"We prefer option B." The client said it by phone, or in a rushed message between two appointments. Two months later, nobody finds the date, the exact wording, or even who said it. The decision was made, it just disappeared. Here's why that happens, what a useful record contains, and how far it protects you.
Why email and WhatsApp lose decisions
These tools are built for conversation, not for deciding.
The decision is buried in a message about something else. "Ok for B, otherwise I'll stop by tomorrow" holds a decision and scheduling info. Neither stands out in a later search.
Nobody is responsible for handling it. The client writes to one person, who reads it at the wrong moment, notes it elsewhere or forgets. When multiple people track the file, each thinks another reported it.
Context is missing. "Option B" refers to a question asked three messages earlier, in another thread. Taken out of context, the reply proves little.
Exchanges are scattered. Some by email, some by text, some in person. Finding afterward who approved what means digging through several inboxes.
What a useful decision record contains
A record is judged the day someone contests it. It then needs to answer four questions.
- What? The question asked and the answer chosen, in terms that stand alone without the rest of the conversation. "Option B: oiled oak flooring, quote reference" beats "option B".
- Who? The name of the person deciding. In a couple or between partners, who needed to agree, and who did.
- When? The date and time, recorded when the choice was made, not reconstructed later.
- On what? The document or quote the decision refers to, in the version that existed that day. A quote changed afterward shouldn't obscure the decision.
Add to this one less obvious quality: the record must not be rewritable. A decision corrected later must show the correction, not replace the original.
How to ask for a decision so it's usable
Record quality depends on how you ask.
- Ask a closed question, with numbered options: two or three choices, not an open discussion.
- Show options with what differs: the price, the timeline, a photo. The client chooses with full information.
- Give a deadline and say why. "By Friday so the order goes out": a date with no reason goes to the back of the queue.
- Name who answers. If two people need to decide, say so.
- Confirm. Once the decision is made, restate it in one sentence: that's the version on record.
Simple approval or qualified electronic signature
This is often confused. They're not the same tools, and they don't serve the same need.
Simple approval records that a named person said yes to something specific, on a specific date. It's enough for almost every decision in a file: a finish choice, a minor variation, approval of a plan or a report. It's dated good-faith proof that prevents misunderstanding.
Qualified electronic signature is a separate, regulated system, run by a provider with a heavier identification process. You use it when a document requires it or when the stakes justify stronger proof. To know if that's your case, check your profession's rules and, if unsure, ask a lawyer: it's not a question a tool decides.
Kolinea doesn't offer qualified electronic signature. Its sign-off is simple approval: the recipient accepts or refuses with a reason, and acceptance is timestamped with their identity and the exact object they approved. If a document needs qualified signature, that happens in a dedicated tool, and the record of the exchange stays in the file.
How to keep the record over time
A few habits beat any tool.
- One place for decisions. If half goes by text, you'll have to search both.
- One decision per post. Don't mix three topics in one message.
- Review the file at each milestone. That's when to spot an unanswered decision.
- Keep everything at the end. A closed file, readable by both sides, serves the client as well as you.
With Kolinea
Kolinea treats "we prefer B" as data. A choice decision offers two to six options, in text or image, to one or more recipients; the answer is timestamped. Sign-off handles what needs an explicit yes or no on an object or document: it records the date, time, identity and exact object approved, with no changes afterward. Each request has a recipient, a status and a deadline, with automatic reminders.
The client accesses it through a link, with no account to create. Once the file closes, it stays read-only and readable by both sides, even on the Free plan; if the professional deletes their workspace, everyone is notified 30 days ahead and can download their archive.
Only the professional issues a sign-off, but both sides can pose a choice decision. To see these elements in a real file, start from a trade page like home builders or lawyers, whose button opens the example file. To open yours, go to the home page.