Welcome to the Smartwaiver Editor!
Before we get started, we need to have a digital copy of the waiver as either an editable Word DOC or PDF in order to be able to use the data. For legal reasons, the verbiage on the waiver must be copy + pasted, and this cannot be done through an image/scan of the waiver.
There are two options when working with Smartwaiver:
Option 1: Have our experts at Smartwaiver convert the waiver for you
Once you have either a Word DOC or PDF of the document, you can send that file over to support@smartwaiver.com and our team will help with the conversion at no extra cost.
We are more than happy to convert your first waiver free of charge, and the team will work with you to finalize the document if you have any edits you would like to address.
Please keep in mind that we are not able to convert waivers if the document is an image – it must be either PDF or Word DOC for us to convert it into the system.
Option 2: Convert your own Waiver
We have also opened the use of our editor to any user with a Smartwaiver account so that you can create the waiver from scratch as well. There are a few benefits to learning the system, like:
- Being able to make edits on your own.
- Have more control over what is in your waiver.
- Learn how to take advantage of all of Smartwaiver's features to more efficiently collect and utilize data, allowing you to better understand your businesses needs.
- It can be fun!
Again, all you need is the digital copy of your waiver in either an editable Word or PDF format, and we are ready to go!
In the following sections we will go over what the different fields you can add to the waiver are, and how they all come together.
We like to start from the top of the waiver and work our way down. This will help keep you organized and ensure that you will accurately convert the waiver to be as close to your paper copy as possible.
In the end, there may be some differences between the Smartwaiver version of your waiver, and the paper waiver, but we can ultimately have them capture the same data – which is the good stuff.
Section 1: Title & Header
The “Title” of the waiver is exactly what it sounds like – this is what the waiver will be named in your “Create/Edit Waivers” section of your account. We typically name the waiver something similar to what you would see bolded at the top of the waiver.
The title of the waiver will appear in the email sent to your participants when they complete a waiver.
Next we can take a look at the Header settings.
In the header there are three sections:
Logo: Allows you to add a logo to your waiver. Most image files are supported in this case, and it can really add to the look and authenticity of your waiver.
Header Text: A section that allows you to add text next to the logo. This text has the standard text capabilities, so feel free to use the bold or font size to make it pop.
Privacy Policy: By default, the privacy policy will be turned off. This is because we find that most waivers do not include a Privacy Policy, and it is usually something that is associated with the business rather than this document. Turning it on will allow you to edit the Privacy Policy, and a new button will show underneath your Header Text. In most cases, we will leave this off.
Deleting one of the sections will make the other one bigger. It’s totally okay to leave the logo blank if you just want the header text, and vice-versa.
Section 2: The Body
In 90% of the waivers we work with, this is where the bulk of the waiver information will go.
In many cases, you will find that you can simply copy + paste the data from your waivers document into the “Body” section.
Our goal when converting is to make the converted waiver look as close to the original as possible. This means capturing all the initials, signatures, and everything in between that makes up the body of the waiver.
The following are tools that are built-in to the Editor that help us achieve that goal. These can be dragged and dropped into the waiver as needed.
Custom Body Elements:
Initial [initial]: Used as a way for participants to initial a statement in the Body section. Will create a drawing field (similar to signature).
Today’s Date [date]: Will automatically place the current date that the waiver was signed on within the Body. Can be useful for the participants copy of the waiver.
Agree Checkbox [agree]: Used as a way for participants to agree to a statement in the Body section. Will create a checkbox field.
Signature [signature]: Used as a way for participants to sign a statement in the Body section. Signatures can be made by either typing or drawing, and this can be specified within the Body section of the Editor as well.
You may need to adjust the formatting of the waiver as you go, as there might be cases where the formatting is lost or becomes corrupted when copy + pasting.
Section 3.1: Participants (Adults & Minors)
Not every waiver is going to be a simple copy + paste for the body, and it may take some more dynamic fields that allow you to enter information, or perhaps select a list of options from a list.
This is where the Participants section of the Editor comes in. This section (and subsequently the Minor’s section) houses important fields that allow you to enter custom questions into the Editor.
Note – Remember that the goal is to have the conversion replicate the waiver drafted by your attorney. While the Editor does allow for some creative freedom, Smartwaiver always encourages to follow your original waiver when determining if information is necessary or not.
Participant Label
You can change the default label of “Participant” if needed here, or delete the “Participant” noun altogether from your waiver. It will also allow you to adjust the default phrase that follows the “Participant” label.
Other Options
Date of Birth for Adults: Turns on the default field for “Date of Birth”. If this is turned off, the waiver will simply ask if the participant is over 18 (or the set age of majority).
