Creating and sending agreements based on the Common Paper standards is the primary function of the software. Let's take you through the process.
Templates
In order to create and send a Common Paper agreement, you'll need to create a template first. When you first sign up for Common Paper, we'll have you create your first template, and additional templates can be created at any time (and for any agreement type) by visiting the Templates section on the left navigation.
For more information about Template Settings, click here.
Creating an Agreement
Once you have created a template, you can create a new agreement either by clicking on the Create new agreement button on the list of agreements, or the Actions menu when viewing a template. In the former case, you'll be asked to pick which template to start from.
Once you've chosen an agreement, you'll be brought to the Send a new agreement form, which will be pre-loaded with the values you selected in your template.
Recipient Section
The first section you'll need to fill out is the Recipient section, which includes information about your counterparty and helps craft and direct the automated emails that drive the negotiation and signature process.
If you'd like to optionally pre-fill your recipient's Title and Notification Address, click the Provide more info link, which will expand this section to include those fields.
Here are what each of the fields represent:
Field | Description |
Email Address | The email address of who will receive this agreement to review and sign.
NOTE: You (and this person) will have the ability to reassign this agreement later if they end up not being the right person to handle the agreement. |
Full Name | Name of the person receiving the agreement |
Organization | Name of the organization receiving the agreement
NOTE: This information will be used on the agreement, but can be updated by the recipient before signing so does not need to be the official name of the company. It's also optional if you are sending an agreement to an individual. |
Recipient Title | Title of the recipient receiving the agreement. Like the Organization name, this is optional and can be updated before signing by the recipient. |
Notification Address | Notification address of the recipient receiving the agreement. Like the Organization name, this is optional and can be updated before signing by the recipient. |
Message | When the agreement is created, an email will be sent to the recipient informing them. This field allows you to provide a personal message in that email. |
Keep Informed | Up to three email addresses can be added to an agreement to be cc'd on any emails that are sent to the recipient. This can include both internal or external email addresses. These additional recipients will receive special versions of the automated emails so that they know they are not the primary recipient, and they are prevented from performing any actions on the agreement. |
Main Agreement Sections
Depending on the agreement type you are creating, you may see one or more sections here. For each section, you'll have the option of using the defaults that you selected with the template, or overriding those defaults with different values for this specific agreement.
To override the defaults toggle off the slider, which will reveal all of the form values.
More details on how to customize your agreement can be found here.
Once you've made your selections here, move on to the Settings section.
Settings Section
Again, these values will be pre-populated with selections in the template, but can be overridden for this particular agreement.
Field | Description |
Signer | The Common Paper user from your organization that will sign this agreement. By default this is the same account as the user sending the agreement. Some paid plans allow this to be set to a different user. |
Signing Order | When toggled on, this setting forces the app to ensure that the final signature on the agreement will always be from your organization. |
Allow Negotiation | When toggled on, this setting allows recipients to propose changes on agreements. |
Automation | This section lets you control settings around both Automated Email Reminders and Expiration dates. |
Document Settings | When toggled on, this setting includes a copy of the standard terms in any document created from this agreement, including the signed PDF at the end of the process. |
Advanced Send Options | Here you can set this agreement to be Sent Manually or Sent as a Test agreement. |
After Signing Section (some agreement types)
Some agreement types allow you to optionally configure automatic billing or payment links.
Finishing an Agreement
Once you've made all your selections, you can:
Save as Draft
Save the agreement as is without sending to a recipient. You'll be able to edit the agreement later. Check our help article for more details.
Preview
This allows you to see how your agreement will appear to your recipient. After previewing, you'll have the option to either send the agreement or return to the form to continue editing.
Send Agreement
This creates and stores the agreement in Common Paper, and notifies the recipient (and any cc'd users) via email to review the agreement.
After you've sent the agreement, it will appear in the agreements list page, where you can track it's progress. Additionally, clicking on the agreement will show you the Agreements History page, which contains the various options available to you for an in-flight agreement, as well as an audit trail of everything that's happened to that agreement since it's been sent.