A contract is ready in Salesforce, but to get it signed, the document leaves the system. It is exported, loaded into a separate e-signing tool and, once signed, manually attached back to the right record. Or it isn’t, and a month later someone is searching their inbox for it. Digital signing from Salesforce removes those in-between steps: the document leaves from the record and comes back to it signed.
Why a separate e-signing tool creates friction
A dedicated signing tool is not a problem in itself. The problem is the handover between two systems:
- Double data entry. Signers, email addresses and document names are entered again, even though they already exist in Salesforce.
- No status on the record. Anyone opening the opportunity cannot see whether the contract has been sent, partly signed or completed.
- Filing depends on people. Someone has to put the signed document back. If that doesn’t happen, the contract is not on record where it belongs.
- Extra licences. An external signing service often needs its own users and its own subscription.
How signing inside Salesforce works
SignFlow is built entirely native in Salesforce. It is not a connection to an external e-signing service: your documents and the signing process stay inside your own Salesforce environment. A wizard takes the user through four steps:
- Configure the document. Have AI draft a document from your description, upload an existing PDF, or pick a file already in the record’s Files. Your own party is filled in automatically from the record page.
- Add signers. For each party you add signers and observers, with email, job title and a sequence number.
- Place signature fields. Click on the PDF to place signature, initials and date fields, each linked to the right signer.
- Review and send. Choose an email template and send. Every signer receives a secure, personal link.
The component works on any record page, such as Opportunity, Account, Contact or a custom object, and on Home and App pages too.
What your signers experience
Signers don’t need a Salesforce account. They receive a secure, time-limited link by email to their own signing page and sign in the browser, on any device, without logging in.
With multiple signers, you set the order. Party 1 always signs first; signers with the same sequence number sign at the same time. Observers follow along and receive a copy once everything is signed, without having to sign themselves.
You write the invitation email yourself using standard Salesforce Email Templates. Every template in the “Document Signing Templates” folder appears in the picklist automatically, so your team controls tone and content without any configuration change.
After the last signature
Once all parties have signed, the final PDF is generated automatically and attached to the Salesforce record. Observers get a notification. Nobody has to file anything by hand, and whoever opens the record later finds the signed contract right where the deal is.
If the process continues into invoicing after the signature, read how to send invoices from Salesforce.
What to consider when rolling it out
- Decide which objects get the component: only the opportunity, or accounts and custom objects as well.
- Define per document type who signs and in what order.
- Put the invitation emails in the right template folder before users start.
- Start with one document flow, for example your standard contract, and expand once that runs smoothly.
Want to see SignFlow working in your own Salesforce environment? Get in touch for a personal demo.