How to get a work order signed online, from authorization to sign-off
A work order does two jobs. Before the work, it's the customer's authorization: yes, fix the water heater at this rate. After the work, a sign-off says it's done. Getting both signatures on paper means a clipboard in every van and a stack of forms to scan on Friday. Here's how service businesses and property managers get work orders signed from a phone instead.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
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What goes on a work order
- A work order number, the date, and the customer or unit it's for.
- The problem as reported and the work authorized, in plain words.
- Rates: a flat price, or the hourly rate and trip charge, plus a not-to-exceed amount for anything open-ended.
- Access details, such as gate codes or whether a tenant must be home.
- The customer's authorization signature and date, and later a completion sign-off.
A not-to-exceed figure is the line that saves arguments. If the tech finds more work, they stop and get a change order signed instead of quietly running past the authorized amount.
Authorize the work on site
- 1
Make the work order a template
Upload your work order form with New template on the Templates page. Add a Customer role, and give your techs a template they can send in under a minute.
- 2
Add the right fields
Draw Markup Text boxes for the problem, the rate and the not-to-exceed amount, so the tech types them and the customer can't edit them. Then add a Checkbox for "I authorize the work above" and Signature and Date signed fields for the customer.
- 3
Fill it in at the door
The tech starts an envelope from the template on their phone and fills in the text boxes. To show the problem, they pick Insert pages after in a page's menu and add a photo from the camera roll as a page. Then they add the customer's name and email and send it.
- 4
Hand over the phone
Next to the customer's name, the tech taps Sign in person and hands the phone over. The customer signs, hands it back, and the tech confirms they have it before SignMaster shows the account again.
- 5
Everyone gets the signed copy
The customer gets the signed work order by email straight away, with a certificate of completion that records the time and that the tech hosted the signing.
When nobody is home
For a rental unit, the property manager usually authorizes the work, not the tenant. Send the work order to the manager by email instead, and add the tenant as Receives a copy so they know when to expect the tech.
Sign off when the job is done
Each person signs an envelope once, so the completion sign-off is its own short document: what was done, parts used, hours on site, an after photo inserted as a page, and the customer's signature confirming the work is finished. Keep it as a second template and send it at the end of the visit. Titling both envelopes with the same work order number, like WO 2291 – authorization and WO 2291 – sign-off, means a search on the envelopes page finds the pair.
If you're a property manager sending work orders to vendors, flip the roles: the vendor signs to accept the job and its not-to-exceed amount, and the owner can be added as Receives a copy. Sending many at once for seasonal jobs, like gutter cleaning across a portfolio, works with bulk send from a CSV on paid plans.
Questions? Answers.
Is a work order signed on a phone valid?
Yes. The federal ESIGN Act says a signature can't be denied legal effect just because it's electronic, and signing in person on the tech's phone records the same consent and audit trail as signing from an email.
Does the customer need an email address?
Yes. Each signer is added with a name and email, even when they sign in person, because that's where their signed copy goes. Ask for it when you book the visit.
Can techs use their own phones?
Yes. SignMaster runs in the phone's browser, and each tech signs in to the team workspace with their own account, so you can see who sent which work order.
What if the job needs more work than authorized?
Stop at the not-to-exceed amount and send a change order for the extra. It's a separate envelope, signed before the added work begins.