SignAndGoTemplates or one-off envelopes: when to use which.
Every envelope you send starts one of two ways: from a template you set up earlier, or from a fresh upload. Getting the balance right saves time without burying your workspace in templates nobody remembers. Here is a simple way to decide each time.
The rule of three
If you expect to send the same document, with the same fields, three or more times, make it a template. Below that, a one-off envelope is usually quicker: upload, place the fields, send. Typical template candidates in a New Zealand business are a standard engagement letter, a tenancy pack, a contractor agreement and a new starter bundle.
What a template saves
A template keeps the documents, the field positions, the signer roles, the signing order and any approver. Next time, you add the people and send. It also means everyone in the team sends the agreed wording, not a copy that drifted on someone's desktop.
- Field positions, so nothing is misplaced.
- Roles such as Client, Guarantor or Manager.
- Signing order and approvers.
- Required fields, so gaps are impossible.
When one-off is the better call
Bespoke agreements, a document with negotiated changes, or a one-time letter to a supplier are better as one-off envelopes. Turning them into templates adds clutter. If a bespoke document later turns out to repeat, you can always save it as a template then.
Name roles, not people
The most common template mistake is placing fields against a named person. When that person leaves or a different client signs, the template has to be rebuilt. Use roles that describe the job someone does in the document. You fill in the actual person each time you send.
Shared or private
In SignAndGo a template is shared with your workspace unless you mark it private. Share the ones the team should all use. Keep drafts and personal one-offs private until they are agreed, then share them. Review the shared list now and then, and retire any that nobody has sent in months. A short list of well-kept templates is easier for a new team member to trust than a long list of near-duplicates with similar names.
Common questions
- Can a one-off document become a template later?
- Yes. If you find yourself sending it again, upload it once more, place the fields against roles and save it as a template.
- What does a template remember?
- The documents, fields, signer roles, signing order and approvers.
- Who can see my templates?
- Your workspace, unless you mark a template private.