Speed and accuracy are everything in sales, but a lot of companies are still using outdated sales document processes. That means copying and pasting proposals from old files, building every contract manually, and serious delays in approval workflows.

Essentially, manual processes are more time-consuming, error-prone, and poor for scaling your business. Not ideal, right?

Well, that’s why API-driven automation is a competitive advantage.

APIs can streamline and automate the sales document journey. This means your teams can improve efficiency, reduce errors, and speed up deals. When you use API-based automation, you’ll reduce repetitive, manual tasks from the sales cycle, leaving you with a unified and scalable workflow across your systems. This is the case for startups and enterprises alike, as APIs help simplify and accelerate every step.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about APIs, how they improve document workflows, and help to eliminate common bottlenecks.

What is the sales document journey?

The sales document journey involves all the steps of a deal, from quoting to closing.

Here are the typical stages:

• Proposal generation
• Contract creation
• Internal and client approval
• eSignature
• Document delivery
• Tracking and status updates

Each of these steps is crucial in making sure your deals are closed efficiently and accurately, while maintaining compliance with legal and organizational requirements.

Where the manual process breaks down

When these steps are performed manually, many potential challenges can arise, including:

• Copying and pasting content between documents or tools (for example, from a CRM into a Word doc)
• Re-entering customer, product, and pricing data multiple times
• Sending multiple emails to request reviews, approvals, or signatures
• Following up manually for status updates, usually without visibility into document engagement
• Managing multiple versions of documents and tracking changes via email threads

These types of manual steps slow down the entire process while increasing the risk of errors that can end up costing you, like incorrect pricing quotes or outdated terms.

If you want your sales team to scale, a manual workflow won’t cut it, especially with unnecessary friction between systems. The constant need for human intervention can lead to delays and even lost deals.

Why use APIs for sales document automation?

Let’s talk about APIs, or application programming interfaces. These allow different software systems to communicate with each other, forming a sort of bridge. When it comes to sales, APIs enable the automation of document generation, data insertion, approval workflows, and tracking.

This is achieved by integrating your CRM, CPQ, eSignature platform, and document management tools into a single, coherent system.

That means no more manual tasks. Instead, APIs help your tools talk to each other, making it possible to automatically trigger actions such as creating a proposal, sending a contract, or notifying a sales rep whenever a doc is opened.

Benefits of API-driven document automation:

• Scalability: APIs are great for getting rid of bottlenecks, since they allow you to handle hundreds (even thousands) of docs quickly and consistently.
• Speed: You can create and send documents instantly with predefined triggers; for example, a deal advancing to the next stage in the process.
• Integration: APIs can connect the tools in your tech stack. This means data can flow smoothly between various systems without having to deal with manual re-entry.
• Consistency: APIs help ensure that all documents are built using the right templates, terms, branding, etc., resulting in a more consistent outcome.
• Visibility: You can see the document status in real time with APIs, following the entire journey from creation to completion.

If you want to shorten your sales cycle and free up time for your reps, it’s a good idea to invest in the right API to automate your document workflow. The result will be more time for your reps to build relationships and close deals, and less time on unnecessary manual paperwork or processes.

See more: Types of APIs: Classifications and protocols

PandaDoc API capabilities that automate the sales document journey

PandaDoc’s API is designed to automate each step of the sales document process. That means creating quotes, sending contracts for eSignature, tracking engagement, and more.

The best part? You can embed our API directly into your existing tools and workflows so you never have to leave your platform.

Document creation: Auto-generate proposals and contracts

Our API allows you to generate professional, pre-formatted documents right from your CRM or CPQ. These docs can be created with pre-built templates in PandaDoc, which will help you ensure that they are always on-brand and meet your business standards.

Here are some use cases:

• Auto-generate a proposal when a new opportunity is created in your CRM
• Automatically generate a contract when a quote is accepted
• Populate documents with custom fields, product tables, and terms of service

All of this means less time spent making documents and fewer version control issues.

Prefill and variables: Insert data dynamically

PandaDoc’s API allows you to insert data like customer contact details, product SKUs, discount rates, etc., right into your documents. All of these fields can be pulled from your integrated systems so that the data is updated and accurate.

Here are some things you can do with the API:

• Populate product specs from your product information management (PIM) system
• Pull pricing and discount tiers from your CPQ system
• Automatically add legal terms or clauses based on region or industry

This means your documents are personalized and relevant to every deal, which reduces the risk of unnecessary manual errors.

Send document for signature: Trigger eSignature workflows

Once you’ve generated a document, you can use our API to send documents for eSignature automatically. This is done through an automatic triggering function in your workflow, which connects to your CRM, CPQ, internal approval system, etc. Pretty cool, right?

Here’s what the API can do for you:

• Automatically send a contract for signing when the deal stage moves to “Proposal Sent”
• Trigger eSignature requests after internal approvals are completed
• Send signature requests as part of a customer onboarding workflow

Read more: What is an eSignature API?

Webhooks + status tracking: Monitor activity in real time

Whenever your documents are sent, PandaDoc’s webhooks and tracking features allow you to check in on their status.

Webhooks can be configured to trigger workflows or send alerts, such as “opened,” “signed,” or “completed,” when certain document events occur.

For example, the API can use this feature to:

• Alert reps when a customer opens a proposal so that they can follow up quickly
• Notify legal teams when a document is signed
• Automatically update deal stages in your CRM when a document is completed

How automating the sales document process helps sales teams

APIs use automation to save you time while improving the way your entire sales team operates.

Here are some key ways they do that:

Faster quote-to-close cycle

You can help your team move from quote to close much faster by automating document generation and signature workflows; think hours instead of days.

Instead of having to wait for back-office tasks to finish, your reps will get more time to spend building relationships with prospects.

Fewer manual errors

It’s no surprise that manual processes leave room for human error, such as entering the wrong discount, misnaming a customer, or sending an outdated contract.

With API automation, you’ll have less risk as it helps you keep data up-to-date and accurate when it’s automatically transferred to your docs.

Real-time visibility

Your sales managers, reps, and ops teams need full visibility on every document to understand its current status.

APIs allow you to see when it was created, opened, signed, delayed, etc., so the appropriate people can take immediate action to keep the deal moving forward.

Embedded experiences

PandaDoc’s API works directly inside your existing CRM, CPQ, or customer portal, so your reps don’t have to leave your platform.

Your teams get to keep using their familiar interface, meaning better adoption and less training time.

Better customer experience

Fast turnaround times and more accurate documents are a huge plus for your customers.

It means they will have a more professional and responsive sales experience as the entire contract process is sped up and smoothed out.

Scale your sales process with API automation

Automating your document journey is strategic and necessary, as manual processes will continue to hinder your deals, lead to avoidable errors, and create unnecessary friction.

The PandaDoc API allows you to:

• Auto-generate proposals and contracts
• Dynamically insert client and pricing data
• Trigger eSignature requests automatically and instantly
• Get real-time visibility into document status
• Seamlessly integrate document workflows directly into your sales tech stack

Just as our client, Colonies, who reduced application processing time by 25% by integrating PandaDoc’s API into their platform:

“PandaDoc’s API integration has been a transformative tool for Colonies as we continue to scale across new properties and countries. Each lease is automatically tailored to meet regional legal requirements and property specifics, saving countless hours in document preparation and significantly reduced errors. Automating these processes within our platform has not only improved tenant satisfaction but also empowered our team to focus on expanding our reach and enhancing our offerings.”

– Thomas Guillot, VP Digital at Colonies

Ready to see how PandaDoc’s API can work for you? Request a free demo today.