What it does
You can send a document generated on a sales order, such as a letter of authority, to one of the customer's contacts to sign online. The contact opens a secure link, fills in any details the document asks for, and signs by typing or drawing their signature. No login, printing or scanning is needed.
The signed copy is stored against the sales order automatically, and the order shows where each document has got to.
Switching it on
This is a company-level option that The Layer switches on for you. Speak to your representative at The Layer if you would like it. Nothing changes for companies that do not have it.
An administrator then chooses which sales order templates can be sent for signature and what the customer has to fill in. See Setting up a sales order template for signature.
Sending a document
Open the sales order and go to the Documents tab.
Tick the template, for example your letter of authority, and click Generate. Details The Layer already holds, such as the company name, registration number and addresses, are filled in for you.
Click Send for Signature.
Choose the document and the contact to send it to. Only contacts of the order's customer who have an email address are listed. You can add a short message.
Click Send.
The contact receives an email with a link to the document. The link works for 60 days.
Only documents generated after the template was set up for signature can be sent. If Send for Signature says there is nothing to send, generate the document again.
Trying it yourself first
Before sending a document to a customer for the first time, you can see exactly what they will see. In the Send for Signature dialog, choose the document and click Try it yourself first.
The signing page opens in a new tab. Fill it in and sign as your customer would. You get the signed copy back as a download, with TEST COPY - NOT A REAL SIGNATURE across the top of every page, so you can check every detail lands in the right place.
Nothing is sent to the customer, nothing is stored against the order, and the order's status does not change. You can try it as many times as you like.
What your customer sees
The link opens a page with your branding and the document. Under it, the customer:
fills in the details the document asks for, such as the numbers to port or their current provider
enters their name, job title and email address
types or draws their signature
confirms they are authorised to sign
If something The Layer filled in is wrong, the page asks them not to sign and to contact you instead.
When they sign, they see a thank-you page and receive the signed copy by email. You and the order owner are emailed too.
Tracking documents sent for signature
The Signatures section under the templates on the Documents tab lists every document sent from the order, with its status:
Sent, awaiting signature: the email has gone and the link has not been opened
Opened, awaiting signature: the customer has opened the link
Signed: the signed copy is on the order
Replaced by a newer send: the document was sent again, so this link no longer works
Cancelled: cancelled by a user, the 60 days passed, or the order was cancelled
While anything is waiting for a signature the tab reads Documents (1 to sign), so it is easy to see from the order.
Each row lets you open the original and the signed copy, see the Details the customer entered and every time the link was opened, Resend with a new link, or Cancel.
The signed copy
The signed copy is the document as it was sent, with the customer's details and signature in place. Every signature box in the document is signed. A final page records who signed, when, from which IP address and browser, and the details they entered.
Both the original and the signed copy are kept in the order's files. Changes made to the order after sending do not change what was signed.
Common questions
The customer says the link does not work. It may have been signed already, replaced by a newer send, cancelled, or be more than 60 days old. Check the status in Signatures and use Resend if needed.
I sent it to the wrong person. Click Cancel on the row, then send it again to the right contact.
The status says the signed copy was not produced. The signature and details are safe. Click Regenerate on the row to produce the signed copy.