diff --git a/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/get-next-pending-recipient.ts b/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/get-next-pending-recipient.ts
index 30e867691..75dbf07d1 100644
--- a/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/get-next-pending-recipient.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/get-next-pending-recipient.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import { prisma } from '@documenso/prisma';
-import { EnvelopeType, RecipientRole } from '@prisma/client';
+import { EnvelopeType } from '@prisma/client';
 
 import { mapDocumentIdToSecondaryId } from '../../utils/envelope';
+import { getDictatableNextRecipient } from '../../utils/recipient-groups';
 
 export const getNextPendingRecipient = async ({
   documentId,
@@ -16,33 +17,17 @@ export const getNextPendingRecipient = async ({
         type: EnvelopeType.DOCUMENT,
         secondaryId: mapDocumentIdToSecondaryId(documentId),
       },
-      // CC recipients are informational only and never take part in signing,
-      // so they must never be offered as the next pending recipient.
-      role: {
-        not: RecipientRole.CC,
-      },
     },
-    orderBy: [
-      {
-        signingOrder: {
-          sort: 'asc',
-          nulls: 'last',
-        },
-      },
-      {
-        id: 'asc',
-      },
-    ],
   });
 
-  const currentIndex = recipients.findIndex((r) => r.id === currentRecipientId);
+  const nextRecipient = getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId });
 
-  if (currentIndex === -1 || currentIndex === recipients.length - 1) {
+  if (!nextRecipient) {
     return null;
   }
 
   return {
-    ...recipients[currentIndex + 1],
+    ...nextRecipient,
     token: '',
   };
 };
diff --git a/packages/lib/server-only/template/create-document-from-direct-template.ts b/packages/lib/server-only/template/create-document-from-direct-template.ts
index e767170b7..25994b1ce 100644
--- a/packages/lib/server-only/template/create-document-from-direct-template.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/server-only/template/create-document-from-direct-template.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import {
   extractDocumentAuthMethods,
 } from '../../utils/document-auth';
 import { mapSecondaryIdToTemplateId } from '../../utils/envelope';
+import { filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup } from '../../utils/recipient-groups';
 import { getRecipientsWithMissingFields } from '../../utils/recipients';
 import { sendDocument } from '../document/send-document';
 import { validateFieldAuth } from '../document/validate-field-auth';
@@ -694,7 +695,10 @@ export const createDocumentFromDirectTemplate = async ({
         orderBy: [{ signingOrder: { sort: 'asc', nulls: 'last' } }, { id: 'asc' }],
       });
 
-      const nextRecipient = pendingRecipients[0];
+      const nextGroup = filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup(pendingRecipients);
+
+      // Dictation only applies when the next step is a single recipient.
+      const nextRecipient = nextGroup.length === 1 ? nextGroup[0] : null;
 
       if (nextRecipient) {
         auditLogsToCreate.push(