Sending a contract for signature isn't just uploading a PDF and hitting send. This guide covers best practices for preparing contracts, writing the right email, setting deadlines, and following up professionally.
Getting a contract signed sounds simple, but there are a handful of places where the process breaks down: ambiguous instructions confuse signers, contracts sit unread in inboxes for days, and missing fields lead to back-and-forth that delays everything.
This guide covers best practices for requesting signatures — from preparing your contract and writing an effective email, to setting deadlines and following up without being annoying.
1. Prepare the contract before sending
The biggest source of delay isn't signers who are slow — it's signers who have questions. Every question means a reply email, a correction, and a resend. Before you send:
Review the document Read the contract yourself as if you were the signer. Look for ambiguous clauses, missing dates, blank fill-in fields, and placeholder text (e.g. "[INSERT CLIENT NAME]") that you forgot to replace. These are the most common reasons a signer stops and emails you instead of signing.
Confirm the signer's authority Make sure the person you're sending to is authorized to sign on behalf of their organization. For companies, this is often the CEO, CFO, or General Counsel depending on contract value. Sending to the wrong person adds days of internal routing on their end.
Get the right email address A typo in the email address means the signer never receives the document. Confirm the address — especially for names with common spelling variations (e.g. Jeff vs. Geoff, MacDonald vs. McDonald).
2. Place fields before sending
Upload your PDF to Signvoy and place signature fields before you send — don't send a "please sign wherever appropriate" document. Explicit fields:
- Tell the signer exactly where to sign
- Ensure you get all required signatures and initials
- Prevent signers from claiming they didn't see a signature block
For a standard bilateral agreement, you typically need:
- One Signature field per party
- One Printed name text field per party
- One Date field per party (set to auto-fill, so it captures the actual signing date)
- One Title field if both parties are signing on behalf of organizations
If the contract has an exhibit or schedule that also requires acknowledgment, add Initials fields there.
3. Write a clear request email
Signvoy sends an automatic notification email with a signing link, but you can (and should) customize the message. A good signing request email:
States what the document is "Attached for your electronic signature: the Consulting Services Agreement between Acme Corp and Signvoy Inc., dated June 5, 2026."
Gives a brief action instruction "Please click the link to review and sign. The entire process takes less than 2 minutes."
Sets a deadline "Please sign by [Date]. If you have any questions before then, reply to this email."
Keeps it short Three to five sentences is ideal. Signers don't need a lengthy preamble — they need to know what they're signing and when you need it by.
Example message:
Hi [Name],
Please find attached the [Document Name] for your electronic signature. Click the link in the notification email to review and sign — it should take about 2 minutes.
If you have any questions about the terms, please reach out before [Deadline Date] so we have time to discuss. Otherwise, your signature by [Deadline Date] would be appreciated.
Thank you, [Your name]
4. Set a realistic deadline
A document without a deadline will wait indefinitely. Set a signing deadline in Signvoy when you send:
- For standard contracts: 5–7 business days is standard
- For urgent contracts: 48 hours with a personal heads-up call or message
- For large or complex agreements: 10–14 business days to allow time for legal review
Signvoy sends automatic reminder emails to signers who haven't signed at 24 hours and 48 hours before the deadline. This eliminates most of the need for manual follow-up.
5. Follow up professionally
If a signer hasn't signed and you haven't heard from them:
- Day 3 (if deadline is Day 7): A brief, friendly check-in — "Just wanted to make sure the signing link arrived. Let me know if you have any questions."
- Day 6 (day before deadline): A more direct reminder — "A reminder that the agreement is due for signature tomorrow. Please let me know if there's anything holding it up."
- Day 7 (deadline day): Contact them directly — phone or in-person if possible. At this point, the delay is intentional or something is wrong and you need to know which.
Avoid passive-aggressive language ("Per my previous email…") or language that sounds like a threat ("I'll need to reconsider the engagement if…"). Keep it professional and assume good faith until you have evidence otherwise.
6. After signing: send copies to all parties
Once all signatures are collected, Signvoy automatically notifies all signers and makes the signed PDF available. Best practice: download the signed PDF and email it directly to all parties as an attachment. Don't assume everyone will log into the platform to retrieve it.
Store the signed PDF in a shared drive or document management system where the relevant team members can access it — not just in your personal email.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending the wrong version: Always send the final, agreed version. If negotiations were ongoing, confirm with the other party that you're both working from the same draft.
- Signing before the other party: If your standard practice is to countersign after the other party, configure sequential signing so your signature is only requested after theirs is received.
- No audit trail: Using a platform that doesn't generate an audit trail leaves you without evidence if the signature is ever disputed. Signvoy generates a tamper-evident audit certificate automatically.
- Forwarding the signing link: Signing links are personal. If a signer forwards the link to a colleague, the colleague can sign in the original signer's name. Use role-based signing to assign fields to specific email addresses.
Frequently asked questions
What if the signer doesn't have a computer?
Signvoy signing links work on any smartphone or tablet. Signers can draw their signature with a finger on the touchscreen. If a signer has no device access at all, they'll need to sign a paper version.
Can I sign on behalf of someone else?
No, and you shouldn't. Signing someone else's name without their explicit authorisation is fraud. If a signer needs someone to sign on their behalf (e.g. for an incapacitated person), a power of attorney must be in place and the authorized signatory should sign with their own name and note their authority.
What if the signer wants to negotiate before signing?
They should contact you before clicking sign — and you should pause the signing process, make agreed changes, and resend. Never ask a signer to sign a document "as is" and then adjust it separately — both parties should sign the final agreed version.
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