When preparing a document in Zoho Sign, you add each recipient and assign them one of the available roles. The primary roles are: Signer (must apply a signature or fill assigned fields), Viewer (can open and read the document but cannot sign), and CC (receives a copy of the completed document by email once all signers have acted). In templates, roles are defined by a label rather than a specific person, so the same template can be reused with different individuals each time.
Assign Viewer to parties who need to be aware of a document’s content before signing begins but are not required to sign, such as a legal counsel reviewing a contract before the client signs. Use CC to automatically distribute the completed document to finance or HR records without requiring them to act. Reserve Signer for everyone whose signature or initials are legally required. Avoid adding unnecessary signers, as each extra signer extends the completion time and can delay the workflow.
Changing a recipient’s role after a document has been sent requires recalling and resending it, which invalidates the existing signing links. In templates, role labels must be consistent: if a template defines a role as “Client”, every document generated from that template will show that label in the audit trail. CC recipients do not appear in the signing order and cannot be made part of sequential or parallel signing workflows. Verify the role assignments before sending, especially for regulated documents.
Not without recalling and resending the document. Once sent, recipient roles are fixed for that particular send. If you realise a CC recipient needs to sign, recall the document, edit the recipient’s role to Signer, add any required signature fields for them, and resend. All previous signing links will be invalidated.
No. Viewer recipients receive an email link that lets them open the document in a browser without needing a Zoho Sign account or login. They can read the document contents at any point while it is in progress. Once the document is completed, they are not automatically notified unless they were also added as a CC recipient.
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