Approver Guide
41 min
this guide is for managers, directors, and other users who review and approve or reject submitted records overview as an approver, you're responsible for reviewing submitted records for accuracy and compliance approving or rejecting based on business criteria providing meaningful feedback when rejecting reassigning approvals when necessary managing delegations when you're unavailable viewing your pending approvals home page component the primary way to see your pending approvals go to your salesforce home page find the your pending record list component view all items awaiting your approval what you'll see for each pending approval record name and type (quote, opportunity, etc ) submitter name submission date/time approval reason (why it was routed to you) quick action buttons email notifications you'll receive emails when a new approval is assigned to you a reminder is sent for pending items an approval is recalled by the submitter reviewing an approval request step 1 open the record click on the record name to view full details step 2 review key information check the following area what to review pricing discount %, list price, net price terms payment terms, contract length customer account details, credit status products line items, configurations approval reason why this requires approval comments submitter's justification step 3 review approval history the approval history component shows why approval is required who else has approved (for multi step processes) previous rejections and reasons timeline of all actions taking action on an approval approving a request click approve button optionally add a comment confirm the approval what happens after approval your approval is recorded if more steps remain, next approver is notified if all steps complete, record is marked approved record is unlocked (if lock was enabled) submitter is notified rejecting a request click reject button always provide a rejection reason this is critical for the submitter confirm the rejection what happens after rejection record status changes to rejected record is unlocked submitter receives notification with your reason submitter can make corrections and resubmit writing good rejection reasons good rejection reasons "discount of 28% exceeds maximum of 25% for this product tier please reduce to 25% or provide vp pre approval " "payment terms of net 90 not approved for new customers standard terms are net 30 " "missing required configuration details for enterprise sku please add implementation scope " poor rejection reasons "no" (no explanation) "not approved" (no guidance) "wrong" (unhelpful) reassigning an approval if you're not the right person to approve, or you need someone else's input step 1 click reassign open the approval click reassign button step 2 select new approver search for the user add a comment explaining why you're reassigning confirm when to reassign the deal is outside your expertise area you have a conflict of interest another team member has more context you'll be out of office and can't wait reassign vs delegate action use when reassign one time transfer of specific approval delegate ongoing transfer of all approvals (vacation) managing delegations (out of office) when you'll be unavailable, set up a delegate to handle your approvals setting up delegation click on my delegations (in home page component or user menu) click new delegation configure setting description delegate user who will receive your approvals start date when delegation begins end date when delegation ends status active/inactive how delegation works during delegation period, approvals route to your delegate delegate sees approvals in their pending list actions are recorded as "approved by \[delegate] on behalf of \[you]" delegation automatically ends on end date best practices for delegation give advance notice set up delegation before leaving brief your delegate explain any pending deals set correct dates account for travel days choose appropriate delegate same or higher authority level adding ad hoc approvers if enabled, you can add additional approvers to get more input step 1 click add approver while reviewing an approval, click add approver step 2 select additional approver search for the user (e g , subject matter expert) add a comment explaining what input you need submit what happens new approver receives notification approval now requires both of you to approve once both approve, step is complete editing records during approval (if enabled) some organizations allow approvers to make minor corrections step 1 click edit if available, click edit on the record step 2 make corrections fix typos or minor errors adjust pricing within your authority update terms to standard values step 3 save and approve save your changes approve the corrected record step 4 resubmit option if changes are significant, use resubmit instead saves your changes recalculates approval requirements routes to appropriate approvers based on new values approval requests via email quick actions from email if enabled, you can take action directly from email open the approval notification email click approve or reject button enter comments if required confirm limitations may not see full record details comments may be limited complex approvals should be reviewed in salesforce mobile approvals using salesforce mobile app open the salesforce mobile app view notifications or navigate to home see pending approvals tap to review and take action quick approval from notifications receive push notification swipe to reveal actions tap approve or reject understanding approval routing why was this sent to me? check the approval reason field to understand "discount exceeds 20%" → you're the discount approver "amount over $100k" → you're the deal size approver "strategic account" → you're the account executive sponsor multi step approvals you may be one of several approvers quote approval chain 1\ manager → ✅ approved 2\ director → 🟡 (you are here) 3\ vp → ⏸️ waiting your approval enables the next step parallel approvals you may be approving alongside others parallel review ├── deal desk → ✅ approved ├── legal → 🟡 (you are here) └── finance → 🟡 pending all parallel paths must complete for final approval best practices review thoroughly check all details don't rubber stamp understand the deal context matters verify pricing ensure margins are acceptable check customer review account status respond promptly don't let approvals sit delays frustrate sales set up email alerts don't miss notifications use delegation don't block approvals when away provide value give constructive feedback help submitters improve ask questions request clarification if needed share knowledge explain why you're rejecting troubleshooting i don't see pending approvals issue solution component not on page ask admin to add it to your home layout missing permission request approver permission set delegation active check if you have delegation configured cannot approve/reject issue solution buttons not visible check permissions "not assigned to you" approval may have been reassigned "already processed" someone else took action not receiving email notifications issue solution spam filter check spam folder, whitelist sender email not configured ask admin about email templates preference off check your notification settings faq q can i partially approve a request? a no, you approve or reject the entire request provide comments for partial concerns q what if i approve but the next approver rejects? a the record is rejected your approval is recorded but overridden q can i undo an approval? a generally no contact your admin if this is urgently needed q how do i know my approval authority limits? a check with your manager or admin for your approval thresholds related guides submitter guide docid\ zrmcjglivsf41eibo38do understanding the submitter perspective deal desk guide docid\ zokkqut1udhbz6pzfju4 for deal desk team members how it works docid\ cbczuafjsxkpsyc6m9y4a understanding approval flows need help? contact your salesforce administrator or check the troubleshooting guide docid\ sgpxdyp dpg9a9uanwlis