Gender: Turns on the default field for “Gender”. When this is turned on, another option will appear that will allow you to edit the gender's listed.
Phone Number: Allows the participant to input their phone number.
Phone Number for all participants: Will also ask “Minors” for their phone number as well (this is also off by default)
To open the Custom Questions section, you will have to click on the “Add Custom Questions” button located towards the bottom of this section. Then, a new part of the section will appear.
The custom questions are one of the most important pieces of the Smartwaiver puzzle. This section will allow you to really expand on the variety of information your waiver can collect:
Text Box: Allows an open text field where the participant can enter any information.
- Style – Changes the size of the text box (Small/Medium/Paragraph). The size of the box does not limit the amount of characters that can be entered - it just makes it easier to see the entire answer if the question warrants it. For example, a question that asks for ALL food allergies may need a larger text box to see completely.
- Selection Required – Will make question require an answer in order to sign the waiver.
- Create Search Tag – Indexes the answer so that you may later search for the waiver via the selection. For more information, visit our Tag Article.
- Flag When – Denotes a special marker on the “View Signed Waivers” page if the question is answered or not. For more information, visit our Flags Article.
Rich Text: Works slightly different than the text box in that it creates a static text that can not be adjusted by the participant. Useful for creating headers, displaying instructions, and anything miscellaneous that does not require the participants interaction.
Drop-down: Creates a drop-down menu with pre-determined answers for the participant. Useful when only one selection can be chosen.
- Drop-down fields also have “Selection Required” and “Search Tag” options.
Date: A field that allows the participant to insert a date. Some examples could be to identify when a participant will be attending an activity, or when a participant will return equipment.
2012 was the year Smartwaiver was founded.
- Allow Dates: Specifies what dates are allowed. Some examples can be allowing all dates in the future, or all dates in the past.
- Date fields can also have “Selection Required” and “Search Tag” options.
Checkboxes: Similar to a drop-down field, but allows the participant to select multiple options. Great for questions that ask “Select all that apply”.
- Checkbox fields can also be made “Required”.
- Keep in mind that you can pre-select answers with the check-box field as well. By default, one answer will be selected (this can be unselected by clicking on the actual checkbox in the editor).
Multiple Options: Also similar to a drop-down field, but will show all answers without requiring an extra button press. Could be useful in some case where all options need to be shown immediately.
Yes/No: The same as a “Multiple Options” field, but automatically makes the two possible answers “Yes” and “No”. Just a quick shortcut for waivers with a lot of Yes/No questions!
All custom fields added to the Participant section will be shown for each individual on the waiver, allowing them to provide specific information. This is especially useful with large groups that all have different answers to custom questions.
Section 3.2: Minors
In addition to the “Participant” section, we also have the Minor’s section. We typically group these two sections together because the Minor’s section will mirror the participant section, with some exceptions.
Any custom questions that have been made in the Participant section will also show up in the Minor’s section in the final waiver.
This is also the place where you can designate a minimum age for your waiver.
Age of Majority
Age of Majority: The age where a participant is no longer considered a Minor and becomes an Adult in terms of your waiver. By default, a Minor turning into an Adult is the only circumstance that will void a waiver. This can be turned off with the toggle located right under these settings.
Minimum Age Requirement: The age required to sign the waiver as a Minor. Any participant that tries to sign a waiver that is below this age requirement will not be eligible to proceed with the completion of the waiver.
There are also a few more settings that can be toggled with regards to Minors, which allow for a bit more functionality.
Minors
Allow Minors on the Waiver: Will turn off Minors completely. Only use this if Minors are not eligible to complete the waiver. This will make it so that the waiver automatically defaults to an Adult waiver.
Allow multiple minors on the same waiver: Can toggle how many Minors are allowed per waiver. Useful for big families that need to sign a waiver for each participant under the age of majority.
Both parent or guardian and minor have to sign: Requires the Minor to sign as well. Again, follow the guidelines mandated by your waiver to see if this is necessary.
Allow Adults on the Waiver: Turns off adults so that the waiver defaults to Minors. Great to speed up the process and reduce confusion in the event that all your participants are always Minors.
Section 3.3: Parents or Guardians (P&G)
The P&G section goes hand in hand with the Minors section, and will have some additional options pertaining specifically to the Adults that are signing off for Minor’s signing the waiver. Not every waiver is going to touch on this section, so most of the time the default options will work.
Parent or Guardian Label: Customize the label in the P&G section. Useful if the waiver calls to be specific about a Parent or Guardian.
Participating Parents and Guardians
Participating Adults and Minors may sign the same waiver: Adds your custom questions to the P&G section. Useful if you are trying to reduce the amount of waivers a big group would need to sign.
