Someone has not signed the agreement I sent
An agreement you have sent is always in one of a few states. Your customers > The Seal shows each one, and Bernard can tell you where any of them has got to: “has Priya signed yet?”
The prompt
“[Client’s name] has not signed the [agreement title] I sent on [date]. Tell me where it has got to and what I can do.”
Signed in, Get my prompt fills in your site for you. Otherwise press Copy and fill in the [bracketed] parts. First time? Connect your AI to bernard once: Use your own AI (opens in a new tab).
Waiting
The person has the email but has not signed. Ask Bernard and he can tell you whether the agreement’s link has been opened yet. Treat that as a hint, not proof: some mail programs open links on the reader’s behalf to check them, so a link can show as opened before the person has seen it. Nothing happens on its own while it waits: bernard does not send reminders. To nudge them, ask Bernard for the agreement’s signing link and send it yourself with a note.
Signed, waiting for you to countersign
They have signed, and it is your turn. Open Your customers > The Seal and press Countersign. Bernard cannot do this for you: your signature is yours to give. Once you sign, both of you get the signed copy.
Signed, waiting for the signed copy
Everyone has signed and bernard is printing the final PDF. This usually takes a moment. If it still says this when you next look, opening The Seal tab starts it again.
Declined
The person pressed Decline on the signing page, and may have said why. The reason shows in The Seal tab. bernard does not email you about a decline yet, so look there, or ask Bernard. If the terms need changing, send a new agreement with the changes.
Expired
Every agreement has a date after which its link no longer signs. It is 30 days after sending unless you ask for something different when you send it, anything from 1 day to 90 days. After that the page says the agreement has expired. To try again, send a new one.
Withdrawing one
You can withdraw an agreement that is still waiting, for example one sent with a mistake in it. Its page then says it was withdrawn and can no longer be signed. bernard does not email the person about it, so tell them yourself. An agreement that has been signed cannot be withdrawn.
Sending a corrected one
A sent agreement is never edited, and a signed one never changes. To correct one, withdraw it if it is still waiting, then send a new agreement with the corrections. If the old one was already signed, say in the new one which agreement it replaces, by its reference number. Writing the new text is Write the agreement I send, or use the contract I already have, and why a signed agreement stays as it is is Does a typed name count as a signature?.
Questions people ask
- Does bernard send reminders?
- Not on its own. Ask Bernard for the agreement’s signing link and send it to the person yourself with a note. He can also tell you whether the link has been opened, though some mail programs open links on the reader’s behalf.
- Will I get an email if someone declines?
- Not yet. A declined agreement shows in Your customers > The Seal straight away, with the reason they gave, and Bernard can tell you when you ask.
- Can Bernard withdraw an agreement for me?
- Yes, when you ask. He names the agreement and the person first and withdraws it only after you approve. He never withdraws one on his own.
- Can I edit an agreement after it is sent?
- No. Its words are fixed from the moment it is sent. Withdraw it while it is still waiting and send a new one.