Start a signing from a document

When working within SmartMLS Sign, you are not limited to only using the forms (Templates) that we have already configured and uploaded to the platform. You can easily upload your own documents and prepare them for a signing.

After clicking New Signing and entering the basic information (Signing Name, Property Address, Expiration Date, etc.), scroll down towards the bottom of the screen and click Upload Document(s):

Upload the desired document(s) either via drag & drop or by clicking Browse to search your local computer/device:

Once you've located the desired document, click the Open button to bring it into the SmartMLS Sign platform.

Documents that you've uploaded appear at the bottom of the screen (underneath the +Add Document(s) button):

If there are additional documents you would like to upload for this signing, click the Add Document(s) button, then click Upload Document(s) and repeat the steps you performed to upload the first document:

Click Continue when you're ready to start creating the signing.

You should now see the document that you just uploaded. Before you start the process of marking the document up for signing, it is a good idea to scroll through to make sure it is the correct document and that all necessary pages are present.

There is a lot going on in the Signing Editor. We're going to concentrate on the sections that are vital when setting up your own uploaded document for a signing:

The Signing Flow section on the right side of the document is where you add the signers, known as Participants, who will have an active role in the signing. If the signing of your document must happen in a specific order, you can use Stages to determine the order in which participants will perform their specific tasks (click here to learn about Stages):

Use the Add Participant button to add your participants and set their specific role (buyer, seller, etc.):

1. Use the Role drop-down menu to assign a role (Buyer, Seller, Landlord, etc.) to the Participant. Depending on the document, there can be multiple participants with the same role (the property has two sellers, for instance).
2. The drop downs in the First Name and Last Name fields will display all of the contacts you've added to the SmartMLS Sign platform. If the participant you are adding is not in your contacts list, just enter their name and contact information and they will be added to your contacts when you click Save.
3. Enter the participant's email address. This is the address to which the signing will be emailed.
4. Even though it is not a required field, it is a good idea to enter the participant's phone number. For instances where multiple participants have the same email address, the phone number is used as a unique identifier. This situation initiates a two-factor authentication process (where a code is texted to the phone number) that must be completed before the signing document(s) can be accessed.
5. There are three options in the Type field:
   • Reviewer- a participant that does not have any signing duties but must review the signed document before the signing is complete.
   • Signer- a participant whose signature, initials, etc. are required.
   • Distribution- a participant that does not have any signing tasks but will receive a copy of the signing once all participants have completed their tasks.
6.  If you have any specific directions about the signing you'd like to convey to the participant, enter them in the Instructions field. They will be included when the signing is sent to the participant.
7. Click Save when you're finished. 

There are a few other fields on the Add Participant form, but they are optional and not as important as those covered above.

Repeat these steps for all participants that are involved in the signing of your uploaded document. Each participant will have their own unique color-coded fields, making it easy for them to know where they must interact with the document.

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In the top left corner of the Signing Editor, there are several drop-down menus that provide all the tools you'll need to set the document up for a signing. This is where you go to assign each participant their specific tasks for the signing.

Every field and utility within these menus can be added to your document via drag & drop. 

Here's a closer look:

• Participant Actions- signature, initial and date fields that the participant must complete when they receive the signing.
• Participant Fill-in Fields- fields that the signing's participants will manually complete, such as email addresses, phone numbers and freeform text fields. These fields are tied to the participant's specific role (buyer, seller, etc.).
• Participant Autofill- fields that will automatically populate from a signing participant's contact information. 
• Common Fields- fields that you (the signing initiator) must fill out prior to sending the signing out to the participants. After adding a common field, double click within it to get a cursor so you may enter the necessary text (clicking only once within the field will not enable you to type within it). 
• Markup- fields that ammend the document (strikethroughs) or draw attention to specific parts (arrows, highlights, comments).

Once you've added all the participants, setting the document up for signing is a matter of filling in the Common Fields and then selecting each participant and dragging & dropping their respective fields to the appropriate places on the document.

1. As the initiator of the signing, it is up to you to fill out all of the fields that do not require the intervention of any of the participants. This is accomplished through the Common Fields drop-down menu. 
   Note: all of the fields you add during this process will be shaded pink. 
   1. Use the Text Box option for any freeform text fields. Double click within the text box to add the necessary text to the field.
   2. If there are fields where it is permissible to choose more than one option, use the Checkbox.
   3. If there are fields where there can only be one selection, use the Radio Button.
   4. Once all of the fields are in place, fill them in and/or make the appropriate selections. 
2. Use the Participant drop-down menu to select the desired participant. 
3. If the document requires their signature, go to the Participant Actions menu and click Signature. Your mouse cursor will turn into a placeholder signature block (color-coded to the participant) that displays their name. Move your cursor to the spot on the document that requires their signature and click. The placeholder for their signature will lock in place (the participant will be directed to interact with this field when they open the signing).
   If the signing requires the participant to initial or date specific parts of the document, drag & drop those fields to their respective spots.
4. Use the Participant Fill-in Fields section to drag & drop any fields where the participant must manually enter information or make selections from a list of choices.
5. The Participant Autofill section conveniently pulls information from the participant's contact record. This is great for populating their personal information (email, phone number, address, etc.) directly to the document.
6. The Markup section contains a handful of tools you can use to annotate or call attention to important parts of the document. Comment bubbles, highlights, arrows and more are located within the Markup list.
7. Repeat these steps for each signing participant.

Once you have finished adding all of the fields that require intervention from your participants, click the Send Signing button in the bottom right corner.