Dealing with people who forget to sign digital documents? You’re not alone. If you’re sending contracts, NDAs, or approvals and waiting... and waiting... it gets old fast. That’s where automated reminders come in. This guide walks you through setting up reminders in Adobesign so you can stop nagging people manually and get your docs signed faster.
Whether you manage HR paperwork, client contracts, or just want less to chase down, this is for you. We’ll go step-by-step, flag the gotchas, and help you skip the fluff.
Why bother with automated reminders?
Before we dive in, let’s be honest: reminders aren’t magic. They won’t turn a stubborn client into a speed demon. But they do save you time and sanity. Here’s what they actually help with:
- Cut down on “Did you get my email?” follow-ups.
- Make your process look more professional.
- Keep deals and projects moving instead of stalling out.
- Give you a record of who’s dragging their feet.
But reminders aren’t a silver bullet. If someone’s ghosting you hard, no number of emails will fix that. Still, for the 90% who just forgot, reminders work.
Step 1: Prep your document in Adobesign
First things first: you need to have a document ready to send in Adobesign. If you already know how to do this, you can skip ahead. For everyone else:
- Log in to Adobesign.
- Click Send in the top menu.
- Upload your document (PDF, DOCX, etc.).
- Add the recipient’s email address.
- Place signature and other fields where needed.
Pro tip: Double-check the fields and recipient info. Automated reminders don’t help if you send the doc to the wrong person.
Step 2: Find the reminders option
Adobe likes to move UI elements around, but as of early 2024, here’s where the reminders live:
- After you’ve set up your doc and recipients, look for the Options or More Options section (usually at the bottom of the send page).
- You should see an area labeled Reminders or Set reminder.
If you don’t see it, expand any collapsed sections. Adobe loves hiding settings behind dropdown arrows.
Step 3: Set up your reminder schedule
Now for the main event. You’ll have a few choices for how reminders work. Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Frequency: Daily, weekly, or custom intervals.
- Duration: Until the doc is signed, or for a set number of days.
What works
- Daily reminders: Great for urgent stuff or when you know the recipient is forgetful.
- Weekly reminders: Good for less-urgent docs or when you don’t want to annoy people.
- Custom schedules: You can set reminders every 3 days, or whatever makes sense.
What doesn’t
- Overkill: If you set reminders too often, you risk annoying the recipient into ignoring all your emails. (Think: the boy who cried “sign my DocuSign.”)
- Too sparse: Weekly is fine, but if you’re on a tight deadline, it’s probably not enough.
Pro tip: For most business docs, a daily reminder for 3-5 days is the sweet spot. After a week, if they haven’t signed, a personal nudge might work better.
Step 4: Customize your reminder message (if possible)
AdobeSign lets you send reminders, but the level of customization depends on your plan. Here’s the honest rundown:
- Personal and small business plans: You might only be able to send generic reminders.
- Business and enterprise plans: You may get options to edit the reminder email’s subject or message.
If you can customize, do it. A reminder with your name and a quick note (“Hey, just bumping this up in your inbox”) feels less robotic and more likely to get a response.
Reality check: Most people ignore generic “Reminder: Please sign” emails. A little personalization goes a long way—but Adobe doesn’t always make this easy unless you’re paying for a higher tier.
Step 5: Double-check before sending
Before you hit that “Send” button, check:
- The recipient’s email is correct.
- The document has all the required fields.
- Your reminder schedule is reasonable (not too much, not too little).
- Any custom messages are typo-free.
It’s a pain to recall a document just to fix a typo or wrong email. Take the extra minute now.
Step 6: Track and manage reminders after sending
You’ve sent it. Now what? Here’s what you can (and can’t) do after the doc is out:
- Monitor status: In your AdobeSign dashboard, you can see if the document is viewed, signed, or still pending.
- Send manual reminders: At any time, you can go to your “Manage” page, find the doc, and hit “Remind” to send another nudge (either to all recipients or a specific one).
- Cancel reminders: If you realize you’re bombarding someone or the doc is no longer needed, you can cancel reminders for that specific agreement.
What AdobeSign doesn’t do (yet)
- No fancy analytics: You can see if someone opened the doc, but not whether they read your reminder emails.
- No “remind only on weekdays” option: If you send daily reminders, they’ll go out on weekends too. People might miss them in the Monday email pile.
Pro tip: If you’re dealing with multiple signers, you can set reminders for each person individually. Handy if one person is holding things up.
Step 7: Adjust your global reminder settings (for admins)
If you’re an account admin, you can set up organization-wide reminder defaults. This is mostly for bigger teams, but here’s how:
- Go to Account Settings > Reminders in the admin console.
- Set default frequency and duration for all new agreements.
- Save changes.
Why bother? Saves time and keeps your team from forgetting to set reminders. But don’t make these too aggressive—you don’t want your company to get a reputation for spamming.
What to ignore
There’s a lot of advice out there about “integrations” and “workflows.” Here’s what you can safely skip (at least for reminders):
- Zapier or Power Automate integrations: Overkill for basic reminders. AdobeSign’s built-in tool works fine for the average user.
- Custom APIs: Unless you’re automating complex stuff or have thousands of docs, you don’t need this.
- Third-party reminder apps: Stick with AdobeSign’s system so you don’t confuse your signers with multiple emails from different sources.
Real-world tips for better results
- Pick up the phone: If reminders aren’t working, a quick call or text often gets the doc signed faster than another email.
- Check spam folders: Some reminder emails get filtered. If someone swears they didn’t see it, this is usually why.
- Batch your sends: If you have a pile of docs to send, schedule them to go out at the start of the week, so you’re not chasing people on Fridays.
Keep it simple, and don’t overthink it
Automated reminders in Adobesign are a lifesaver—when used right. Set a sensible schedule, personalize if you can, and don’t be afraid to follow up yourself when needed. The goal isn’t to automate every bit of your workflow, just the parts that waste your time.
Start small, see what works for your team and your clients, and tweak as you go. Most of the time, a little automation is all you need to get those signatures across the finish line.