Approval Process configuration is now more flexible and fully customizable

Approval Process configuration is now more flexible and fully customizable

Hello everyone!

Approval Process is back with a better user experience that makes it easier to add rules to your processes. This enhancement includes some UI updates that help you create highly structured approval stages—and more.



Let's look at the enhancements in detail:

Rule and stage names

Previously, rules were auto-numbered as they were added to the approval process. You can now name each rule you add to the process. You can also name the approval stages when you add them after setting the approval criteria, which means you can clearly define what kind of review it is or which team/group/user is responsible for each stage.

For example, for a Project Approval process, you can name the stages Concept Review, Project Setup, and Project Execution.
  1. Stage 1: Concept Review - Team evaluates the project concept, goals, feasibility, and initial requirements.
  2. Stage 2: Project Setup - Team finalizes project details, resources, timelines, and responsibilities.
  3. Stage 3: Project Execution - Team begins implementation, tracks progress, and ensures the project stays on schedule.

Stage-specific field update action

We've also added a field update action at each stage that enables you to set any field to any value once the stage has been approved. You can also associate existing field update actions.


You can create new field updates each time a stage needs a different field to be updated.


Approval-specific field update actions

Previously, the parallel order of approval ensured there was only one field that could be updated throughout all the approvals, with its values transitioning after each approval.
After this enhancement, you can set entirely independent Field Update actions to a different field for every approval. 

Stage-specific task assignment

Previously, there was an option that let you to assign a task to whoever the next approver of the next stage was (not to be confused with the Assign Task option of the final approval). We're now introducing Assign Task for Approvers option for every stage, whereby you can assign specific tasks to the approver of that stage.

Associate email notifications upon rejection

Similar to the existing email notification action upon approval, you can now associate or create an email notification as an action upon rejection.

Unlike the earlier email alert upon rejection feature—which had certain restrictions—this improved email notification capability allows you to include a broader range of recipients, add additional email addresses, and configure CCs and BCCs just like in the standard Email Notification feature.


Notes
Note:
We have also renamed the Process Admin Settings to Rule Admin Settings for better relatability and ease of understanding.
Notes

Approver's consolidated view

To the parallel order of approval, we are now introducing the approval pipeline view, which will be displayed when you save the approval process configuration. This view will show the stage name, approvers, assigned tasks, and field update information.


Navigate approval history faster

Previously, to track the progress and history of approvals, users had to sift through multiple views that often led to delays in decision-making processes. To address this, we've revamped the Approval History feature, introducing a more intuitive and comprehensive interface. The new design includes a Tabular View alongside the existing Narrative View, providing users with multiple ways to review and analyze approval actions.

Additionally, we’ve added useful options like Jump to Timeline and Filter, for quick navigation and refining their view. The Jump to Timeline feature lets you quickly jump to key moments in the approval process, ensuring you stay informed and responsive and the Filter function helps in narrowing down the view based on specific criteria.
 
Key Highlights
 
Tabular View: Provides a structured, easy-to-read list of all approval actions.
Narrative View: Offers a detailed, chronological account of each approval event.
Jump to Timeline: Enables quick navigation to specific points in the approval process.
Filter Option: Allows users to refine their view based on specific criteria.

That’s all for the enhancements in the Approval Process and its configuration. We hope these updates make it easier for you to configure structured and flexible approval workflows in Zoho CRM.

Info
Availability

DC: All DCs
Edition: Enterprise | Ultimate
Releases [Updated on August 28, 2026]:
  1. The Approval Process revamp is released to all customers of all DCs.
  2. The Approval History revamp is released to the AU, CA,  SA, and UAE DCs. For all other DCs, it will be released in phases.

Regards,
Fiona

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