Prepare contract for signing
The discussion features have been renewed to better support the pre‑processing phase before contract signing. With these updates, preparing agreements, reviewing versions, and commenting on documents is smoother and more secure for all parties. Joining discussions does not require a SignSpace account, making the feature easy to use with any stakeholder.
Discussions are suitable for all situations where draft contracts are reviewed, commented on, or shared prior to signing—ranging from light content checks to extensive contract negotiations.
Key Features
Threaded discussions: clarifies information exchange and speeds up contract pre‑processing.
No registration required: invited participants can join directly via an email link.
PDF commenting: comments can be written directly on PDF files attached to the discussion.
Targeted email notifications: the sender can choose per message who receives email notifications about new messages.
Start signing directly from documents: files stored in the discussion can be selected and used to initiate a new signing request.
Secure: discussions are always protected with at least an access code, and you may additionally require strong authentication to ensure that only the named individuals can access the content.
Lifecycle management: define the validity of invitation links and the retention period of the discussion, so access rights and stored materials are removed at the intended time.
Creating a New Discussion
To create a new discussion:
Select + New → Discussion from the top menu.
Add participants by name or email address.
If Strong identity verification is enabled, you must also provide Country, First and Last Name and/or Date of Birth for each participant.
Write your message. Text formatting options are available in the toolbar.
Add files in the Attachments section, where you can also adjust their display order.
PDF commenting is enabled by default. Uncheck the option if you want to disable commenting.
Adjust discussion settings in the sidebar as needed.
Publish the discussion by selecting Send.
Once published, participants receive an invitation by email.
Sidebar Settings
The sidebar allows you to manage the discussion’s basic settings, security, and lifecycle.
Invitation Language
Email notifications are sent in the selected language unless the recipient has a registered account and has chosen another interface language.
Invitations can be sent in Finnish, English, or Swedish.
Security Settings
Security settings define the protection level.
By default, each participant must either log into their SignSpace account or verify their identity using a six‑digit access code sent to their email each time they join.
Strong authentication required
You can increase security by enabling strong authentication. In that case, each participant must verify their identity strongly. When this setting is enabled, First and Last Name and/or Date of Birth are mandatory. These details are compared with the identity‑verified data, and access is granted only if they match. Security is strongest when both name and date of birth are provided.
Strong authentication is an add‑on feature billed according to the price list
If you do not want discussion content to appear in email notifications, enable Do not show discussions in email notifications.
If a discussion includes groups, strong authentication cannot be enabled. If strong authentication is required, all groups must be removed first. After that, you can invite group members individually.
Access Rights
By default, other participants cannot add new users. They can propose new participants, and you may approve or deny these proposals.
You may optionally allow other participants to invite new users directly, either from your organization or externally.
Invitation Link Validity
The email invitation link is valid for one month by default. You may adjust the validity period.
Every email notification contains a link that remains valid for the period defined in the discussion’s invitation link settings.
Retention
The discussion is automatically deleted when its retention period expires. The default retention period is defined by your organization’s settings. If granted the necessary permissions by an administrator, you may adjust the retention setting.
Published Discussion
The published discussion brings all messages, files, and comments together in one clear view. The threaded format makes collaboration smooth and ensures that all participants stay up to date on the content and its changes.
Attaching and Managing Files
All participants can share files by attaching them to messages. When multiple files are uploaded at once, you can choose whether to combine them into a single file package or keep them separate. File packages appear as one item to other participants, while separate files are shown individually. File packages are especially useful for contracts with many appendices.
You can adjust the display order of files in the Summary tab of the preview view. File names can also be edited there.
Sending Documents for Signing
The Attachments section in the sidebar shows all documents shared in chronological order.
You can select the desired files using the checkboxes and either download them or send them directly for signing.
In the example above, the selected contract, including the attachment is sent for signing via the Send for Signing option. The system then creates a new signature request form, which you can complete and send to recipients.
Commenting on Files
Participants can leave comments on PDF documents in the file preview view.
A comment icon indicates if comments exist. A notification of each comment is also added to the discussion thread.
Replying
You can write a new message by clicking the text field at the bottom of the page. When you start typing, a toolbar appears above the field, allowing text formatting, creating tasks, @mentioning participants, and attaching files.
You can also see who will receive the email notification by default.
The email recipient list automatically includes recent participants and the discussion creator. You may remove recipients with the x button or add others by typing a name, clicking the envelope icon, or choosing “Notify all”.
It is not possible to add new members when replying.
Owners and trusted administrators can add participants through the Members window.
Joining a Discussion Without a SignSpace Account
Participants receive an invitation email. By clicking the link, they can join the discussion. If the user does not have a SignSpace account, the link directs them to authenticate either with an access code or with strong authentication, depending on the sender’s security settings.
Unregistered users must strongly authenticate for every session. A session lasts 30 minutes at a time. If it has not yet expired, it can be extended in 30‑minute increments. A prompt to extend appears five minutes before expiration.
Adding and Removing Participants
The participant list at the top of the page provides an overview of all participants. The discussion creator, other owners, and trusted administrators may add or remove participants via the Members menu.
If the discussion is protected with strong authentication, owners can see each participant’s first name, last name, and date of birth. These details can be edited when needed (e.g., to correct mistakes or add new participants). The exception is users with a registered SignSpace account: their names come directly from account data and are not editable.
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