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Did you know there are two ways to leverage your Docusign eSignature templates in order to send an envelope? You can USE a template or APPLY a template. Let’s break down the two methods:
- Use a Template
Using a template is ideal in scenarios where the document in your template remains the same and you’re sending to different recipients each time.
How this works is you can choose to use a template from your Home Page, Templates Page, or Agreements Page. You’ll be prompted to enter in the names and email addresses of any placeholder recipients, then choose “Send”! There is an “Advanced Edit” option as well if any one-off changes are needed. For example, maybe you need to add an additional recipient or customize fields and settings one off.
As for a real world use case, let’s say maybe your organization has a standard NDA that you send to all of your new clients. The NDA document remains the same, there are no changes made to the document before you send, but you are sending it to different clients each time. You can choose to use your NDA template > Then fill in your client name(s) and email address(es) > Send. It’s that easy!
- Apply a Template
Applying a template is helpful in scenarios where the document you’re sending needs to be modified. How this works is you can customize your document outside of Docusign (maybe using Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or some other word processing software). When the document is ready, you can upload it into a new envelope and apply a template.
When you apply a template to a custom document, you’re basically applying the template workflow to the document. The recipient structure, messaging, and fields will be applied to the document you upload.
Let’s consider an example! Your organization creates custom purchase orders for each customer. To begin, you’d customize the purchase order document outside of Docusign. You could use Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any other word processing software. Once the purchase order is ready, you’d upload into Docusign by going to your Home Page> Start > Send an Envelope > Upload > The Template Matching prompt will appear if you have any matching templates to the document you’ve uploaded > You can then choose to apply! The template recipients, messaging, and fields will be applied to your custom document.
Additional Resources
- Eliminate Manual Tasks with Docusign eSignature Webinar
- How to Use Docusign Templates: Step by Step Tutorial Video
- How to Apply a Template to an Envelope Video
- Working With Templates Guide
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Do you have use cases that necessitate using a template vs applying a template?
