Let’s be honest: collecting signatures is a hassle. Printing, scanning, chasing people down by email—no thanks. If you’re tired of the old way, or if you want something smoother than the usual “attach a PDF and hope for the best,” this is for you. Whether you’re in sales, HR, or legal, a solid process for electronic signatures can save time and sanity.
This guide will show you, step by step, how to collect electronic signatures efficiently using Oneflow—a tool built for people who want to get documents signed without the drama. I’ll walk you through setup, sending, tracking, and a few pro moves (plus, what not to bother with).
1. Get Your Oneflow Account Set Up Right
Before you send anything, get your account in order. It sounds basic, but skipping this step leads to problems later (wrong branding, confusing templates, that sort of thing).
What to do: - Sign up for a Oneflow account. Use your work email if this is for business. - Set your organization info: Add your company name, logo, and contact details. This branding shows up on every document you send. - Adjust notifications: Decide if you want an email every time someone views or signs a document. If you’re sending a lot, maybe dial it back. - User roles and permissions: If your team’s involved, set up user roles early. You don’t want an intern sending out contracts by mistake.
Pro tip: Skip the urge to add everyone in your company right away. Start with the people who’ll actually use it. You can always invite more later.
2. Create Reusable Templates (Don’t Start From Scratch Every Time)
Templates are the fastest way to avoid repetitive work. Oneflow’s templates aren’t just static PDFs—they’re interactive, so you can set up fields for signatures, dates, and more.
How to make a good template: - Identify your most common docs (NDAs, employment contracts, sales agreements). - Upload or build from scratch: You can upload a Word/PDF to use as a base, or build directly in Oneflow’s editor. - Add fields: - Signature (obviously) - Text (names, dates, custom notes) - Dropdowns or checkboxes (for options, e.g. “With NDA” or “Without NDA”) - Lock down what matters: You can make certain fields required, so no one “accidentally” skips a signature. - Test your template: Send a test version to yourself or a colleague. Catch mistakes now, not when a client is confused.
What works: Templates save loads of time. If you’re making the same doc more than twice a month, template it.
What doesn’t: Don’t waste time templating one-off documents. For that, just upload and send.
3. Prepare Your Document for Signing
Now you’re ready to actually send something out for signature.
Step-by-step: 1. Choose your template or upload your doc. 2. Fill in the blanks: Enter names, dates, custom terms—whatever the template asks for. 3. Add signers: Enter email addresses. You can set the signing order if it matters (e.g., manager before client). 4. Double-check everything: Typos and wrong emails = delays. (Ask me how I know.) 5. Set reminders: If you want, tell Oneflow to nudge people automatically if they haven’t signed after a few days.
Pro tip: If you’re sending a document to several people who all get the same version (like offer letters), use the “bulk send” feature. It’s a huge time-saver, but check each recipient’s info before hitting send. No one likes getting a contract with someone else’s name on it.
4. Send It Out (And Make Life Easy For Signers)
Hit send and Oneflow emails a secure link to your signers. Here’s where things can get messy—or smooth, if you do it right.
What you can control: - Personalize the message: Don’t send the default “Please sign this document.” Two lines of context (“Hi Tom, here’s the NDA we discussed”) makes it less likely to be ignored. - Mobile-friendly: Oneflow works on phones and tablets, so no one’s forced to print or download an app. That’s good—insist on it. - Authentication settings: You can require signers to log in, use SMS verification, or just click and sign. More security = more friction, so match your settings to the risk level.
What to ignore: Don’t get sucked into fancy “signing ceremonies” or over-customizing every doc. Most people just want to sign and get on with their day.
5. Track Signatures and Nudge (Without Being Annoying)
Once you’ve sent the document, Oneflow lets you watch the process in real time. You’ll see who’s viewed, who’s signed, and who’s ghosting you.
How to stay on top of things: - Dashboard view: See all your outstanding, signed, and declined documents at a glance. - Auto-reminders: Set them up so you’re not chasing people manually. If someone still isn’t signing, maybe just pick up the phone. - Audit trail: Every action is logged—viewed, signed, declined, even edits. Useful if there’s ever a dispute.
What works: Automated nudges (one or two) are usually enough. More than that, and you’re just spamming.
What doesn’t: Don’t rely on email subject lines alone to get attention. If something’s urgent, call or message outside the platform.
6. Store, Search, and Manage Signed Documents
Once everything’s signed, you need to keep things organized. The best e-signature tool is useless if you can’t find your documents later.
How to stay organized: - Folder structure: Set up folders by client, deal, or department. Don’t just dump everything in “My Documents.” - Tagging: Use tags for quick filtering (e.g., “NDA,” “Q2 Sales,” “Expired”). - Search: Oneflow’s search is decent, but only works if your docs are named and tagged sensibly. Take a minute to name things clearly. - Export/backup: Download signed PDFs for backup if your company policy requires it. Don’t assume cloud storage is forever.
Pro tip: Set a monthly reminder to clean up old or expired docs. It’s easier to keep things organized in small doses.
7. Integrate With Your Other Tools (If It’s Actually Helpful)
Oneflow plays well with a bunch of other tools—CRMs (like Salesforce and HubSpot), Slack, Google Drive, and more. Integration can automate sending, status updates, and storage.
When to bother: - If you’re sending lots of contracts from your CRM, integration saves time and reduces errors. - If your team lives in Slack, automatic notifications can be handy.
When not to bother: - If you’re only sending a few docs a month, manual is fine. - Integrations can be fussy to set up and break when APIs change. Only invest the time if it truly makes you faster.
8. Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few pitfalls I see all the time:
- Overcomplicating templates: Keep them simple. Only add fields you really need.
- Forgetting to test: Always send a test doc to yourself before rolling out a new template.
- Ignoring permissions: Don’t let everyone edit templates or send docs—mistakes happen fast.
- Not cleaning up: Old, outdated templates or docs lead to confusion. Delete what you don’t need.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Electronic signatures should make your life easier, not add more busywork. Start simple—set up a couple of templates, get a few documents signed, and see what actually saves you time. Ignore the bells and whistles until you know what you need. If something feels clunky, try a different approach or tweak your process. Most of the magic here is in the basics, not the features.
Collect signatures, get things done, and move on with your day. That’s the whole point.