FAQs

Adobe Sign has replaced Docusign at CSUCI. The Docusign service is no longer available as of June 1, 2020, and these instructions are deprecated. Start using Adobe Sign today, and learn more about the migration

Answers to some of the most common questions about the DocuSign project and tool.

General

Preparing & Sending Forms

Signing Forms

General

What forms can be signed through DocuSign?

Currently, use of DocuSign for internal CI forms is limited to the following forms:

  • Hyperion Access Request Form (Budget & Planning)
  • Position Management Action Form (Budget & Planning)
  • ChartField Request Form (Budget & Planning)
  • Funding Request Form for Facilities Projects (Budget & Planning)
  • Sponsored Programs Project Request Form (Financial Services)
  • Home Use Permit (Information Technology Services)
  • CMS Access and Compliance Form (HR)
  • Petty Cash Audit Form (Accounting)
  • Guest Parking Permit Request Form (Transportation & Parking Services)
  • Student Payment Plan Form (Student Business Services)

Is there training available on how to use DocuSign?

Yes. More training than you'll know what to do with. Here's what we'd suggest:

If you're new to DocuSign and need a general overview ...

check out DocuSign's Essentials Courses.These online courses are self guided and introduce you to the basics of DocuSign, from navigating the tool to creating and signing envelopes. Go to the link for a list of courses.

If you'll be responsible for preparing and sending forms in DocuSign ...

sign up for an upcoming webinar or check out the training video for form preparers just like you!

If you need help understanding a specific DocuSign function ...

  1. Take a look at our DocuSign main page, which contains step-by-step instructions specifically designed for CSUCI employees and their most common interactions with DocuSign. We even have some handy tutorial videos!
  2. Visit the DocuSign support website. It has articles, videos and other resources that can help you learn more about the tool and answer specific questions you may have about how to use it.

What is the New DocuSign Experience?

The New DocuSign Experience refers to the new user experience DocuSign developed to update and streamline their tool. CSUCI began using the New DocuSign Experience on September 25, 2017. If you previously worked in the old DocuSign experience and need help learning about the new interface and functionality, there are couple of resources available to you:

Who has a DocuSign account?

All CI employees have a CI account that allows them to prepare and send forms from templates and view the forms they have previously sent or signed or that are awaiting their signature.

What is an “envelope”?

You will see the term "envelope" used to describe the document(s) you send and receive in DocuSign. Why call it an envelope? Well, think of it as a virtual inter-office envelope into which you’re placing your form for routing. The envelope may contain one or more documents (like your form, form instructions, or multiple forms) to be routed to your recipients.

What is a “template”?

Templates in DocuSign are documents that can be used over and over again, perfect for forms. For our purposes, templates are essentially forms that have been converted for use by multiple users, multiple times in DocuSign.

What is a “signer”?

A “signer” in DocuSign is anyone who has been assigned to provide information in a document. That information could be a signature or something else, such as an employee or department name, an effective date, a phone number, or any other information that needs input on a form.

I’ve got a question about DocuSign and I don’t see the answer here. Now what?

Don’t worry. We have lots of resources to help you. Still getting nowhere? Contact Nathan Bowden at nathan.bowden@csuci.edu.

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Preparing & Sending Forms

Can all CI employees access and send forms in DocuSign?

Yes. All CSUCI employees have access to the form templates in DocuSign through their DocuSign account and can prepare and send the forms as needed. Simply login to DocuSign and follow the instructions for preparing and sending a form.

Who is authorized to sign my form in DocuSign?

Whether an individual is authorized to sign a form is determined by your division’s existing signature authority policy. You do not need to have a DocuSign account to sign a document in DocuSign.

Can I use DocuSign for my own personal documents?

Not under your CI account. Please restrict your usage of DocuSign through your CI account to only those forms that are designated for signing in the tool. If you like DocuSign and want to use it for personal documents, you will need to set up your own personal account with DocuSign.

I don't see the form to fill out when I select it in DocuSign. Where is it?

Preparing a form for signature in DocuSign is a two-step process. First, you must fill in the routing information and review the email message that will accompany the form. The second step, which occurs after you've clicked send, is when you get to the form itself and begin filling it out. You will not see the form until you've completed the recipient information, including yourself as the first recipient (the form preparer), and then clicked "send."

See the Preparing a Form page for more detailed instructions on how to prepare a form in DocuSign.

I don’t understand the form I’m filling out. Help!

Most forms have instructions that are either included with the form itself or attached as part of the DocuSign envelope. If the instructions do not answer your specific question, you can contact the form owner listed within the instructions. If you have a technical question about how to use DocuSign, please refer to the CSUCI DocuSign main page and the Resources page.

Can I attach a document in addition to the form I am preparing? If so, how?

Yes, if you are preparing a form, you can attach additional documents if needed for informational purposes. To attach a document with your form, follow these steps:

  1. Begin the process for selecting and sending a form.
  2. After you add your recipient information and review the email message, click on the link at the bottom of the window that says "Advanced Edit."
  3. Hover over "Add a Document," select "Upload" and find the document you want to add from your computer or network drive.
  4. Select the document you want to attach and click “Open.”
  5. The attachment should now appear as a second document next to the form. When you send the envelope for signature, the additional document will be added at the end of the form.
  6. Make sure the form is listed as the first document so that is the first document your recipients see.
  7. You can let recipients know you’ve added a background document to the form by including additional information in the email message.

Can I add a signer to a form in addition to the signers already included in the form?

Yes. In fact, some forms may have space for adding optional signers to accommodate approval needs of different division and departments across the University. If you need to add a signer to a form you're completing (in addition to the signer roles already included with the form), you'll need to both add a new recipient to the form and add tags to the form template that will prompt the new recipient to sign. Watch the tutorial video, How to Add a Signer to a Form in DocuSign, for step-by-step instructions.

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Signing

Can I assign signing responsibility to someone else?

Yes, but you will need to make sure the person to whom you are assigning your signature responsibility is authorized under your division's existing signature authority policy. If they are, follow these steps to assign the form to someone else for signature:

  1. Receive Email Notification
    • You will receive an email when you have been assigned to sign or provide other information on a form. The email should explain what form you’re reviewing and provide a link to open the document.
    • Click the “Review Documents” button in the email to open the form.
  2. Under the "Other Actions" drop-down menu to the right, select "Assign to Someone Else."
  3. Provide the new signer’s email address, name and a reason for changing the signer.
  4. Click the button labeled "Assign to Somone Else."
  5. You're done. The original sender of the form and the new signer will be automatically notified of the change.

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