NOTE

We’re investing in improvements to the Activity Feed, and as part of this, we are retiring Ironclad Connect on October 1, 2024.

What’s coming next?

Over the next few months, we will be evolving the Activity Feed to help you collaborate on contracts more easily with your team. These features will highlight what’s new since you last checked a workflow, and make it easier to navigate between messages, replies, emails, and events.

We also know how important collaborating with your counterparty is. There will be no change to counterparty forms or the ability to email documents from Ironclad. We will also improve the discoverability of the feature that allows you to copy an email address for a workflow, which in turn makes it easy to forward emails to the Activity Feed.

What will happen to in flight workflows?

As part of this change, we are sunsetting the ability to invite and message a counterparty directly from Activity Feed. Internal collaboration will not be affected.

It will be easier for users to immediately add a comment to the Activity Feed, instead of needing to navigate to the ‘Internal’ tab, and they will also benefit from being able to search events and comment all in the same place.

No existing events in your Activity Feed will be lost. Events in the ‘External’ tab are already visible in the ‘All’ tab of the Activity Feed, which is the default tab when viewing the Activity Feed, so the transition should feel familiar and simple. Users will still be able to search for existing messages and activity, and External events will continue to include a globe icon to distinguish them from Internal events.

Finally, counterparties that have previously leveraged Connect will still be able to access their documents.

What is the best way to communicate and share documents with counterparties?

We encourage you to continue leveraging features such as:

Counterparty Forms, which enable you to collect information from the counterparty;
Email Document, which allows you to send documents directly from Ironclad, with replies automatically captured in the Activity Feed; and
Copy Workflow Email Address, which allows you to get an email address for the workflow, so you can then forward emails to the Activity Feed.

Key dates

Here is the timeline for the sunset.

August 14th, 2024: the ability to invite new counterparties will be discontinued.
October 1st, 2024: the ability to send external messages on workflows already leveraging Connect will be discontinued.

For more information, or to disable Connect before October 1, 2024, please submit a ticket.

Ironclad Connect Functionality

What are the benefits of using Ironclad Connect to communicate or share documents with an external counterparty, vendor, or customer?

Ironclad Connect provides a secure, shared space equipped with contract collaboration tools. This ensures that all parties have what they need to efficiently complete their revisions and review contracts.

When all of these actions take place in Ironclad, you create a consolidated feed of activity, documents, and messages.

Are counterparties added to my organization's Ironclad account?

No. We provide the necessary tools for each organization to create and link workflows, but counterparties always use their own, private, free Ironclad Connect or paid Ironclad account.

You only share or link workflows when you want to connect in Ironclad’s shared work and collaboration spaces.

Can I still email or download documents with counterparties?

Yes. We recommend using Ironclad Connect when working with other companies on contracts, but we continue to support and provide flexibility for your organization’s processes.

All external collaboration features are optional, and can be used only if you and your counterparty are comfortable using Ironclad to communicate and share documents.

What if I accidentally send a workflow with counterparty invites enabled?

If your counterparty has joined, you can simply cancel the workflow, have the Administrator adjust the permissions applied to that workflow, update the workflow configuration, and relaunch.

Even if a counterparty joins, they cannot see nor do they automatically have access to any of your documents or information.

Who receives a notification when the counterparty takes an action like posting a comment or sharing a document?

Only the workflow owner gets a notification when the counterparty posts a comment or shares a doc in the Activity Feed. However, other participants can also receive these notifications if they set their Workflow Notifications to More.

Sharing and Privacy

How do I know my confidential information, comments, messages, etc. are secure when I use these features with my counterparties?

Ironclad is proud to offer enterprise-grade security to all of our customers and continues to do so across this feature set.

Your counterparty is given their own, separate Ironclad Connect account when they are invited to join a workflow. This means they are never given access to your account or sensitive information.
Your counterparty can ONLY see information and documents you choose to share with them, or that are generated by THEIR team and shared internally within THEIR free account.
You are always alerted if your action will be visible to external counterparties prior to completing the action. Look for the lock icon to indicate internal permissions, and the globe icon to indicate what is shared with the counterparty.

When I share documents in Ironclad, will my counterparty be able to view all of the versions created?

