If you’ve already started your PandaDoc trial, the best way to evaluate the platform is to use it to do real work. That means creating documents, sending them, and seeing how PandaDoc works for both you and your recipients.

Fortunately, you don’t need to explore every single feature in the PandaDoc arsenal in order to find success. Using the right set of platform tools can help expedite document creation, eliminate manual work, and improve the signing experience for customers and clients.

To help you get the most out of your trial, our team has put together a must-try list featuring some of the platform’s most interesting features.

Try a few of them out, and you’ll have a much better sense of how to make PandaDoc work for your business.

Haven’t started your free 14-day trial yet? Sign up here.

Resources to help you get started

  • PandaDoc Support. Our support experts are constantly reviewing and updating our knowledge base with the most current information about PandaDoc products. You’ll find plenty of walkthroughs, tutorials, and feature guides here.
  • PandaDoc Learning Academy. This page includes live workshops, certifications, and video tutorials for many useful PandaDoc features. Most videos are on demand, but a few classes are handled as live webinars.

PandaDoc Library. The Library includes ebooks, thought leadership, and guidance for doing more both in and out of the PandaDoc platform.

1. Build a real document in minutes using the template library

The easiest way to get value from your PandaDoc trial is to start building documents, but creating documents from scratch can be a challenge when you’re trying to familiarize yourself with new software.

Instead, start with a template. The PandaDoc Template Library has over 1,000 pre-built templates that can be modified, adjusted, or expanded inside the document editor. All you need to do is select the template that you want to use, click the “Use this template — free” button to import it to your workspace, and start making changes.
Within a few minutes, you can have a polished, personalized document tailored to your specific needs or use case. Plus, once you have a layout that you like, you can save the modified document as a private, reusable template and use it again as often as you like.

Resources and further reading

Support: AI-generated content

Upload a PDF and DOCX file to see how PandaDoc handles each differently

With PandaDoc, you don’t have to recreate your entire document library from scratch. Instead, you can import documents that you already use by uploading them to your PandaDoc workspace.

Try importing both a PDF and a DOCX file to get a better look at how PandaDoc handles both documents.

  • PDFs are locked, and edits are limited. The document will retain its original format, but you won’t be able to make major changes. In this scenario, you’ll be limited to using PandaDoc Fields to modify the document.
  • DOCX files are fully editable, meaning that you can update the text, adjust sections, add new content blocks, and modify the content as if the document were created natively in the editor. DOCX files can even be converted to and saved as templates.

This side-by-side comparison will give you a better understanding of how PandaDoc handles different document types. As a general rule, only DOCX and native PandaDoc files are fully editable. All other documents are restricted to drag-and-drop fields and minor modifications.

For a full list of file types that you can import to PandaDoc, review this support article.

Resources and further reading

Walkthrough: Building templates from DOCX files

3. Use variables to standardize a document

One of the easiest ways to improve your documents is to standardize how information is used and distributed.

Variables allow you to define key pieces of information, such as a client or company name, and apply them throughout your entire document. Rather than editing those same details over and over, you can simply update the variable and let PandaDoc take care of the rest.

For example, a proposal carrying variables such as [Company.Name] and [Customer.Name] can become the standard document that your organization uses to submit bids. When a proposal needs to be sent, a sales rep can create a new document from an existing template, change the variable values once in the document settings, and send the document.

For advanced users, it’s also possible to connect your CRM to PandaDoc. When configured correctly, PandaDoc will replace variables with data pulled directly from the CRM, eliminating the need for manual inputs during document preparation.

Resources and further reading

Support: How do I make my own variables?


4. Add your brand kit and make every document instantly client-ready

At the end of the day, branding and theming are what make your documents and outreach feel polished and unique to your business.

However, please note that PandaDoc makes a clear distinction between branding and theming:

  • Branding covers elements involved in outreach, such as your brand colors, email footer text, and default subject line.
  • Themes cover document elements like typography, page backgrounds, default accent colors, and table layouts.

Themes can change from document to document (if desired), while branding applies to outreach and is specific to your PandaDoc workspace. If you have more than one workspace, it’s possible to set up different branding for each one.

During your trial, take a few minutes to configure your branding and themes so that every document you send is consistent and on-brand.

Resources and further reading

5. Send a document to yourself and experience signing it like a client

When you send a document for signature with PandaDoc, recipients follow a streamlined workflow focused on reviewing and signing rather than document creation. While there’s no need to create an account or download any software, the interface is slightly different from what you’ll experience as a PandaDoc user.

As part of your trial, we recommend taking a few minutes to send a document to yourself and experience the signing process from the receiving end.

To do this, create a document and set the recipient to a second email address you control. Once the document is prepared, send it to yourself, click the link in the email, and follow the provided instructions.

By going through this process, you can confirm that documents are easy to access, simple to complete, and ready for use with real clients. It’s a practical way to validate the experience, and it sets you up to answer any questions that a signer might have during review.

Resources and further reading

6. Open the audit trail to see everything your document tracks behind the scenes

While PandaDoc doesn’t require users to create an account, our software captures several critical details during the document creation and signing process to verify signer identity.

