Let the client sign first, then countersign in one tap
Most service businesses want the customer's signature before their own. It keeps you from committing to a price or a start date the client hasn't accepted. The catch is remembering to countersign once they do. SignMaster puts you last in line, tells you when you're up and makes your part a single tap.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
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Why the client signs first
- You don't commit first. A contract you've already signed is an offer the client can accept weeks later, at last season's price.
- Their edits come before your name. If they fill in a start date or tick options, you see their choices before you sign off on them.
- One clean ending. The envelope completes on your signature, so the signed PDF reaches everyone the moment you countersign.
Set it up once
- 1
Save your signature
In Settings › Profile, under Your signature, draw or type your signature and initials once. Only you can see or use them.
- 2
Add the client, then add yourself
In the recipients step, add the client, then press Add me. With the Signing order set to In order, drag yourself to the bottom.
- 3
Place both sets of fields
The client's signature, initials and anything they fill in, then your own signature and date at the countersignature line.
- 4
Make it the template's default
On a template, give yourself a role such as Contractor after the Customer role, so every envelope from it is already in the right order.
When it's your turn
After you send, the confirmation screen tells you SignMaster will ask you when it's your turn. Once the client signs, you get the same signing email they did, and your dashboard lists the envelope under Needs your attention with a one-tap Sign button. The envelope's own page says it's your turn to sign, too.
One tap works when your part holds only signatures, initials, your name or email, and the date signed. If you also have a box to fill in, like a project start date, the button opens the signing page instead, with your saved signature ready.
Signing first on purpose?
If you're the first signer, switch on Sign my part right after sending at review, and you'll be asked to sign your part as soon as the envelope goes out.
Countersigning in person
At the kitchen table, hand the client your phone or iPad with in-person signing. When they finish and you take the device back, the iPhone and iPad app goes straight to your own signature, so the contract is complete before you stand up. Everyone gets the signed PDF by email straight away.
Countersigning a public link
A public signing link works the same way: put yourself in a role after the visitor's, and each response comes to you to countersign once the visitor has signed.
Questions? Answers.
Do I get an email when the client signs?
When it's your turn, yes: you get a signing request like any signer. Your dashboard also shows the envelope as waiting on you.
Can a colleague countersign instead of me?
Yes. Put them in the last turn by name and email. To let any one of several people countersign, make that turn a signer group.
What if I forget to countersign?
The envelope stays waiting on you and sits in Needs your attention on your dashboard. Add a sign-by date, and you get the deadline reminders too.
Is my saved signature shared with my team?
No. Saved signatures and initials belong to you alone; teammates save their own.