User Roles in Cincel: Observer vs Signer

In Cincel, efficient document management and secure collaboration are fundamental. Understanding the differences between the Signer and Observer roles will allow you to configure your signing processes with precision, ensuring that each participant has the correct level of access and responsibilities.

While both roles are related to the document lifecycle in Cincel, their functions and purposes are distinct and crucial for the legal validity and transparency of your agreements.

Who is a Signer?

A Signer is the essential person in the process, whose participation is indispensable for the legal validity and completion of a document.

Main purpose: Grant their consent to the document through an electronic signature.

Essential characteristics:

Active participation: Their function is to perform the action of signing the document, whether with a digital handwritten signature or e.firma.

Targeted access: Receives a direct email invitation to a secure link that allows them exclusive access to the document they must sign. They do not need to have a Cincel account to perform this action.

Legal importance: A signer's signature is what grants legal validity to the document, making it a binding instrument.
Document download: Once the signing process is completed by all involved parties, the signer will receive a copy of the signed document and its legal backups.

💡Cincel Tip: The reliability and legal validity of signatures in Cincel comply with Mexican legislation (NOM-151) and international standards, guaranteeing the integrity and authenticity of each signer's consent.

Who is an Observer?

An Observer is a person who needs to stay informed about the progress of a document without participating directly in its signing.

Main purpose: Monitor the signing status of a specific document.

Passive participation: Their role is for tracking and information. They do not have the capacity to sign the document, edit it, or perform actions that modify its content or process.

Restricted access: Receives access to view the document and its signing progress in real time. Like the signer, an observer invited to a specific document does not require a Cincel account.

No direct legal effect: The presence of an observer does not add or subtract legal validity from the document, as their role does not imply consent or legal action regarding it.

Notifications: Receives updates on the status of the document, including when it has been sent, signed by all participants, and finalized.

Download: Has the authority to download the complete document once signed.

💡Cincel Tip: The observer role is ideal for legal teams, internal auditors, or managers who need to oversee the formalization of agreements without being a direct part of the signing.