Once you get a signed contract, it feels like the finish line where the customer has agreed, the deal is closed, and you can celebrate the win. The reality is that this is just part of a longer journey.
When an agreement is finalized, there are tasks that follow, including provisioning a new account, onboarding the customer, creating invoices, updating the CRM, notifying internal teams, and even kicking off project workflows. All of these steps are important so you can deliver value to your customer quickly, while keeping the experience smooth and hassle-free.
Now, imagine doing all of those tasks manually. Things can easily get lost in the shuffle, which is why post-signature automation is essential.
With the PandaDoc API, it’s easy to connect your signed documents with your business systems.
The pain points of manual post-signature tasks
Here are a few familiar challenges of handling post-signature work manually:
- Repetitive tasks: All signed documents need someone to send out internal notifications, draft emails, or copy information into a CRM.
- Delays between signature and follow-up: Sometimes a deal will sit idle for hours or even days before the next step happens. This can cause frustration for both your customers and your employees.
- Risk of human error: Things like copy-paste mistakes, missed updates, and forgotten follow-ups are likely to lead to compliance issues or poor customer experiences.
Additionally, when your business grows, these kinds of gaps will become more painful and costly.
Why automation is the solution
Post-signature automation replaces manual handoffs, creating a streamlined and automatic process. That means no more waiting for a human to take the next step.
This leads to:
- Faster workflows and added customer value, with reduced delays due to manual processes.
- Less admin overhead, since your team spends less time on repetitive work and more time on strategic initiatives.
- Better experiences for your clients, as they see immediate action after signing, which builds trust and momentum.
Business benefits of post-signature automation
Automating what happens post-signature will save you time while driving real business results.
Here are some of the top benefits:
- Faster time to value: Customers can begin onboarding, implementation, or service delivery after signing, with fewer delays.
- Cleaner handoffs between teams: There’s no more confusion about who owns the next step since automation triggers and routes tasks.
- Scalable, error-free processes: As you grow, automation ensures your signed documents are consistent, regardless of the quantity.
How to automate the post-signature process with PandaDoc API
You can use the PandaDoc API to build automation into the document process. PandaDoc supports webhooks to notify your system when certain events happen, including when a document is completed.
This means the API can trigger follow-up actions once a document is signed, rather than waiting for someone to notice the status.
These actions include:
- Auto-updating CRM records: You can use a webhook to trigger your integration logic, which updates the CRM (e.g., transition stage to Closed Won).
- Triggering workflows in other tools: When a document is completed, PandaDoc sends a webhook that your system can use to trigger onboarding workflows in tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello.
- Generating and sending invoices: PandaDoc can notify your system when a document is completed so your system can generate and send the invoice automatically.
Businesses that can benefit from post-signature automation
Many industries can benefit from post-signature automation, but here are some common examples:
- SaaS companies: When a customer signs a document, automation can provision a new account, assign licenses, and trigger a welcome email.
- Sales organizations: When a new client is onboarded, your sales team can automatically notify the customer success team to ensure a smooth transition.
- Finance teams: When an agreement is signed, automation can generate invoices and update billing systems, which helps to reduce cash flow delays.
The common theme is that automation keeps everything moving quickly and consistently. This means happier customers and more efficient teams.
How it works with PandaDoc API
Curious how post-signature automation actually works with PandaDoc?
Here’s an overview of the process:
- Use webhooks to detect document status changes. PandaDoc webhooks notify your systems whenever a document’s status changes. This could be moving to “document.completed.”
- Connect to internal systems via API calls. Once that webhook fires, your systems can send API calls to your CRM, project management tool, billing system, or other platforms in your tech stack.
- Automate downstream actions. You can pass document metadata or field values like deal size, start date, or account ID into those downstream tools to customize the workflow.
For example:
- A webhook will detect that a sales contract has been signed.
- Your integration will then move the deal stage to “Closed Won” in your CRM.
- Simultaneously, it triggers a Slack notification to the customer success team.
- Then, it kicks off an onboarding workflow in Jira using the contract’s metadata.
These steps can happen very quickly and automatically—assuming your integration is built to do so.
Start automating with PandaDoc API
Post-signature automation allows you to eliminate delays, reduce errors, and create a smoother customer journey. PandaDoc API allows your business to connect contracts to other tools in your tech stack, so signed documents will trigger the right follow-up actions. That means smarter, faster workflows.
Ready to start building your post-signature automation with PandaDoc API? Start your 14-day trial today!
Disclaimer
PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