No. Ironclad only shares the version that you select to share. We understand that customers use Ironclad for internal version reviews, so Ironclad does not share ALL versions in Ironclad Connect.

You can have both internal and shared versions of documents within your workflow to keep all internal team conversations private and confidential.

If you update a document that had been previously shared, your team will need to share the new version.

What happens if my team posts an internal message in the external, cross-company Activity Feed?

We created the ability for you to manage your messaging and privacy needs by allowing any workflow participant to move a conversation to the internal, private team discussion space.

To do this, from the relevant message, click the three stacked dots > Move to Internal Feed. You’ll see that the external Activity Feed and message is marked as internal and is no longer accessible to your counterparty.

Can I cancel or unlink a workflow with a counterparty?

Yes. You can unlink a workflow with a counterparty by canceling the workflow. If the counterparty was invited but hasn’t signed up yet, you can also click Revoke invite to cancel any pending invites.

Counterparty Experience

How do counterparties sign up for Ironclad?

Counterparties are invited to create an Ironclad account, free of charge and can accept the offer one of three ways:

Invitation by email, initiated by an Ironclad user within the workflow
Invitation generated after they have completed a counterparty form
Invitation when a document or draft is shared with them

Counterparties are never included in any Ironclad sales or marketing activities without their permission. They only receive emails notifications related to the contracting progress, status, or with relevant workflow conversations and activity.

To see what your counterparty invitee experience, refer to Welcome to Ironclad for Counterparty Invitees.

Do counterparty invites expire?

Yes. Counterparty invites expire after 7 days.

When does my counterparty see my documents or messages?

Your counterparty can only see documents and messages that are explicitly shared with them by you, or other users with Share permissions.

This allows you and your team to continue working on a document internally prior to sharing it with your counterparty. Any versions of your agreement or other documents not explicitly shared with the counterparty are never visible to them.

Counterparties can only view, comment on, and compare versions of documents that are shared with them directly. Messages sent in the Internal Activity Feed are similarly never shared with the counterparty.

Prior to sharing a document, you see a message informing you that you are sharing it externally or with your counterparty.

What does the counterparty metadata panel display?

Counterparty Name [You, the Ironclad Customer's, Name]
Counterparty Contact Name [the workflow’s Workflow Owner]
Counterparty Contact Email
Contract Type
Ready for Signature
Workflow Complete
Signer Name [External/Counterparty's Signer Name]
Signer Email
Paper Source
Agreement Date [available at the Sign step]
Draft
Sent Signature Packet [available at the Sign step]
Signed PDF [available at the Sign step]

Administrator Experience

How do I manage permissions or access to these features on my workflow templates?

Company administrators can adjust the permissions for use of collaboration features, but they are available by default in all accounts.

To learn how to configure the permissions for these features, refer to Counterparty Invitation Permissions.

Even if you have these features disabled on your workflows, you as an administrator still have access to them. Additionally, your users can see the External Activity Feed, even if they do not have permission to invite a counterparty. This is so all stakeholders involved in the agreement can view all relevant messages, documents, etc. that have been shared.

Can I control Ironclad Connect features at the account level?

No. Similar to Share and Download Document permissions, counterparty invites are controlled at the individual Workflow Designer template level.

Is Ironclad Connect available on LEB workflows?

No. Ironclad Connect features are only available for Workflow Designer templates and workflows.

If I restrict my Workflow Designer template to not allow any counterparty invites, does that impact the workflow UI?

No. We remove user’s access and ability to click on any counterparty invite features, but the workflow UI does not change based on your permissions. Users may still see the new activity feed UI which includes both an internal and external view, but only the internal view is activated and accessible for their use.

Can I use Ironclad Connect to collaborate on a contract if the counterparty is also an Ironclad customer?

Yes. You can use Ironclad Connect to securely send messages and share documents by linking your workflow to your counterparty’s workflow. To do this:

Both you and your counterparty must create your own, separate workflows before the workflows can be linked using Ironclad Connect. This ensures that all of your contract review, approval, and signature processes are established before you link to an external workflow or company.
After each company creates a workflow in their separate Ironclad accounts, invite the counterparty by sharing your document or emailing an invite.
Your counterparty can use the unique Ironclad Connect workflow code that was emailed to them and enter it on their relevant workflow page. This prevents you both from accidentally linking workflows and protects your contract info and data.