ESignature: How-To (and What is) Sequential Signing

One of the "killer" features of DocuSign's electronic signature and online contract execution service is sequential signing. If you're a consultant, a broker or perhaps a realtor, sequential signing will help you get signatures in the order you need them.

Let's look at a hypothetical electronic signature process without sequential signing:

Sender -off to-> Signer A -off to-> Signer B -off to-> Signer C -off to-> Signer D -off to-> ... you get the picture

In concrete terms, I'm talking about:

Buyer's agent sends --> Buyer's agent signs --> Buyer signs --> Co-buyer signs --> CC to seller's agent (then the seller's agent goes throught it all again)

And ICK. What happens when several people are out of town and it has to be done by tomorrow???

What a mess - the sender has to manage this unwieldy electronic contract execution process.

With DocuSign electronic signature and sequential signing, the electronic signature process looks like this:

Sender -off to-> Signer 1 -off to-> Signer 2 -off to-> Signer 3 -back to-> Sender!

So how do you get signed up for and use an online contract execution process that will save you time and increase your customer satisfaction?

1. Register for your DocuSign 30 day free trial.

2. Log into the DocuSign system.

3. In the upper left menu bar, click "New" to create a new envelope.

4. Click the "Choose File" button to select and upload the document(s) for signing.

Now this is going to get good - hang on to your hats!

5. Fill out the blanks, or fields, to designate your recipient.

6. Next to the fields where you entered the email address and name of your signer, is a drop down, under the word "Order" It defaults to "1," indicating that the recipient from step five will get the document first.

7. Designate a second recipient.

8. Go to the drop down, click and see that you can now choose "2." The recipient from step seven will get the document after the first signer signs if you select "2" from the drop down.

You can continue this process as necessary and designate signers in whatever order you choose. Did you change your mind before you finished designating all the signers? Just go to the drop down and reassign numbers to your signers.

Do you want some signers to get it at the same time as each other, but after others? Just match their names to the right numbers, such as:

1 - Jane Smith

1 - John Smith

2 - Emily Doe

2 - Edward Doe

The Smiths will sign first, and then the Does.

Want the Does' real estate agent to get a copy of the documents? Designate the agent as a recipient, but instead of selecting "Signer" select "Carbon Copy (CC)."

DocuSign electronic signature with sequential signing helps everyone get what they need!