Getting to know the advanced features of Docusign templates

Summary•3 min read

Docusign templates look straightforward. Yet there are some powerful features just below the surface that could transform how you send agreements.

By Vidya Narayanan, Sr. Technical Program Manager - Docusign at Docusign

This is the fifth article in our Docusign@Docusign series, which explores the ways we use our own products and features to run the Docusign business. It’s not just so that we can take advantage of the benefits of eSignatures, CLM and more; but it’s to get insights into our customers’ experiences and keep improving our products. Here, we share our learnings.

Think about the last time you got a new phone. If you’re like most, you will have spent hours playing with it – adjusting settings, adding your favourite apps, exploring hacks on YouTube about how to do this or that. Do the same with Docusign and you’ll master some powerful features in no time.

Docusign is rich with advanced features that are designed to boost productivity, lock down security, and simply make your life easier. Here are some of our fave ways to get the most from templates.

Templates and PowerForms

Who doesn’t love a good template? In Docusign, templates are really a foundational feature. But there are some cool things you can do within templates that elevate them to the next level.

For example, in templates you can:

Lock down recipients
Set reminders if you don’t hear back from a recipient
Set expiration dates for a document
Password protect templates
Set up conditional routing/advanced recipient routing
Control document visibility, in other words, who sees what in an envelope

Once you’ve added all these bells and whistles, then it’s a snap to roll out hundreds of envelopes.

Setting up a template is your first step towards PowerForms, too. Use PowerForms for things like activity waivers, event sign-ups or registrations or standard NDAs – they are a quick way for your business to generate on-demand, self-service documents for signature.

Tame your templates with labelled input fields

A great way to get more from Docusign is by adding fields like ‘name’, ‘date’, and ‘signature’ to your forms. If your form has a lot of fields, naming each one will make life so much easier when you export data.

Take things one step further with conditional field logic. With conditional fields, you can create dynamic documents that support a conditional workflow – that is, only when a recipient ticks a check box or answers a question will a new field show.

For example, if the recipient ticks ‘Other’ in a list, a field appears asking for further details. Or, on your order form, you can offer a checkbox for customers to request a different shipping address to their billing address, and only surface the text field for a shipping address if they tick it.

Conditional fields help to keep your form clean and logical, making it much easier for recipients to know exactly what information they need to give you.

Don’t forget, you can set reminders too

Reminders are another great feature of Docusign. If you have a lengthy to-do list and are multi-tasking like a pro, this feature is extremely helpful.

For example, you can set up a reminder so that, if a person doesn’t respond within a certain timeframe, then they get a little nudge. With the reminder doing the remembering for you, it means you don’t need to worry about chasing them up.