Share documents automatically
To build automations that apply to all company contracts or utilize templates from shared template spaces, you must have user permissions to “Manage all contracts” for your account or “Manage templates” permissions in the specific source shared template space.
Note: Automations is a premium feature that may not be included in all plans. If you do not see the Automations tab, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager for more information on how to get this feature.
Example use case: With this type of automated workflow, you can set up a fully automated process to share a contract draft upon its creation. For example, if a draft is created from an "Employment Contract" template, you can configure it to automatically share the contract draft with full access given to your HR team (for example, by using our premium feature User groups). You can also choose to share the contract only when a Draft is updated or the Contract is signed.
Follow these steps to set up the automation:
Configure the automation trigger
The first step is configuring the exact event that starts the automation. In this example, we will trigger the workflow when a new contract draft is created from a specific template.
Click on the Automations tab from the main menu on the left side of the screen.
Click the Create new button in the top right corner of the page.
Select Draft is created from the trigger drop-down menu.
Choose Every draft drafted from a specific template from the options list to define which new contract draft from your private or shared template spaces will initiate the automation. You can also assign the trigger to every draft.
Search for and select the specific template under the Shared with me section of the dropdown list. You can click the eye icon next to the template name to preview it first and ensure it is the correct one.
Click the blue Save button to confirm your trigger settings.
Configure the automation action
After saving the trigger, you need to define the action that will occur automatically.
Click the Add action button located below your saved trigger.
Search for and select Share a document from the action options.
Note that the Document ID is automatically fetched from your completed trigger step.
Email message configuration
You can customize the message, which will be automatically emailed to the selected collaborators you share the contract draft with.
Type a custom message to the recipients in the text box. You can combine manual text input with variables (data fields, document or automation-related details) from the draft used in the trigger step or select any signee, document ownership variables.
Collaborators and permissions setup
Once you have customized the message, you can define exactly who will receive the shared document and their respective permissions in the contract draft.
Click the Collaborator input field.
The collaborator for the shared draft action setup can be based on anyone from your company under the People tab, or any dynamic variable selected from the document in the previous step, under the Variables tab.
If you select any of the Signees as a collaborator, you will be able to select their exact signature number in the signing sequence for the contract draft.
Select the appropriate access level from the Permission drop-down menu for each added collaborator.
Note: Edit permissions can only be granted if the document is a contract draft. For pending and signed documents, collaborators will be granted view permissions only.
Enable the Assign all data fields option to allow all data fields from the shared contract draft to be assigned to the specific collaborator. You can do that, if you assign them permissions matching or higher than "Fill document".
Use the granular permission options under the Collaborator’s field to make sure you allow them to send the draft for signatures, access private comments or the full version history of the contract draft.
Click the blue Save button to confirm your action setup.
Publish your automation
Before relying on the automation for your company workflows, you should activate it.
Type a descriptive name for your workflow in the title field at the top left corner (for example, "Share new employment draft").
Click the blue Publish button in the top right corner to activate the workflow.
Frequently asked questions
How can I make changes to published automation?
If you need to make any changes to the automation flow at one point, remember to unpublish it first, then make the necessary edits and click again on Publish to put the flow into practice. You can control that by turning the Status toggle bar on or off.
How can I test the automation?
For the test to be performed, you can generate a new draft from the template you used in the first step of the automation setup and, if needed, fill in any of the data fields or body text. When the draft is created and saved, go back to your contracts overview and check the notifications under your account. The automation status will be listed there as either successful or failed.
What can I do if the automation fails?
In case the automation has failed, you can access the detailed view by clicking on the failed notification in the list under your account notifications. In this view, you can identify the reason for the failure by expanding the inability to run details. You can then use the information found here to make the necessary changes in the automation setup.
Helpful guides: