New to DocuSign - How to create fillable form for multiple recipients

Have you reviewed any documentation or videos on Templates? Templates are the method to create an envelope structure that can be used over and over, where Recipients change, basically an envelope outline. Here is the article I would suggest starting with and progressing through creating, editing etc.

https://support.docusign.com/en/articles/How-do-I-create-a-template-in-DocuSign

Hi,

Welcome to the DocuSign Support Community!

Here's a link to how to do form-fillable documents > https://support.docusign.com/guides/ndse-user-guide-send-a-pdf-with-form-fields

Thank you, David, for your quick assistance!

Donna

Community Moderator

​Thank you for sending this information. I tested it using a Template that I created, and each recipient received a link and could sign the document. One question, though - How do I receive the files/signatures as individual documents rather than one document? So for example purposes, let's say I'm taking lunch orders with my form, and I want to send 20 identical forms and receive 20 unique orders: Sally wants a hamburger; Jake wants a salad; John wrote a comment to hold the mayo; etc. As it's set up now, I get a link to a "Completed Document" that shows all of the options (hamburger, salad, etc.) that were selected on the same page and all of the comments and all of the signatures: I don't know who selected which option or wrote which comment. How can I send the identical form to each person and receive the unique responses from everyone? Thanks again for your help.

Without knowing the exact setup of the document it can be tough to provide alot of specific information. I will give it a try.

So lets take the Lunch Order example....sounds like you sent one envelope to 20 Recipients, each adding in their order but nowhere is it specifically designating what information was added by whom, just twenty lines of lunch information.

You could add a field like "Name" and then it would automatically fill in the Name of the Recipient along with the lunch order information when they open and fill out the document fields. Form or document design here is key to knowing who ordered what as fields are dropped per Recipient. So when the document is completed you would see 20 lines of individual order, each line indicating the "Name" of the Recipient who ordered that specific lunch. In this scenario I am imagining a order form with 20 lines, each line containing the Recipient "Name", lunch order and comment field for special instructions.

Another option is you have a very simple Lunch Order form that is designed to be sent to each person individually and not a whole group. Here you could use Bulk Send to send one envelope to each person and therefore receiving twenty responses. The downside is obviously not everything in on one document.

thank you! This is getting closer. I think I need the Bulk Send option as each person needs to review and complete the form, indicating their "votes," and signing. I've tested this with a CSV file, and it sort of works, but I've hit a snag that I can't figure out. In order to add form fields to the template, it requires a role or recipient (otherwise all of the template fields like radio button, checkbox, etc. become grayed out). It's as if I can't create a template without a recipient. So then I add a specific person or a generic role to move beyond that. However, later when I get to the step where I'm doing the Bulk Send, it's requiring that the person (or generic role) indicated in the template is a signer. If I try to delete that recipient - so that the file is only sent to those on my Bulk Send CSV list - I get a warning that all of the fields will be deleted from my form. That doesn't seem like the right choice. LOL. So the only workaround that I've created so far is to add myself as the first signer; however, when I do that, it's like I'm attached to each recipient. So if I have 20 names in my CSV, it doesn't recognize those files as "complete" and signed until each CSV recipient and I have opened and signed, meaning that I have to sign 20 files. Am I missing something? Or please advise. Thank you again for your help with this!!

I see you are using "In Person Signer", any particular reason you are using that Recipient Type instead of just "Needs to Sign". I have to read up but I do not think Bulk Send supports In Person Signing. My suggestion is to create a Template, one Recipient who is "Needs to Sign", add document, add the fields specific to the document that Recipient 1 would fill out, Save. Your CSV then need to define just the "Role:Name" and "Role:Email Address" to be successful.

thanks again for your help! ​I changed it to In Person Signer thinking that maybe it wouldn't force Recipient 1 to electronically sign all of the recipients' documents to complete them, but I haven't tested it yet. I changed that because when I tested it initially (post above), I found that I need a recipient to add fields to the document, but instead of having that Recipient 1 just be the first signer (what I'd hoped), it makes that person like a dual signer for each recipient in the Bulk Send. Otherwise those documents remain incomplete if the Recipient 1 doesn't sign each one. I'm not sure what I'm missing here. I'm starting to think that emailing my document to my 20 recipients would be easiest. LOL. Thanks again.

It may seem odd but an you take a screenshot of the form you are using and add it to the post. I just need a kind of mental image of the form you are using to make specific suggestions.

​Hi, I wish I could upload a screenshot, but it has proprietary information. It's a pretty simple form.

• At the top of the page, there is a header to capture a vote: Two options - radio buttons for Yes or No (required field) - are given.
• There is a free-text comment box (optional field).
• Next to that is a signature box (required field).
• Below the header there are boxes of summary information containing about 10-15 optional checkboxes where the recipient can indicate whether that information affects them.

So at the very least, I expect the recipient to complete the top header - vote and signature. But they have the option to add comments and indicate below which of the issues affects them, if they wish.

So, if described like our lunch example, sort of like, Will you be joining us for our lunch presentation today? (Radio button, required). Signature (required). Add comments (optional free text). Indicate which of the following presentations interest you in the future (optional checkboxes).

But as described in my other posts above, in order to add these fields to my form (creating a template), I was required to first indicate a recipient. If I don't indicate a recipient, then I don't have access to add the template fields. And then when I create the Batch Send, that first recipient is required in the batch. If I choose myself as the recipient to create the template (because I don't know another workaround ??), then I'm shown as the first required recipient in the batch send (because I don't know another workaround ??), and then I'm required to view and sign all of the documents along with each recipient in the batch. I must be doing something wrong in the template creation or in the batch send, but I don't know what to fix. Thanks again!

Ok thank you for the explanation, let me see if I can provide a step by step...

First step is to create a new Template, upload your document and add 1 Recipient (Needs to Sign) with just a Role, I will call it "Employee" (No name or email address). Now add fields appropriate to the Recipient, as mentioned radio buttons, signature, optional comment text field. Save

Now create a CSV with a Header that has two columns....one is "Employee::Name", and the second column is "Employee:: Email Address". This is as basic as it gets and each row you add in the CSV file is considered an independent Recipient who gets a new envelope with the document and fields associated to Recipient 1.

So if you add 6 rows with 6 unique Names and unique email address, you are sending 6 envelopes with one Recipient each.

Now you "Use" the Template, upload the CSV, it should show you any errors as well as that the proper Name and Email address are set. Validate any other changes, and Send.

I always test by using a few personal email addresses before sending a actual real envelope with real email addresses. Hopefully the above helps.

Hi, thank you! I think this worked. My recipients received the file, completed it, and I see the completions, and I wasn't forced to have a duplicate signer for anything. Great! I did receive a weird pop-up message before I sent the bulk send, when I was setting it up, which I've placed below. I'm guessing this is similar to a mail merge in Word where it's trying to match fields in the template with fields in the CSV? But it's strange that it didn't have a problem with the required fields (radio buttons and signature). Plus, I'm not sure why it would be necessary to map the fields because it isn't producing a spreadsheet or "summary" for me where it's showing what everyone selected. Unless I'm missing something again? LOL. I'm thinking it's safe for me to move forward without matching these additional optional fields? Do you agree? Thanks again!

Thanks so much for your help with this!