Configuring Approval Escalations

Prevent bottlenecks and ensure approvals are actioned by setting up automatic escalations for pending approval steps. This guide explains how to configure escalations within Zudello's Automation Sentences.

Best practices

• Define clear escalation paths (e.g., escalate to the user's manager, escalate to a specific finance group).
• Set escalation times longer than reminder times to give the original approver a chance to respond.
• Communicate escalation rules clearly to both original approvers and potential escalation recipients.
• Ensure escalation recipients have the necessary permissions and authority to approve the document.

Understanding Approval Escalations

Approval escalations automatically reassign an approval step to a different user or user group if the original approver(s) haven't responded within a defined timeframe. Escalations are configured individually for each approval step within a Sentence.

• Escalations only trigger for steps that are part of the currently ACTIVE approval milestone.
• Escalations only trigger if the step's status is still PENDING (i.e., not yet approved or rejected) when the escalation time is reached.
• When a step escalates:
  • The original approver(s) have their response status changed to ESCALATED.
  • The designated escalation user or user group members are added as new approvers with a PENDING status.
  • Notifications are sent to the new escalation approver(s).

Configuring in Sentences

Escalations are configured within the "Get Approval" actions in your Sentence.

1. Navigate to Automations: Go to Settings > Automations.
2. Create or Edit Sentence: Start a new Sentence or edit an existing one containing "Get Approval" actions.
3. Locate "Get Approval" Action: Find the specific "Get Approval" action representing the step you want to configure escalation for.
4. Configure Escalation Timing:
   • Find the Escalate After settings.
   • Quantity: Enter the number of units (e.g., 5).
   • Unit: Select the time unit (MINUTE, HOUR, DAY).
   • Example: Quantity 5, Unit DAY means the step escalates 5 days after it becomes active if not actioned.
   • 
     • Note: The exact UI element might vary slightly.
5. Configure Escalation Recipient:
   • Choose who the step should escalate to:
     • Escalate To User: Select a specific user from the dropdown.
     • Escalate To User Group: Select a user group from the dropdown.
     • Escalate To Manager: Automatically escalates to the direct manager configured for the original approver(s). (Requires manager relationships to be set up in user profiles).
6. Repeat: Configure escalations for any other relevant approval steps in your Sentence.
7. Save Sentence.

User Experience

• If an approval step is not actioned before the escalation time, the original approver(s) will see their status change to ESCALATED in the approval flow.
• The designated escalation recipient(s) will receive an approval notification and will see the step assigned to them in their Requests submodule. They can then approve or reject the document.

Need help?

Contact your organisation administrator or Zudello support for assistance with configuring approval escalations and ensuring manager relationships are correctly set up if using the "Escalate To Manager" option.