SignAndGoWhat the audit trail records, and how to read it.
Every envelope in SignAndGo keeps an audit trail. Most of the time nobody looks at it. It earns its place on the day a client says they never saw a document, or a new manager needs to know who approved a change. Here is what it holds and how to use it.
What gets written down
The audit trail records each view and each signature on the envelope. For every event it keeps the person's name and email address, the time, and the IP address and browser used. It stays attached to that envelope, so the history of one document is never mixed with another.
Because views are recorded as well as signatures, the trail shows the full story: when a signer first opened the document, whether they came back to it, and when they finally signed.
Audit trail, certificate and verification ID
These three things are related but answer different questions.
- The audit trail answers: what happened on this envelope, and when?
- The completion certificate answers: who signed this finished document? It goes to everyone when the envelope completes.
- The verification ID answers: is this copy the one that was signed? Anyone can check it online.
Reading the trail when a question comes up
Suppose a client says they never received a variation. Open the envelope and look for the view events against their email address. If the trail shows the document was opened, and from which IP address and browser, you have something concrete to discuss instead of a disagreement about inboxes.
If the trail shows no views at all, the likely cause is the email address. Check it, correct it, and send again.
Making the trail more useful
A few habits at the sending stage make the trail clearer later. Give the envelope a descriptive title, because that is how you will search for it. Use each signer's own email address rather than a shared inbox, so each event is tied to one person. And add approvers as approvers, not as extra signers, so the record shows exactly who reviewed and who signed.
When a document is going to someone outside your organisation for the first time, it is worth a quick note in your message saying who you are and what to expect. A signer who knows who the email is from opens it sooner, which puts the first view event on the trail within hours rather than days.
Common questions
- Does the audit trail show when someone only viewed a document?
- Yes. Views are recorded as well as signatures, each with a name, email address, time and IP address.
- Who can see the audit trail?
- People in your workspace with access to the envelope. Signers receive the completed document and completion certificate.
- How does someone else confirm a signed copy is genuine?
- They check its verification ID online.