One contract, four signatories, and three different cities: how to handle the signing process without unnecessary forwarding

The document is first to be signed by the sales manager. Then by the supplier's managing director, the client's contact person, and finally the client's managing director. In the meantime, the contract is forwarded several times, different attachments appear in email inboxes, and it is not entirely clear which version is current.

Electronic signing makes it possible to bring all participants together in a single signing process. Everyone gets access to the same document, signs in the designated place, and the sender can continuously track who has already signed and who is still pending.

1. Why signing a contract by multiple people becomes complicated

Each additional signer adds a new step to a paper-based or email process. One person downloads the document, signs it, and sends it on. The next person works with the attachment received by email and then creates another signed version. If the filename is changed during the process or someone accidentally opens an older message, they may sign the wrong document.

Over time, files such as these may be created:

• zmluva_final.pdf,
• zmluva_final_podpisana.pdf,
• zmluva_final_podpisana_2.pdf,
• zmluva_final_vsetci.pdf.

The problem is not only unclear filenames. Manual forwarding increases the risk that someone will omit another signer, send the document to the wrong person, or not know whether the process has already been completed.

With electronic signing, the document remains part of a single process. Instead of sending a new attachment to each participant, individual signers join the same contract.

2. Who can be part of the signing process

A single contract can be signed by several people from one company as well as from different organizations. In practice, this may include, for example:

• a sales representative or project manager,
• a department head,
• a company managing director,
• a client,
• an authorized representative of the client,
• a supplier or external partner.

Not everyone has to have the same role in the process. One person may sign the document, another may receive it for review, and someone else may only be a recipient of the completed version. In OKdokument, you can request signatures from multiple people. Signers receive the request by email and do not need their own user account to sign the document.

This is particularly practical for contracts between companies, where you cannot expect every client, managing director, or external partner to create an account in another application. You can also learn more about the basic procedure in the guide How to create a new envelope.

3. When to set the signing order

For some documents, it does not matter who signs first. All participants can receive the request at the same time and sign when they have time. In other processes, however, the correct order is important.

For example, a company may require the contract to be approved first by the sales manager, then signed by the managing director, and only then sent to the client. On the client's side, the document may first be confirmed by the contact person and signed last by the managing director. Setting the order helps ensure that the request reaches the next person only after the previous step has been completed. This approach is particularly useful when:

• an internal signature must precede the client's signature,
• the document must be approved by a supervisor,
• individual representatives sign in a specified sequence,
• the next participant should not receive the document before the previous step has been completed.

OKdokument supports setting the signing order, so the sender does not have to manually send the document to the next person after each signature.

4. How to prepare one contract for multiple signers

Before sending the document, you need to determine who should sign or fill in what. Each signer can be assigned their own fields. The sales manager signs in the place designated for the supplier, the client on their signature line, and the managing directors in the places reserved for authorized representatives of the companies. In addition to signature fields, the document may also contain other elements, such as:

• date,
• text field,
• note,
• checkbox,
• additional information.

Correctly assigning fields reduces the risk that someone will sign in the wrong place or overlook information they were supposed to provide. The signer also does not have to figure out where their signature is expected. After opening the document, they see the fields intended specifically for them.

5. Everyone can sign from a different city or device

With electronic signing, participants do not have to meet in the same office. One signer may be in Bratislava, another on a business trip in Žilina, and the client in Košice. Each person opens the request on their own device and signs the document wherever they happen to be. Signing can take place on a computer, tablet, or another supported device. The client only needs to open the secure link, review the document, and complete the assigned tasks.

This eliminates the need for:

• coordinating a common appointment,
• traveling for a signature,
• sending the contract by post,
• printing and scanning documents,
• manually forwarding the attachment to the next participant.

The option to sign remotely is also useful when working with foreign partners, external contractors, or employees working outside the office. You can read more about the broader benefits of online signing in the article Why switch to an electronic signature.

6. How to find out who is still pending

In a traditional email process, the sender often has to check the signing status manually. They search the email thread, check received attachments, or contact individual participants to ask whether they have already signed the document. With electronic signing, the document status can be tracked directly in the application. The sender can see whether the process is:

• ready,
• sent,
• awaiting signature,
• completed,
• or rejected or expired.

