7 E-Signature Mistakes That Cost You Deals (and How to Fix Them)

Mistakes Are Expensive

E-signatures should make your life easier. But implementing them poorly can actually create new problems — from lost deals to compliance gaps. Here are the seven most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Too Many Required Fields

The problem: You require signers to fill in 15+ fields — date of birth, full address, middle name, social security number — when you only really need their signature and a date.

Why it hurts: Every additional field increases abandonment. Data from across the industry shows that completion rates drop approximately 5-10% for every field beyond the core requirements.

The fix: Only ask for what you absolutely need. If you can pre-fill information you already have, do it. Ask yourself: "Will this deal fall apart if I don't collect this right now?" If the answer is no, remove the field.

Mistake #2: Not Optimizing for Mobile

The problem: Your documents have tiny text, fields that are hard to tap, and layouts that require zooming and scrolling on a phone screen.

Why it hurts: Over 60% of documents are signed on mobile devices. If the experience is frustrating, signers abandon the process or delay it until they're at a computer (which may never happen).

The fix:

• Use larger font sizes (12pt minimum)
• Keep signature fields well-spaced
• Test your documents on a phone before sending
• Use SignFlow's mobile-optimized viewer, which auto-scales fields for touch input

Mistake #3: Sending Without a Personal Message

The problem: The recipient gets a generic "You have a document to sign" email with no context about what it is or why it's urgent.

Why it hurts: Without context, documents sit unopened in inboxes. Recipients prioritize things they understand.

The fix: Always include a brief personal note:

• What the document is
• Why it matters
• Any deadline
• Who to contact with questions

One sentence is enough: "Hi Jane, here's the service agreement we discussed. I'd appreciate your signature by Friday so we can start next week."

Mistake #4: Using Sequential Signing When Parallel Would Work

The problem: You set up a signing order where Person A must sign before Person B can sign, even though there's no actual dependency.

Why it hurts: If Person A is slow (traveling, busy, on vacation), Person B can't sign even if they're ready. This adds days to your cycle.

The fix: Use sequential signing only when order actually matters (e.g., employee signs before manager countersigns). For independent signers (like multiple business partners who each need to sign), use parallel signing so everyone can sign simultaneously.

Mistake #5: Not Setting Up Reminders

The problem: You send a document and then manually check status every day, sending follow-up emails when things stall.

Why it hurts: Manual follow-up is time-consuming and easy to forget. Documents fall through the cracks.

The fix: Configure automatic reminders before sending:

• First reminder: 2 days after sending
• Second reminder: 4 days
• Final reminder: 7 days with an urgency note

Let the system do the nagging. You focus on selling.

Mistake #6: Not Using Templates

The problem: You recreate the same contract from scratch every time, manually placing fields and adding recipients.

Why it hurts: It wastes 15-30 minutes per document. Worse, it introduces inconsistency — different contracts may have slightly different language or missing fields.

The fix: Create templates for every document you send more than twice:

1. 1Build the template once with all fields placed
2. 2Save it with a clear, descriptive name
3. 3Use it to generate new documents in seconds
4. 4Update the template when your standard terms change

Mistake #7: Ignoring Completion Analytics

The problem: You send documents and hope for the best without tracking how long they take to sign, where signers get stuck, or what your completion rate actually is.

Why it hurts: You can't improve what you don't measure. You might have a template that consistently takes 5 days to sign — a fixable problem you'll never notice without data.

The fix: Regularly review your signing metrics:

• Average time to completion (are certain templates slow?)
• Completion rate (are signers abandoning?)
• Fields that take longest to fill (are they confusing?)
• Reminder effectiveness (are they working?)

Use these insights to simplify documents, adjust reminder timing, and identify process bottlenecks.

The Meta-Lesson

All seven mistakes share a common theme: friction. Every unnecessary step, confusing element, or missing optimization adds friction that slows signing and loses deals. The best e-signature workflows are relentlessly simple.

Eliminate friction from your signing process →