Recipients and Roles
A recipient can be one of the following:
Signer: The signer is the person who needs to agree to the document's content by applying their digital signature. Think of them as the main actor in a play—they're the ones the document is about.
Authoriser: The authoriser is like a director behind the scenes. They don't make changes to the script (the document) itself, but their approval is essential. They review the content and, by adding their digital signature, they're giving the go-ahead. This role is crucial when a document needs a green light from someone in charge before it can be considered valid or complete.
Recipient who Receives a Copy: A recipient who receives a copy does not participate in the signing process and cannot sign or edit the document. They receive two email notifications: one when the envelope is sent (informing them that a process has started), and another once all recipients have completed their actions, delivering the final signed documents for their records.
Let’s look at how this would work in practice
A digital signature request for a Health and Safety Inspection at a restaurant involving the above-defined-roles.
The Health Inspector visits the establishment and performs the inspection
The Health Inspector digitally self-signs the report (Signer role)
The Restaurant Manager reviews and signs the report (Authoriser role) and allows the document to be shared at a higher level (for example with the CEO).
The restaurant owner is a Recipient. They are simply being kept informed about the procedure.
Another potential scenario is this:
Imagine you want one person to sign a document, pause to confirm some legal or internal event, and then allow the remaining signers to proceed. In that case, you (or your legal team) would act as the Authoriser—a special role that approves the document after the initial signature but before any subsequent signers receive it. Once the Authoriser has given the green light, the next signers can complete their portion.
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