Minors must be accompanied by a participating adult: Makes the fields from the previous toggle required.
Finally, we have questions that are specifically geared towards the Parents or Guardian of the Minor. These are useful if you are trying to capture this information without creating the same question for the Minor.
Keep in mind that you are not able to customize these questions.
Parent or Guardian Questions
Ask for Relationship to Minor: Opens a single text field box underneath the Parents/Guardians name.
Ask for Parent or Guardians Address: Creates an address field for the Parent/Guardian of the Minor.
Ask for Parents of Guardian Phone Number: Creates a phone number field for the Parent/Guardian of the Minor. Useful if you are trying to capture the phone number of the Parents/Guardian without asking for the Minor’s phone number.
Require Age Verification: Allows the Parents/Guardian to verify their age prior to signing off for the Minor.
Section 4: Custom Sections
Custom sections can both be the biggest part of your waiver, or the smallest. They allow for a bit more customization in the way that the “Participant Questions” from Section 2 did, but these are able to go anywhere as opposed to be locked into the “Participant” section.
One of the biggest benefits of a Custom Section, especially when there is a larger group, is that the questions will not be repeated for every participant.
However, the Custom Section gives us the flexibility to separate this question into its own area where it will only be asked once in the waiver.
An easy way to remember is:
Personal Question = Participant Question
General Question = Custom Section
One way to think about it is if you have a waiver that is asking a question pertaining to the participant itself (like a medical question), then that would be better suited as a participant question as every single participant will be different.
If you are asking a question that has to deal with the entire group, then a custom section is the way to go. Otherwise, each participant will have to answer the question individually, which will likely cause discrepancies and inaccuracies in your waiver.
The options available in the Custom Section are the same as your participant questions, with one exception. This is also the area where you are able to add the “Upload File” question.
Upload File: Allows the Participant to upload a file to the waiver. This file can be anything on the participants device, but we typically use this field for uploading things like a photo of the participant, a driver’s license or even a document that is pertaining to the event.
Upload file can be used in a variety of ways, so we recommend checking out this article for more ideas on how to use it.
Section 5: Waiver Questions
This section houses the miscellaneous questions within the waiver. There is a lot of options here, and a few of them might be essential to dialing in your waiver and getting it exactly right.
Let’s jump right in:
Address
Mailing Address: Adds a fields pertaining to the participants address. The biggest benefit of this toggle is that it creates the “states” drop-down for you, eliminating the need to create a drop-down that contains all 50 states (which would probably take a while to create!).
Mailing Address Required: Makes the previous field required.
Ask for Minor’s Address: By default, the waiver will not ask for the Minor’s Address. However, you may find that some waivers require this.
Default Country: Will change the default country that the Mailing Address is set to. Also helps to adjust the fields for that country (for example, changing “states” to “provinces” when creating a Canadian waiver.
Default State: If your activity always takes place in a particular state, this can change the “States” to be set to your location by default.
Personal Information
Emergency Contact: We find that a lot of waivers ask for an Emergency Contact, especially when signing a Release for an outdoor activity. This will create a custom section for that information.
Insurance/Policy Number: Creates a custom section to allow the participant to type in their information regarding insurance.
Driver’s License/ ID Card: Creates a custom section to allow the participant to type in their information regarding their Driver’s License. Please note that this does not create a “Upload File” field (this can only be done in the “Custom Sections” from Section 3.3
Email Options
Include a checkbox for your opt-in email marketing list: Adds an additional checkbox underneath the email field that will opt-in the participant for your mailing list.
Send a verification email to participants that complete your waiver online: This toggle allows you to ensure that the email address is captured. Typically, when a waiver is signed, it will automatically be verified and be considered “complete”.
Kiosk Options
Include email in Kiosk Mode: Because of the nature of the Kiosk mode, by default it does not require the participant to verify their email.
Require email address in Kiosk Mode: This will force the participant to verify their email upon signing, even if they are signing on a Kiosk.
Send all participants a PDF copy: Turning this on will give the participant the option to receive a copy of the waiver to their email.
Section 6: Color Scheme!
And finally, the last section on our list. Color Scheme is pretty self-explanatory: this is where you can adjust the colors of your waiver.
We typically try to match the waivers colors to the logo of your business. If you have the hex codes of your logo, you can use those exact numbers to pinpoint your colors. If not, we recommend using a “Color Picker” service to find those codes, and inputting them manually into the color picker.
That’s it! If you need additional help, remember that you can always reach out to us via support@smartwaiver.com, and we’ll be happy to assist with any projects you are trying to complete at no additional cost.
