Has anyone ever woken up excited to print documents, sign them with a pen, scan them, and email them back? Probably not. And organizing who signs what when you have four different people involved? Even worse.
In reality, nobody loves paperwork. But it's still part of getting deals done. And when you're working with companies that have strict approval processes, figuring out who signs in what order can give you a headache.
What is a signing order?
A signing order is just the sequence of who needs to sign your document and when. It's pretty straightforward when one person needs to sign. But it gets complicated when multiple people with different jobs need to approve something.
Let's say you're sending a proposal to a big company. It's probably not going straight to one person. It'll go through different departments like legal, finance, and operations. Usually, the person with the most authority signs last. And sometimes, you might need to sign it too after everyone else is done.
Why does the signing order matter?
If you're sending a proposal to four managers at the same level, the order doesn't really matter. One could decide not to sign, and you could still move forward with the other three. But things change when you're dealing with people who have different responsibilities and different levels of authority.
Here's an example: you're proposing an office interior design project. You need signatures from:
The Purchasing Manager who contacted you
The Project Manager who'll handle the actual work
The CFO who needs to approve the budget
Each person has a different role. The Purchasing Manager wants a good deal. The Project Manager cares about timelines. The CFO is watching the money. Getting their signatures in this order makes sense because each person reviews what matters to them, and the next person can see what the previous one approved.
What happens without a signing order?
Imagine you didn't set up any order and somehow got the CFO to sign first. Great, right? Not exactly. Two days later, the Project Manager calls and says the timeline doesn't work and needs changes. Now you have to revise the proposal AND get the CFO to sign again. If this happens more than once, everyone gets annoyed. That's not the impression you want to make. Setting up the right order from the start avoids all this mess.
Benefits of digital signatures with signing orders
Going digital with your signatures isn't just about saving paper. It actually makes the whole process way smoother.
1. More secure
Digital signatures are hard to fake. Every action gets recorded (who signed, when they signed, even their location). Everything is encrypted and tracked. This paper trail protects everyone involved.
2. Less work for you
Once you set up a digital signing order, the system does the work. You don't have to keep track of who's next or send reminder emails. The platform automatically sends the document to the right person at the right time.
3. Much faster
Location doesn't matter anymore. Someone in London can sign right after someone in New York finishes. No waiting for mail, no wondering if they got your email. Automatic reminders mean people don't forget. What used to take weeks now takes days.
4. You always know what's happening
You can see exactly where your document is at any time. Who's looked at it? Who's taking forever? Who needs a reminder? You're never guessing.
How Wonit helps with signatures?
With Wonit, you get detailed notifications about everything happening with your proposal. You'll know when someone opens it, what sections they read, how long they spent on each part, and which parts got their attention versus what they skipped.
Wonit puts an AI chat right inside your proposal. So when someone's reading your proposal at midnight and has a question, they don't have to wait for you. They just ask the AI, and it answers based on your proposal and company info. This keeps things moving even when you're asleep.
Conclusion
Getting multiple people to sign doesn't have to be a mess. A proper signing order keeps things organized so the right people approve at the right time. With digital signatures and tools like Wonit, you can see who's reading your proposal and what they're looking at. Plus, the built-in AI answers questions even when you're not around. What used to take weeks now takes days, so you can focus on closing deals instead of chasing signatures.
Ready to transform your proposal process? Get early access to Wonit and start creating winning proposals today.