How to Get Clients to Sign Documents Faster (5 Proven Tips)

You sent the contract three days ago. Your client said they'd “sign it today.” It's now Friday and you're still waiting. Sound familiar? Chasing signatures is one of the biggest time drains in any service business. These five strategies will get your documents signed in hours instead of days.

Why Clients Delay Signing

Before diving into solutions, understand why clients procrastinate on signatures. It's rarely because they don't want to sign. The real reasons:

• Friction— They need to download software, create an account, or figure out how to sign a PDF. Each step is a chance to abandon the process.
• Bad timing— The email arrived when they were busy. By the time they're free, it's buried in their inbox.
• No urgency— Without a clear deadline, signing gets pushed to “later” — which often means “never.”
• Not mobile-friendly— They opened your document on their phone but couldn't figure out how to sign it on a small screen.
• No reminder— They genuinely forgot. Life happened.

Each of the tips below targets one of these root causes.

Tip 1: Remove Every Possible Friction Point

The number one reason clients delay: the signing process is too complicated. If your client needs to create an account, download an app, or figure out unfamiliar software, you've already lost them.

Use a tool that requires zero setup from the signer. SignBolt lets anyone sign a document in their browser — no account, no app, no downloads. Upload the PDF, click to place signature, done. The entire process takes under 90 seconds.

When you send the document, include a direct link to signbolt.store/sign with clear instructions: “Upload the attached PDF, sign where indicated, and email the signed version back.” Three steps. No ambiguity.

Tip 2: Send at the Right Time

Timing matters more than most people realize. Research on email engagement consistently shows the same pattern:

• Monday— People are catching up from the weekend. Your email gets buried under a pile of unread messages.
• Tuesday through Thursday mornings— Peak productivity hours. People are clearing their to-do lists. Your document gets attention.
• Friday— People are mentally checked out. Anything that isn't urgent gets pushed to Monday — which means it gets buried again.
• After 2 PM— Energy drops after lunch. Non-urgent tasks (including signing your document) get deferred.

The sweet spot: send documents for signature between 9 and 11 AM, Tuesday through Thursday, in the client's time zone. If you can't control when the document is ready, at least schedule the email to arrive during this window.

Tip 3: Set a Clear, Specific Deadline

Vague requests produce vague results. Compare these two approaches:

• Weak:“Please sign this at your earliest convenience.”
• Strong:“Please sign this by Wednesday, March 25th so we can begin work on Thursday.”

The second version works better for three reasons: it gives a specific date (not a vague timeframe), it's tied to a consequence (work starts Thursday), and it implies that delay affects the client's own timeline.

Don't be afraid to set tight deadlines. A 48-hour turnaround is reasonable for most business documents. If the client agreed to the terms verbally, the signature is a formality — there's no reason it should take a week.

Tip 4: Make It Mobile-Friendly

Your client reads your email on their phone during their morning commute. They open the attachment. It's a PDF. They can't figure out how to add a signature on their phone. They close it, planning to sign later on their laptop. They forget.

This scenario plays out thousands of times a day. The fix: use a signing tool that works perfectly on mobile browsers. SignBolt is fully responsive — clients can upload, sign, and download on any phone or tablet without pinching, zooming, or struggling with tiny buttons.

In your email, explicitly mention that they can sign on their phone: “You can sign this on your phone or computer — just open signbolt.store/sign, upload the attached PDF, and tap to sign.”

Tip 5: Follow Up Within 24 Hours

If your document hasn't been signed within 24 hours, send a short follow-up. Keep it brief and helpful, not pushy:

“Hi [Name], just following up on the [document type] I sent yesterday. You can sign it in under a minute at signbolt.store/sign — no account needed. Let me know if you have any questions about the terms.”

This follow-up works because it:

• Reminds them without being aggressive
• Re-includes the signing link (so they don't have to search for it)
• Opens the door for questions (which might be the real reason they haven't signed)

If there's still no response after 48 hours, a phone call or text message is appropriate. Switch channels — if email isn't working, try a different medium.

Bonus: The Perfect Signature Request Email

Combine all five tips into one email template:

For a more detailed guide on the sending process itself, see our step-by-step guide to sending documents for signature.

What Does a Signing Tool Actually Cost?

The tool you use affects both speed and cost. Here's how SignBolt compares to the market leader:

Bottom Line

Clients don't delay signing because they don't want to. They delay because the process is inconvenient, the timing is bad, or they simply forgot. Remove friction, send at the right time, set a deadline, make it mobile-friendly, and follow up once. Do all five and you'll cut your average signing time from days to hours.

Start with the tool. SignBolt makes signing so easy that friction disappears entirely. Free for up to 3 documents per month — no reason not to try it on your next contract.