ISV Embedded Signing Update: Change the Sender's Address

Abhi SinghSenior Partner Solutions Architect

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Summary•6 min read

For Docusign ISV Partners: Explore your current and potentially upcoming options to control the sender's email address on behalf the customers using your Docusign integration.

Introduction
Preconceptions
System and Real Users
Workarounds
Conclusion
Additional resources

Introduction
Preconceptions
System and Real Users
Workarounds

Conclusion
Additional resources

Imagine you're an ISV developer trying to send documents on behalf of your customers through your integration with Docusign. Everything seems to work smoothly, except for one critical detail: the sender's email address isn't what your customer expects it to be. Instead of their email address, they see an email from something@docusign.net. Sound familiar?

Introduction

In this guide, I'll delve into the challenges of changing the sender email address in your ISV integration. While a straightforward solution may not be available, I'll discuss the complexities involved in ensuring that emails reflect your customer's identity instead of your own. I'll also explore potential workarounds and hint at future capabilities that could make managing sender email addresses more seamless.

Preconceptions

You might have some assumptions about how to change the sender email of an envelope when sending on behalf of your customer. In this section, we'll address those assumptions and explore potential pitfalls.

First, consider the sender property in the create envelope request. It might seem logical that changing the email associated with the sender would alter the actual email used for sending. However, this is not the case. The sender property is read-only, and any values provided in the create envelope request are disregarded.

Second, you might consider creating an account for your customer using their email address, and then using that account to send the envelope. However, this approach is strongly discouraged, as it could inadvertently grant your customer access to your Docusign account. As outlined in the ISV License OEM Implementation Plan:

“Customers should not have user memberships in your ISV License partner accounts.”

Under an ISV License (includes ISV Embed and PayGo programs), you are the provider of eSignature services to your customers. Because your customers do not have a direct relationship with Docusign in the context of your business application, they should not have user memberships in your accounts.

The users you employ to send envelopes from your account should have an email domain within your firm, ensuring that your customers can never log in to your account and take control.

This leads to the question: if these users are not real users, then what are they? I will delve into this next.

System and Real Users

When integrating your application with Docusign to offer eSignature capabilities to your customers, you utilize system users. As an ISV, you manage these system users, which is distinct from how individual users manage their own accounts. Although Docusign currently does not differentiate between these account types, you may have either a single system user for your customers or multiple system users for various applications.

An upcoming feature will enhance the distinction between these account types, providing greater clarity.

Next, let’s explore the potential workarounds.

Workarounds

Current Workaround

To ensure that the sender's name appears with the envelope, you can take the following steps:

Create a system user email address: Set up an email address using your customer's name and your domain. For instance, if your customer is Acme Consulting, you could use an email like acme@vendor.com, where "vendor.com" is your domain. This email address will be used for the system user creation. An alternative to this would be creating per-user proxy system users. For Instance, if your customer is John Doe at Acme Consulting, you could use an email like john.doe@vendor.com.
Personalize email settings: Customize the emails sent from Docusign by configuring the replyEmailAddressOverride and replyEmailNameOverride elements in the envelope’s emailSettings. Set these elements to the email address and name of the customer to further personalize the communication. When a signer replies to the envelope email, the reply email will populate with the provided override name and email rather than being routed through Docusign to the system sender.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the envelopes are sent through Docusign using your account. This setup should not surprise the end user, as it functions similarly to receiving a parcel from an e-commerce order delivered by DHL or FedEx.

Future Workaround

This upcoming section includes forward-looking statements that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements reflect our current expectations, but are influenced by various factors, including global economic conditions, market volatility, and regulatory changes. Consequently, actual outcomes may differ materially from those anticipated. We do not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date they are made, except as required by law. Please refer to the "Risk Factors" and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis" sections in our most recent filings with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of these risks.

If it is crucial for you to have the end user’s email address appear as the sender, upcoming features from Docusign should provide a solution. In the near future, Docusign plans to introduce support for a specialized user type: a customer user which uses their own email address. This will enable you to send envelopes from your customer’s email address and display their names as the sender.

Furthermore, customers will have access to a unique Docusign account designed to view only the envelopes they have sent through your account. Please note that they will not have the ability to send or modify envelopes from the Docusign website.

This section will be updated once the feature becomes available.

Conclusion

Managing the sender email address in ISV integrations can be challenging, but with the right strategy, you can create a more authentic and trustworthy experience for your customers. By understanding the existing limitations and utilizing current workarounds, you can ensure that your emails accurately represent your customers.

Additional resources