How to Send a Manual Reminder to Sign a Document via API

Ensuring that all parties promptly sign documents maintains workflow efficiency and helps you meet deadlines. Sometimes, a gentle reminder is necessary to prompt signers to complete their part. Sending manual reminders via API lets you manage this process efficiently. This blog will guide you through the steps to send a manual reminder to sign a document using the BoldSign API.

Importance of Manual Reminders

Manual reminders allow you to:

• Control timing: Send reminders at strategic times.
• Target specific recipients: Address signers who may require additional prompting.
• Prompt action: Encourage signers to complete their signatures promptly.
• Avoid delays: Help prevent workflow bottlenecks.
• Maintain compliance: Ensure timely execution of legally binding documents.

When You Can Send Manual Reminders

Manual reminders can be sent only for documents that are in the Waiting or In Progress status. These reminders are sent only to signers who have not yet completed their action. Only one manual reminder per document per day is allowed. Sending a manual reminder does not affect any automatic reminder configuration.
For more details, refer to the BoldSign guide on sending reminders for waiting or in progress documents.

BoldSign API Overview

BoldSign provides a comprehensive API that includes functionalities for sending reminders to signers. The POST /v1/document/remind endpoint is specifically designed for this purpose, allowing you to send reminder emails to all pending signers of a document.

Endpoint Details

Manual vs. Automatic Reminders

BoldSign supports both manual and automatic reminders to help ensure documents are signed on time. The key difference is how and when the reminders are sent. Manual reminders are sent on demand after the document is created. They are useful when you need to follow up at a specific time or remind selected signers who haven’t completed their action yet.

Automatic reminders are configured while creating the document. They run on a predefined schedule and require no manual intervention. Default automatic reminder settings can also be managed at the organization level, making them ideal for standard and recurring workflows. To learn more about setting up automatic reminders, refer to the BoldSign guide on automatically reminding signers during document creation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Sending Manual Reminders

Step 1: Gather Required Information

BoldSign provides an API that allows you to programmatically send a manual reminder to recipients of a document by providing the following details:

Document ID: The ID of the document for which you want to send a reminder.

Signer Email(s): The email addresses of the signers who need to be reminded.

Reminder Message: A personalized message to include in the reminder email.

So, you need to have these ready.

You can retrieve signer email addresses and current document status using the Document Properties API (GET /v1/document/properties) before calling the reminder endpoint.

Step 2: Construct the API Request

Here’s how to construct the API request to send a manual reminder. Following are examples using different programming languages.

curl -X 'POST' \

  'https://api.boldsign.com/v1/document/remind?documentId={YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID}&receiverEmails={[email protected]}&receiverEmails={[email protected]}' \
  -H 'accept: */*' \
  -H 'X-API-KEY: {YOUR_API_KEY}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json;odata.metadata=minimal;odata.streaming=true' \
  -d '{
  "message": "{Your message to the signers}"
}'
    

var apiClient = new ApiClient("https://api.boldsign.com", "{YOUR_API_KEY}");
var documentClient = new DocumentClient(apiClient);
documentClient.RemindDocument(
    documentId: "{YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID}",
    receiverEmails: new List<string> { "[email protected]", "[email protected]" },
reminderMessage: new ReminderMessage(message: "Your message to the signers"));
    

import boldsign

configuration = boldsign.Configuration(api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY")

with boldsign.ApiClient(configuration) as api_client:

    document_api = boldsign.DocumentApi(api_client)

    reminder_message = boldsign.ReminderMessage(message = "Your message to the signers")
    
    document_api.remind_document(
        document_id = "YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID",
        receiver_emails = [
            "[email protected]",
            "[email protected]"
        ],
        reminder_message = reminder_message
    )
    

<?php require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

use BoldSign\Configuration;
use BoldSign\Api\DocumentApi;
use BoldSign\Model\ReminderMessage;

$config = new Configuration();
$config->setApiKey('YOUR_API_KEY');
$document_api = new DocumentApi($config);

$reminder_message = new ReminderMessage();
$reminder_message->setMessage('Your message to the signers');
$receiver_emails = [
    '[email protected]',
    '[email protected]'
];

$document_api->remindDocument($document_id = 'YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID', 
$receiver_emails, $reminder_message);
?>
    

ApiClient client = Configuration.getDefaultApiClient();  
client.setApiKey("YOUR_API_KEY");

DocumentApi documentApi = new DocumentApi(client);

List receiverEmails = Arrays.asList(
    "[email protected]",
    "[email protected]"
);
ReminderMessage reminderMessage = new ReminderMessage();
reminderMessage.setMessage("Your message to the signers");

documentApi.remindDocument("YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID", receiverEmails, reminderMessage);

    

import { DocumentApi, ReminderMessage } from "boldsign"; 

async function main() {
const documentApi = new DocumentApi();
documentApi.setApiKey("YOUR_API_KEY");

const reminderMessage = new ReminderMessage();
reminderMessage.message = "Your message to the signers";

const receiverEmails = [
    "[email protected]",
    "[email protected]"
];

await documentApi.remindDocument("YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID", receiverEmails, reminderMessage); }
 
main();

    

If you want to test the manual reminder API quickly without any manual setup, you can use the Postman Send Reminder request available in the BoldSign Public Workspace.

Conclusion

Sending manual reminders for eSignatures on documents helps ensure timely completion and maintain workflow efficiency. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can effectively send manual reminders to your signers and keep your document signing process on track.

Prefer using the BoldSign Web app? Refer to the step‑by‑step guide on sending manual reminders directly from the BoldSign dashboard

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