How does the Approval Manager work?

The Approval Manager, which is exclusively available via the Webpower platform, can be used as a final test before an email is sent out. First, the email will be sent to a selected group of people. This article explains how the Approval Manager works.

Setting up the Approval Manager

The Approval Manager is an exclusive feature. Once the feature has been activated, a number of extra options will appear when you send an email.

Approval procedure: the first step

First of all, it is important to create a test group that includes everyone who must/should be able to give their approval. Do not worry if you do not know how to create such a group, because this article explains it in detail. For the Approval Manager, it is important that this concerns a test group. You can select the group you created, or one you created previously, under “Approval group” when you send your email.

The second step: the approval period and the number of approvals

During the approval procedure, you can set the amount of time that the email’s recipients get to inspect the email and either approve or disapprove it. Note that an email with too few approvals will not be scheduled for dispatch. Underneath the approval period, you can select the minimum number of people who have to approve the email and the maximum number of people who may disapprove it. For example, you can choose to require at least three approvals before an email is sent out. Furthermore, you can opt to have an email automatically removed from the schedule once two people have disapproved it. That means the email will not be sent out.

What happens at the moment the sendout is started?

If a direct sendout is done, the test email will be sent to the approval group directly. If the email is scheduled for a later time, the email to the test group will be sent at that scheduled time. That means the test dispatch will not occur before the scheduled time. The definitive sendout will happen when the approval time is passed and the mail had a status of approved on that set time.

The test recipients are asked to approve the message. The people who were selected to give their approval will receive the email in their inbox and be presented with the following options:

The time listed under “Please make your choice before YYYY-MM-DD HH:HH” depends on the selected duration of the approval period.

Approving or disapproving an email

After someone from the test group clicks on Approve or Disapprove, they are referred to a new page that processes their selection. The email shows a check (for approval) or a cross (for disapproval). A countdown timer is also visible. It indicates the time remaining in the approval period. The status of the approval is visible underneath this countdown timer. It shows how many approvals have already been issued and how many are required. It also shows how many disapprovals have been given and what the maximum number of disapprovals is. Finally, it shows whether the email will be dispatched or not (yet). When someone approves or disapproves an email, they have the option to give feedback. The person who scheduled the email for dispatch will be notified of any received feedback via email.

What happens if an email is disapproved?

If an email receives too many disapprovals or if it has not received enough approvals by the end of the approval period, it will not be sent out. The person who scheduled the email for dispatch will be notified via email that their message has not been sent, along with the reason why. When an unsent email is subsequently rescheduled (after the necessary changes have been made), the approval process begins anew (unless it is skipped).