Your DocuSign template: what you need to know

Creating a template in DocuSign can simplify your communications if you will be sending the same document – or even variations of the same document – repeatedly and with a similar workflow. But creating this simplicity tool and keeping the creation process simple are two different things. The information below is designed to smooth your path to a DocuSign template that meets your business needs.

1. Briefly map out your business process: your documentation, the various possible roles of recipients on the routing list, and the way(s) in which you want your recipients to respond. This is your starting point for creating your template.

2. To be sure you have all the information you need, record your answers to the following questions. 

Document differentiations

• (A) Will you always be using the exact same document (i.e., a form that will be entirely filled out via DocuSign) or (B) will you be using slight variations on the same document (i.e., the same basic form with unique data entered each time)?
  • If (A), then you simply need to upload the document when creating the template.
  • If (B), you will need to tell your senders that when they upload the DocuSign document, DocuSign should recognize that it is formatted like that template and, in the Matching Templates window, ask them to select the appropriate template. Senders should check the box of the appropriate template, based on the purchase amount, and then press Apply.  
  • If the Matching Templates window doesn't pop up, senders can instead click the Document Actions drop-down menu, select Apply Template and then choose the appropriate template.

Recipient roles in routing

• What  are the roles in your current workflow? How might these change when the routing between one step and the next is automated with DocuSign?
• Which roles are Sign? Note: For DocuSign, a signer is anyone who inputs ANY information – for example, a signature, a date signed, initials, the person's name or a discrete data field, such as the person's address or reason for applying to a position.
• Which roles are Cc/Receive a copy? This role can ONLY review; the person cannot add any information to the DocuSign document or make notes on it. Copying someone at the end of the workflow is a great way to allow that person to receive the completed (signed) document. No user action is needed for the document to move to the next signer or to be moved to a completed status.
• Which roles are Acknowledge receipt? This role is identical to Cc/Receive a copy except that the user is required to click through the link and view the document before it gets routed to the next person or is considered complete.
• Which roles are Address recipients, Manage envelope or Manage recipients? These are all intermediary roles, people who can add both the names and email addresses of subsequent recipients. 
  • "Address recipients" is required to add the names or email addresses of subsequent users when those fields have been left blank.
  •  "Manage envelope" can also add recipient names and email addresses; in addition, this role also has the ability to add additional roles or recipients as well as change other elements of the envelope.
  • "Address recipients" can add recipient names and email addresses but is not required to do so.
• What roles are hard-coded to always have the same recipient?  What roles are dynamic and will change with each envelope? Roles that are hard-coded should have the recipient's name and email address entered on the template. If you want to restrict a sender from changing that recipient in that role, click Cannot edit.  If you want to restrict a sender from deleting that role, click Cannot delete.

The table below provides further detail.

What to know about each recipient role

Routing order

The question here is: What is the order in which each recipient should receive the DocuSign document and act on it? You can designate each step in the routing to be either parallel or sequential.

If more than one person has the same routing order number (for example, Signer A, Signer B and Copy Recipient C are all in order "1," then they are parallel: They will all receive it at the same time and can sign it in any order. The envelope will not move to the recipients in order slot "2" until all signers in order 1 have taken action. 

With sequential routing, you can add each person individually to the routing order, giving each his or her own routing number, and the document will move from one person to the next after each has signed.

Hard-coded roles vs. designated recipients

In a DocuSign template, you can designate which roles are hard-coded to always go to the same recipient and which roles are only roles at the template level – which means they are dynamic and can be filled in by the sender who is using that template. 

For example, if your form might be filled out by any learner (dynamic) in a particular program but always gets routed to the same dean for approval, the learner would be retained as a role (role = student), with the name and email address fields left blank, and the dean role would be filled out with the dean's name and email address (role = dean; name = John Doe; email address = [email protected]).