Signing a document electronically

Configuring the electronic signature

Setting up the electronic signature enables you to define the management objects concerned by the electronic signature. Depending on the type of management object, this setup also enables you to define the signature profile and whether the object should be turn into another once signed electronically.

Note

If you disable the electronic signature for an object type, all ongoing signature requests for this type will be automatically canceled.

The setup of the electronic signature depending on the type of management object can be accessed from General setup > Cross-cutting > Electronic signature. Click on the ***** tab to set up the electronic signature for all your companies, or click on the company tab to set it up for this company specifically.

In the Sales objects section, set up the electronic signature for all management objects of the sales module:

Field	Description
Sales quotations	Select this option to activate the electronic signature on sales quotations. When this option is selected: Fill in the Signature profile to use for signing sales quotations. If no profile is specified, the default Universign profile is used. Check Automatically turn signed quotation into order so that, when all signers have signed (COMPLETED transaction status), the sales quotation is turned into an order. The actual signature date of the quotation is updated automatically with the signature date of the last signer.
Delivery notes	Select this option to activate the electronic signature on sales delivery notes. When this option is selected: Fill in the Signature profile to use for signing delivery notes. Check Automatically turn signed delivery note into invoice so that, when all signers have signed (COMPLETED transaction status), the delivery note is turned into an invoice. The signature date of the delivery note is updated automatically with the signature date of the last signer.

Field

Description

Sales quotations

Select this option to activate the electronic signature on sales quotations.

When this option is selected:

Fill in the Signature profile to use for signing sales quotations. If no profile is specified, the default Universign profile is used.
Check Automatically turn signed quotation into order so that, when all signers have signed (COMPLETED transaction status), the sales quotation is turned into an order. The actual signature date of the quotation is updated automatically with the signature date of the last signer.

Delivery notes

Select this option to activate the electronic signature on sales delivery notes.

When this option is selected:

Fill in the Signature profile to use for signing delivery notes.
Check Automatically turn signed delivery note into invoice so that, when all signers have signed (COMPLETED transaction status), the delivery note is turned into an invoice. The signature date of the delivery note is updated automatically with the signature date of the last signer.

Note

A Universign signature profile can be set up for each type of management object. This profile is used to customize, among other things, the logo displayed, the validity period for transactions or the emails and text messages sent. Contact your Akuiteo management project to set up the different signature profiles.

Setting up printing templates

Printing templates enable you to associate a Birt printing with a type of management object in Akuiteo. If you want to print an Akuiteo quotation in PDF format, the printing template determines the quotation's layout and structure in PDF format.

The electronic signature enables you to electronically sign quotations and delivery notes. To configure the signatures' location, you must set up a specific printing template:

1

From the setup menu, go to Reports setup > Shared, open an existing printing record sheet or click on

in the action bar to create a new template.

Important

The printing template must be one of the following types: a Quotation or a Customer delivery.

2

Click on the Universign tab.

3

To add new signature details, click on + at the top right of the table.

4

In the Coordinates entry window that opens, specify the following fields:

Field	Description
Page	Specify the number of the page where the signature must be added. To add the signature on the last page, specify -1.
X	Specify the X coordinate (X-axis) in pixels to place the signature vertically on the page. This coordinate must be specified in pixels, with a 72 dpi resolution.
Y	Specify the Y coordinate (Y-axis) in pixels to place the signature horizontally on the page. This coordinate must be specified in pixels, with a 72 dpi resolution.
Signer index	Specify the signer's index to determine the signatures' order based on their coordinates. For the first signer, specify 0. Example In the printing template, you add coordinates for two signatures. These two signatures are added on the last page of the document and must be aligned at the bottom of the page. For the first signature, the index is 0 and you place the cartridge at the bottom left of the page. For the second signature, the index is 1 and is placed at the bottom right of the page. Once you send the document to be signed electronically: the first signer in your recipients list will sign at the dedicated location on the left (index 0); the second signer will sign at the dedicated location on the right (index 1).

5

Click on Validate.

Signature details are added. You can add as many coordinates as necessary to set up the printing template.

Sending a document for electronic signature

1

From the Validated quotation's record sheet or delivery's record sheet, click on Edit > Publish and request electronic signature.

2

In the window, specify the following information:

Field	Description
Employee	Select a company's employee or a customer's contact from the help list to add it to the recipients' list for electronic signature. You can add as many employees or contacts as necessary. Check the corresponding options for each added recipient: A to add the employee or contact as a signer. The order in which employees or contacts are added matches the order used when sending documents for electronic signature. When multiple recipients are specified, the request for signature is first sent to the first signer in the list. Once the first signer signed the document, the request is sent to the second signer, and so on. Cc to add the employee's or contact's email as carbon copy when sending the final signed document. Bcc to add the employee's or contact's email as blind carbon copy when sending the final signed document. Note The recipients specified in the Recipients tab of the quotation or delivery note are automatically added to the list of signers.
Customer contact
Template	Select the quotation or delivery note printing template from the drop-down list. This template must be previously set up. If the printing template was set up for electronic signature, signatures will be placed accordingly. If cartridges are meant for specific signers, the signers order must match the order indicated by the signer's index. If you select more signers than there are cartridges set up, the additional signatures will be placed at the bottom of the last page, from right to left. When there are 2 signatures on the same line, the next signatures are added on the line above, and so on. Reference For more information, refer to Setting up printing templates. If the selected printing template was not set up for signatures with the corresponding coordinates, the first signature is added at the bottom right of the document's last page. The next signature is added on the left. When there are 2 signatures on the same line, the next signatures are added on the line above, and so on.