For the document, the sender can also see which participants have already completed their task and who is still pending. This overview is especially important when handling a larger number of contracts. A sales representative or administrative worker does not have to keep the status of each document in a separate spreadsheet or create their own list of people who need to be contacted.

7. What to do when the signing process stops

Even a well-configured signing process can stop. A signer may not notice the email, may be on vacation, or may simply postpone the document until later. In that case, there is no need to create a new contract or start the entire process from the beginning.

A reminder can be sent to the participant so they return to the document. For time-sensitive contracts, the sender can also set an envelope expiration. Once the specified deadline has passed, signing is blocked so the document does not remain open indefinitely.

A different situation arises when a signer rejects the document. Rejection does not automatically have to mean the end of the business relationship. The reason may be practical: incorrect information, a missing attachment, an outdated price, or a provision that needs further explanation. Information about the rejection helps the sender decide whether to edit the document, prepare a new version, or contact the other party.

8. One final version instead of multiple email attachments

Once signing is complete, a single final version of the document is created. There is no need to combine separate scans, compare attachments, or determine whether the last file received actually contains all signatures.

The completed document remains stored together with information about the progress of the process. The envelope history can provide an audit trail showing who worked with the document, when, and how. This means all participants work with the same result, and the signed document can then be saved, shared, or incorporated into another company process.

A centralized process also reduces the risk that one participant will archive a different version of the contract than the others. Working with a single digital document is part of broader administrative automation, which we also cover in the article Document digitization and process automation.

9. Which type of electronic signature to choose

Not every document requires the same level of electronic signature or signer verification. The appropriate method depends mainly on:

• the type of contract,
• the purpose of the document,
• the need to verify the signer's identity,
• the internal rules of the contracting parties,
• any legal requirements concerning the form of the legal act.

For standard business processes, a simple or advanced electronic signature may be appropriate. For legally significant documents, a higher level of verification or a qualified electronic signature may be required. OKdokument supports several signing methods, including the Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) and the Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). When requesting a signature, additional verification by SMS or email can also be used.

The choice therefore should not be based only on what is fastest for the signer. The nature of the document and the level of assurance the company needs should also be taken into account. You can find more detailed context in the article Electronic verification of intent and identity.

10. Example: four people, one signing process

Imagine a contract between a software services provider and its new client. On the supplier's side, it is to be signed by:

1. a sales manager who confirms the agreed terms,
2. the company's managing director, who signs the contract on behalf of the supplier.

On the client's side, it is to be signed by:

1. a project manager who confirms the scope of cooperation,
2. the client's managing director, who signs the contract last.

The sales manager prepares the document, adds all signers, and assigns the appropriate signature fields to each person. They then set the order:

sales manager → supplier's managing director → client's project manager → client's managing director.

After the first signature is completed, the process continues to the next person. Each participant works with the same document and signs only the fields assigned to them. Meanwhile, the sales manager is in Bratislava, the supplier's managing director is on a business trip, the client's project manager works in Žilina, and the client's managing director signs the contract in Košice.

No one has to manually download the document and send it to the next participant. The sender continuously tracks the status and can send a reminder in case of a delay. When the last participant signs, the process is closed and one final version of the contract is created with the complete signing history.

How to start signing documents with multiple people

First, choose a process in which a document regularly moves between several people today. It may be a commercial agreement, an addendum, a framework agreement, an order, or an internal document that must be approved sequentially by several responsible persons.

Before sending it, ask yourself four questions:

1. Who must sign the document?
2. Do the participants have to sign in a specific order?
3. Which fields belong to each person?
4. By when should the signing be completed?

Once everything is set up correctly, you no longer have to manually forward the document after each signature. Signers receive their own request, the sender tracks the status, and once completed, everyone has one final version. You can find the practical procedure from the recipient's perspective in the guide How to sign an envelope.

One document, one process, and a complete overview

More signers do not have to mean more attachments, more phone calls, or a confusing email thread. Electronic signing makes it possible to prepare one contract, add all participants, assign signature locations, set the order, and track the progress from one place.

With OKdokument, you can request signatures from multiple people, set the signing order, send reminders, set the envelope expiration, and after completion work with one signed version and the history of the entire process.