Restart agreement workflow allows the current recipient of an agreement to return the agreement back to the first recipient of the agreement and restart the signature process.

The restarted agreement retains all of the configured elements (such as reminders, expiration date, authentication methods, and recipient groups) with the exception of private messages. Private messages for all recipients are replaced by a message from the restarting recipient intended to provide a reason for why the agreement was restarted.

Previously entered field data (with the exception of signatures and initial fields) is retained as default values to expedite re-signing.

For example, if an originator sends an agreement to three sequential signers, the second or third signer could restart the agreement back to the first signer. If the third signer restarts the agreement, the agreement is restarted back to the first signer. All of the information they originally entered is still present and editable.

Configuration

The feature can only be enabled or disabled. There are no further configuration options.

Availability:

The option to allow restarting an agreement is only available to the enterprise tier of service.

Configuration scope:

The feature can be enabled at both the account and group levels.

All groups inherit the account level setting by default.
Groups can be configured to override the inherited account setting.

To enable the option for recipients to restart the agreement workflow, navigate to Account Settings > Signature Preferences > Restart agreement workflow.

Navigate to the Restart agreement controls

How it works

When enabled, the recipient's Options menu includes a new action to Restart agreement workflow.

E-signing option to restart the agreement

Note:

The option to restart the agreement workflow is not currently supported in the new recipient experience.
Agreements will default to the classic recipient e-sign experience if the option to restart the agreement is enabled.

Upon selecting the Restart agreement workflow action, the recipient is presented with a dialogue to enter a message for the previous recipient(s) to indicate why the agreement was restarted. This message replaces the private message of all recipients.

The recipient can either cancel the restart process, or select Restart to return the agreement to the first recipient.

Restart agreement input text field for previous recipients

If the agreement is restarted, a verification message is displayed to the recipient affirming the action:

The originator is immediately notified by email that the agreement has been restarted:

Email notification to the originatore that the agreement has been restarted

Additionally, the first recipient is delivered a new email with a prominent note that the agreement has been returned to the recipient and who committed the restart action. The private message containing the reason for the restart is conspicuously displayed under the Review and sign button.

The agreement follows the normal signature process, notifying each recipient in turn until the agreement completes.

Updated email to the previous recipients after the agreement has been restarted

Note:

All recipients of the agreement can review the reason to restart by selecting the private message icon in the e-signing window:

Recipients subsequent to the first receive a slightly different Review and sign email when it becomes their time to interact with the agreement:

Updated email with private message to subsequent recipients

Audit report

The action to restart the agreement is explicitly identified in the audit report.

Following the restart event, the audit report records the events normally, starting with the first recipient and following the normal series of events.

Audit report showing the restart event and the reason provided

Things to know

The agreement sender cannot restart the agreement.
The agreement's first recipient cannot restart the agreement.
Agreements that contain a Digital Signature or Electronic Seal may not be restarted.
Agreements waiting for notarization may not bee restarted.
Agreements that have a Witness signature already applied may not restart the agreement.
Agreements that contain a payment field may not be restarted if the payment has already been collected.
The agreement can only be returned to the first recipient. There is no option to return the agreement to any other point in the signature cycle.
The original private message to all recipients is replaced by the message supplied when the agreement is restarted.
Only recipients that have already signed the agreement are notified that the agreement was restarted.
Prefill fields are not available to be edited. Prefill fields are entered before the first recipient, and restarting the agreement workflow returns the signing process to the first recipient.
Prefill fields are not visible during the re-signing process.
Recipients only have access to the fields that they have previously filled and available fields assigned to Anyone.
The fields that were previously filled by the recipient are presented with the previously input values stored as default values. The fields are editable, but not highlighted like empty fields.
Fields assigned to Anyone can have their previous values deleted, releasing that field for subsequent recipients to fill.

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Allow recipients to restart agreements

Overview