agreement that will be used with the DocuSign E-signatures integration in Zengine to be electronically signed by one or more award recipients as part of their acceptance. In the document, the recipient organization’s name, contact information, and award amount (for example) can all be pulled from various forms that have been completed during the application process. 

Furthermore, DocuSign tags can be inserted into the template that will direct signees to add their electronic signatures, names, titles, and signature dates at specific places in the document during the DocuSign e-signature process. Administrators can also designate signing orders to accommodate multiple signees and ensure that their signature information is placed in the appropriate place in the document. For example, if an award agreement document should be first signed by the grant manager at an organization, and then subsequently by the organization’s executive director, enabling the signee order ensures that each recipient places their e-signature information at the correct place. Administrators can then generate this document as a PDF and send it through the DocuSign process as needed. 

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.

More than one Document Template can be set up to accommodate different categories or agreement requirements (for example, different types of grants or recipient organizations). Finally, although this process may be most commonly used for obtaining e-signatures for award agreements, Document Templates can be set up to generate and obtain e-signatures through DocuSign for any kind of document required by a program workflow.

These features work together to allow administrators to quickly and easily create award agreements or other documents, obtain electronic signatures through DocuSign, and make sure that signed documents meet legal compliance - without leaving the Zengine workspace.

DocuSign Tags

DocuSign Tags are a feature of the Document Templates plugin that directs e-signature recipients to place their signatures and other information in certain places within the document generated from a template. These are typically not seen by the signee during the signing process. 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. Because of this, we recommend setting up a document template with DocuSign tags for use with this process.

Although DocuSign has a number of unique tags available within its platform, there are 4 DocuSign tags available in the Document Templates plugin:

• DocuSign Signature
• DocuSign Date
• DocuSign Signer Name
• DocuSign Signer Title

For all of these tags, the signee is prompted by DocuSign to provide the information to complete the document and will not be able to submit the signed document without doing so. The signee will only be required to enter their information where DocuSign tags exist in the document, and any number of these may be added to a template by administrators - not all four types of tags need to be added to a template for successful completion of the signature request. 

In addition, DocuSign tags can be formatted with a recipient order for multiple signatures to ensure that the recipient signs in the correct place within the document. For more information on formatting a recipient order, see the section Formatting DocuSign Tags for Signing Order below.

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Adding DocuSign Tags to a Document Template

Adding DocuSign Tags uses a similar process as adding fields references (which insert information from specific fields on linked records to customize a document) to a Document Template. (For more information about field references, please see the article Document Templates Plugin.) 

These steps will assume that the Document Templates Plugin has been installed in a workspace and that a document is ready for the addition of DocuSign tags. If a template has not yet been created, please see the article Document Templates Plugin for more information on creating a template.

1. Navigate to the Document Templates tool by selecting its icon in the blue toolbar at the top of any workspace screen.

2. Select Edit for the template to which DocuSign tags will be added.

3. On the left side of the screen, in the template editor, select the area where the tags should be placed.

4. Select the Fields dropdown menu at the top left of the Document Templates toolbar.

5. Select or highlight the DocuSign option with the cursor. A list will appear to the right of the dropdown menu containing the available DocuSign tags.

6. Select the DocuSign tag to be added.

7. A DocuSign tag corresponding to the selection made in Step 6 will appear where the cursor was placed in the template editor (Step 3 above). 

8. Continue adding DocuSign tags until all required DocuSign tags have been added to the appropriate place in the document.

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Formatting DocuSign Tags for Signing Order

A document template can be configured for multiple signatures by adding more than one set of DocuSign tags. In this scenario, one set of tags (such as DocuSign Name, Signature, and Date composing one set, for example) would be added to the document for each intended signee. 

When multiple signatures are required on the same document, the DocuSign tags inserted into a template must be formatted to include a signing order before the document is generated. This will require the first e-signature recipient to add their information only to those DocuSign tags formatted for the first signee; the second recipient will be directed to sign only those fields formatted for the second signee, and so forth. 

If a template is configured for multiple signatures but the DocuSign tags are not formatted for a designated signing order, the first recipient will be required to complete all DocuSign tags before submitting the document, and subsequent signees will receive the e-signature request with no designated place to enter their signature information.

Formatting the DocuSign tags in Document Templates will only determine the signature order. The actual recipients are configured in the Recipients tab of the DocuSign E-Signatures plugin settings and finalized by the “Send this document to DocuSign” message box that appears when an e-signature request is initiated in Zengine. (For more information, see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Recipients Settings and Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Sending a Document for DocuSign E-Signature.)

To format DocuSign tags in a Document Template with a signing order:

1. Select a DocuSign tag and right-click with the mouse.
2. Select Format… from the menu that appears.

3. A pop-up message labeled Insert/Edit Variable Format will appear with two fields for Format Type and Format Options. Select the dropdown menu for Format Type and choose DocuSign Recipient #. 

4. Next, select the text box under Format Options and enter the appropriate number corresponding to the intended recipient. For example, if the DocuSign tag should be completed by the first recipient in DocuSign, enter 1; if it should be completed by the second recipient, enter 2, and so forth.

5. Select the blue Save button to save the formatting settings, or Cancel to close the window without setting the signing order. 
6. If saved, the DocuSign tag will be underlined to show that formatting has been set.

7. Complete Steps 1-5 above for each DocuSign tag in the document template, with an appropriate signing order number entered into Format Options. For example, if the first set of DocuSign tags (under Signature 1) is intended for the first e-signature recipient to complete, all three tags (DocuSign Signer Name, DocuSign Signature, and DocuSign Date) should be formatted with the number 1; similarly, all three fields under Signature 2 should be set the number 2 under Format Options.

8. Save the template before continuing.

When the DocuSign E-signature request is initiated from the form view of the Trigger Form record (see the article Using the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Sending a Document for DocuSign E-Signature for more information), the toggle button next to Send to recipients in specific order? should be set to Yes, and each recipient should be assigned an order number.

Once the e-signature request is sent, the first recipient (designated by the sending order marked 1 in the image above) will be prompted to enter their e-signature information into the document only where the DocuSign tags have been formatted for the first recipient. Once the first recipient has signed the document, the second recipient will receive the document e-signature request and will only be able to enter their information into the DocuSign tags formatted for the second recipient, and so forth.

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DocuSign Signee Experience

Once an administrator has initiated the DocuSign e-signature request, the designated recipient will receive an email from DocuSign with a link to review and sign the document. (The message in the body of this email can be customized in the DocuSign E-signatures plugin settings. See the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Trigger Form for more information.)

Selecting the yellow Review Document link will open a new browser page to DocuSign, where the e-signature recipient can review and sign the document.

The recipient will be prompted to enter their name, e-signature, signature date, and/or title in the locations determined by the DocuSign tags that were added to the document template previously configured by workspace administrators (see the section Adding DocuSign Tags to a Document Template above). 

If multiple signatures from different signees are required, and a signing order was added to the DocuSign tags in the document template (see the section Formatting DocuSign Tags for Signing Order above), the first recipient will only be required to complete the e-signature information for any DocuSign tags configured for the first signee. Upon completion of the e-signature request, an email will be sent to the second recipient, who will repeat the process for any DocuSign tags designated for the second signee, and so forth if additional e-signatures are required. 

Once all required e-signatures have been completed, the signed document will be emailed to all recipients. In addition, a copy of the signed document will be attached to upload field on the form record designated in the DocuSign E-signatures plugin settings (for more information, see the article Setting Up the DocuSign E-signatures Plugin → Configuring the Documents Target Form). 

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