Message Approvals 🎬

Last updated
20230120

Article type
Step-by-step

Applies to
Business, Pro-Marketer

Special contents
Video 

Video

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Details

The message approvals process lets you configure our platform so that both emails & SMS messages have to be approved before they can be sent. This is handy for larger organisations or government departments who may want to have checks & balances in place for the sending of communications within our system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happens if an automation is configured to send a message that hasn't been approved?
A: Messages sent by automations bypass the approvals process. In other words, automations can send unapproved messages.

Q: We use the API to generate / send messages. Do these need to be approved?
A: Messages generated via the API bypass the approvals process.

Q: Which user access levels can setup / modify this process?
A: Only those with the Owner or Full Access user access level can enable or adjust the approvals process.

Q: My user account is one with approvals permission. Will my own messages still need to be approved?
A: All messages will need to be approved before they can be sent - however, if you are logged in as a user that has approvals access (in other words, you are a designated approver), then you will be able to self-approve any messages that you create.

Q: How can I see which messages are approved, or who approved them?
A: When approvals are enabled, the Messages section will contain two new columns that can be enabled; 'Approver' and 'Approval Status'. We have included a section for this in the guide below.

Q: If I copy a message that is already approved, will it need to be re-approved?
A: Yes.

Q: If I edit a message that has already been approved, will it need to be re-approved?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I edit a message if I've requested approval for it?
A: No; messages are locked for editing while approval has been requested. However, you can cancel your approval request, edit the message, then request approval again. We have included a section for this in the guide below.

Q: Can any designated approver approve messages?
A: Yes, any designated approver can approve any message. However, only the designated approver that you select will receive the notification about it.

How-to Guide

Setting up Message Approvals

1. Log into your account and open the Account area (⚙️ icon, at top right).
2. Select Approvals from the sidebar.
3. Tick the Users which are allowed to approve messages.
   
4. Next up in the housekeeping section, set whether you want all existing messages to be approved. If you do not select this, all existing messages will need to be manually approved (one by one) before they can be sent. Set the option if desired.
5. When done, click Turn On Approvals to enable the function. All messages must now be approved by a designated approver before they can be sent.

Request Approval for a Message

1. Create your message as per usual.
2. When ready to request approval, click Approvals at the top right of the message editor window. The Approvals window will appear.
3. Select Approval on the right.
4. Use the dropdown to select the person (designated approver) that you'd like to approve your message. Any users with permission to approve messages are shown here.
   Any designated approver can approve any message. However, only the one you select will receive the notification.
5. Add a comment if desired.
   
6. When ready, click Send Request. Once confirmed, the message will now be locked (ie. it can no longer be edited unless you cancel the request; refer to relevant section in this how-to guide for details) and the selected designated approver will receive an email notification about your request, as well as a notification in the Bell Centre. This notification email will include any comments you added. Once they approve your message, it can be sent by any user with send permission.

Change the User You’ve Requested Approval From

Any designated approver can approve any message. However, only the one you select will receive the email notification.

1. Select Messages from the sidebar.
2. Locate the message you'd like to change the approver for and open it for editing.
3. Click Approvals at the top right of the message editor window. The Approvals window will appear.
4. Select Approval on the right.
5. Click 'Change'.
6. Use the dropdown to re-select the person (designated approver) that you'd like to approve your message.
7. Add a comment if desired.
8. When ready, click Send Request. Once confirmed, the newly selected approver will receive an email notification about your request, as well as a notification in the Bell Centre.
9. This notification email will include any comments you added.

Cancel an Approval Request (Or Edit a Message That Is Pending Approval)

1. Select Messages from the sidebar.
2. Locate the message you'd like to cancel the approvals request for (or that you'd like to edit) and open it for editing.
3. Click Approvals at the top right of the message editor window. The Approvals window will appear.
4. Select Approval on the right.
5. Click 'Cancel request'.
6. Click Yes. Your message approval request has now been cancelled & an 'approval request recalled' notification email will be sent to the designated approver that had previously been selected to approve the message. You can now edit the message as per usual. Once done, you'll need to request approval from someone again.

Approve or Disapprove a Message

Follow these steps if you've received a request to review & approve a message. Remember, only designated approvers can approve messages.

1. Click the link in the approval notification email that you received (or click the notification in the Bell Centre). This will take you directly to the message preview and approvals screen.
2. Use the preview window to review the message. If the message in question is an email, options will be provided on-screen to switch between desktop & mobile views, as well as HTML and plain text views. If the email contains conditional content (ie. content that dynamically changes based on contact data), you will see this highlighted (as shown below). You can then click on the condition(s) to view the various criteria over on the right and review these as needed.
   
3. If you approve the message, click Approved. If you do not approve the message, click Not Approved. Regardless of the option chosen, the user who requested approval will then receive an email notification of the outcome.

View Approval Status & Approver Information for All Messages

1. Select Messages from the sidebar.
2. Click the Table Settings (small ⚙️) icon towards the top-right of the table and click on the fields Approver and Approval Status to enable them.
   
3. Click Apply. These new fields will now be visible in the table as additional columns.

Edit or Disable the Message Approvals Process

1. Log into your account and open the Account area (⚙️ icon, at top right).
2. Select Approvals from the sidebar.
3. To disable the approvals process, click Turn off approvals. To edit the list of designated approvers, click 'Update approvers' and adjust as required.