Field

Description

Employee

Select a company's employee or a customer's contact from the help list to add it to the recipients' list for electronic signature. You can add as many employees or contacts as necessary.

Check the corresponding options for each added recipient:

A to add the employee or contact as a signer. The order in which employees or contacts are added matches the order used when sending documents for electronic signature. When multiple recipients are specified, the request for signature is first sent to the first signer in the list. Once the first signer signed the document, the request is sent to the second signer, and so on.
Cc to add the employee's or contact's email as carbon copy when sending the final signed document.
Bcc to add the employee's or contact's email as blind carbon copy when sending the final signed document.

Note

The recipients specified in the Recipients tab of the quotation or delivery note are automatically added to the list of signers.

Customer contact

Template

Select the quotation or delivery note printing template from the drop-down list. This template must be previously set up.

If the printing template was set up for electronic signature, signatures will be placed accordingly. If cartridges are meant for specific signers, the signers order must match the order indicated by the signer's index. If you select more signers than there are cartridges set up, the additional signatures will be placed at the bottom of the last page, from right to left. When there are 2 signatures on the same line, the next signatures are added on the line above, and so on.

Reference

For more information, refer to Setting up printing templates.

If the selected printing template was not set up for signatures with the corresponding coordinates, the first signature is added at the bottom right of the document's last page. The next signature is added on the left. When there are 2 signatures on the same line, the next signatures are added on the line above, and so on.

Tip

If you mistakenly added an employee or a customer contact in the recipients list, uncheck the corresponding box in column A to avoid sending the document for signature.

3

Click on Validate.

An email with a Universign link to the document to sign is sent for electronic signature to the first recipient. Each signer has a deadline (in days) for signature and such deadline is specified when setting up the account at Universign.

Tracking a document's electronic signatures

When a quotation or a delivery note is sent for electronic signature, the Signatures tab is added to the record sheet of the corresponding management object. This tab displays the signatures table in which signatures are first grouped by transaction then by signer. We talk of a transaction when a document is sent for electronic signature and is displayed on a line in the tracking table. If the transaction is canceled and another request for signature is sent, then a second transaction line is added on the table. Unfold each transaction line to display the various signers as well as the status for each signature.

Important

Once signed by all the recipients, the signed document is added to the Linked documents tab. The document is locked and can therefore neither be modified nor deleted.

For each signer, the following information is available:

Information about the transaction, that is, the request for electronic signature. Thanks to the information sent via Universign, these fields are updated as the document is being signed.

Note

Each time the status of a signature changes, an automatic email is sent to the requester, i.e. the email address used by the user who initiated the request for signature and specified in Requester of the transaction.

The signer's contact details (first name, last name, email address).
The signature's status, which can be:
- Signature requested = The document was sent for signature but the signer has not yet signed it.
- In progress = The signer will receive the request for signature once the preceding signers sign the document.
- Signed = The signer has signed the document.
- Canceled = The user canceled the request for signature or one of the recipients has refused to sign the document.
- Expired = The due date set for the recipients to sign the document has expired and the electronic signature is no longer available. The expiration date is defined in the Universign account.
The signature date.
The denial reason, in case the contact or the employee has refused to sign the document.

Dunning a request for electronic signature

Note

A request for signature that expired or was canceled cannot be dunned.

Reference

If you have sent requests for electronic signature and you want to know the quotations and delivery notes that have not been signed yet with a transaction duration nearing expiration, it is possible to set up the RelanceSignaturesElectroniques batch (see RelanceSignaturesElectroniques batch).

However, you can dun a signer when a request for signature has already been sent for a quotation or a delivery. When a request is dunned, the transaction's expiration date is reset. Dunning a request enables you to postpone a signer's due date, thus avoiding that a request for electronic signature expires.

To dun a request, click on Edit > Dun the request for electronic signature in the quotation or delivery's record sheet. The current signer, i.e. the line with Requested for signature, receives a dunning email.

Canceling a request for electronic signature

Note

A request for electronic signature that has expired cannot be canceled. It is also impossible to cancel a request when all the recipients have already signed the document.

When a request for signature has been sent for a quotation or a delivery, it is possible to cancel it.

From the quotation or the delivery's record sheet, go to Edit > Cancel the request for electronic signature and confirm the request cancellation. The request is canceled for all the recipients.