The bulk of the information we collect ends up in the audit trail attached to a document. By reviewing the audit trail, you’ll see a detailed timeline of every document interaction, including when the document was sent, opened, viewed, and signed. Edits and document changes are also attached, providing a complete record of document activity from creation to finalization.

Security note: PandaDoc verifies signer identity through unique signing links sent via email to specific recipients. One unique link is generated for each user.
When sending a document to signers, be sure to send it to an unique email address that they control so that access is limited and the chain of custody isn’t compromised.

After the signing process is complete, a unique signing certificate can be downloaded along with a copy of the final document. The certificate contains IP addresses, a document reference number, timestamps, and more to protect against repudiation and confirm signer identity.

Resources and further reading

7. Set up an approval workflow and eliminate back-and-forth before sending

If your documents regularly require a second set of eyes, approval workflows can simplify that process.

In PandaDoc, you can set up simple approval steps so documents are automatically reviewed before they’re sent to customers. Once the workflow is set up, PandaDoc automatically handles routing and notifications, but the document is held internally until the approval process is complete.

Approval workflows are meant to replace more informal approval processes, such as chat or email, with something more systematic and structured. By taking this approach, you can reduce the likelihood of errors and ensure that every document is correct before it reaches the customer.

At the enterprise level, you can also create rules-based approval thresholds for proposals and quotes with PandaDoc CPQ. For example, a quote that exceeds a set dollar threshold might trigger a review, while quotes that fall below the threshold are sent automatically. While you won’t see this functionality in the standard free trial, it’s worth noting that PandaDoc’s approval capability can become far more dynamic if needed.

Resources and further reading

8. Collaborate in real time without switching tools

As more people review or edit a document, keeping feedback organized can become a major challenge. Email attachments, chats, and meetings create problems because documents are outdated, and feedback isn’t confined to them.

PandaDoc changes all of that with built-in collaboration tools. During your trial, invite others to a document and work on it together. You can comment, edit, and communicate directly within the document workspace. Notifications and a live audit trail ensure everyone stays up to date.

Want to bring in buyers, customers, and external collaborators? Try opening a PandaDoc Room. Deal rooms inside PandaDoc allow internal team members to coordinate, collaborate, and negotiate with external parties to reach consensus as a deal develops.

It’s a simpler, more centralized way to collaborate with multiple contributors while making sure that progress and changes are always visible.

Resources and further reading

9. Build a pricing table that calculates totals automatically

If you’re using PandaDoc to create quotes, proposals, or other documents with pricing, try adding a pricing table.

Pricing tables can be inserted as standalone modules inside any PandaDoc document. Once added, you’ll be able to build out line items, adjust quantities, and apply discounts directly inside the document. As you make changes, PandaDoc will automatically calculate and adjust totals, so you don’t have to worry about formulas or manual updates.

If you sell materials, products, or quantifiable services, you can also connect your pricing table to your workspace’s Product Catalog. After products are added to the catalog, they’ll auto-populate as users start adding line items to the pricing table.

It’s even possible to pre-load items in a pricing table by adding them to a document before saving it as a template. Each time the template is loaded, any pre-set line items will populate automatically.

Resources and further reading

Build a better document workflow with PandaDoc

By now, you’ve likely seen how PandaDoc handles document creation, sending, and collaboration. These are core aspects of PandaDoc, but they’re only the beginning.

As you become more familiar with PandaDoc and add additional documents to the platform, you’ll find that the system can centralize every aspect of your document workflow. Rather than starting documents in a word processor, handing them off to a collaboration tool, and ending with a signing platform, it’s possible to do everything in one place.

Plus, because the editor can handle all types of documents, it’s possible to consolidate all document creation in one place using one toolkit. Proposals, contracts, onboarding paperwork, NDAs, quotes, invoices, and more can all be built in PandaDoc.

If you’re comparing plans, the Business plan includes everything you’ll need to create, send, and manage documents with built-in automation tools. Enterprise adds more advanced customization options, stronger integrations, and account management options for larger teams with more complex workflows.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about how PandaDoc can help, reach out for a personalized demo. One of our product experts will be happy to help!

Frequently asked questions

  • During your trial, you’ll be able to create, send, and manage documents using the full set of Business plan features.  Build documents from templates, add pricing tables, set up approval workflows, and track document activity in real time.

    You can also send documents to real recipients and capture legally binding eSignatures if users sign your documents.

    There aren’t any restrictions on your PandaDoc trial account aside from the time limit.

  • The free trial lasts for 14 days.  That should give you enough time to test drive the platform and see how PandaDoc can fit into your workflow.

    Most users can evaluate PandaDoc’s core features in just a few sessions and by trying out the steps listed in this article.

  • No credit card is required to start a PandaDoc trial! You can sign up and begin using the platform immediately.

    However, if you choose to connect a payment gateway to any sent documents, you’ll need to integrate with a payment processor like Stripe and link that account to PandaDoc.

  • Yes. Even during a trial, you can use PandaDoc to send proposals, contracts, agreements, and much more.  Recipients can open, review, and sign documents without creating an account.

  • Once your trial ends, you’ll need to choose a plan and a paid subscription in order to continue using most PandaDoc features.

    If you choose not to continue, any documents you’ve created will still exist, but features will be limited.