Form Approvals | Overview - Zoho Forms

Overview

Having an approval process within your organization becomes essential to approve certain documents, applications, invoices, budgets, purchase orders, discounts, vacation time, etc. To streamline the manual approval processes that you already have and make them more efficient, and easier to manage, you can automate the repetitive approval processes by building appropriate forms and setting up an approval process. You can configure multiple levels of approval and add designated approvers from your organization, who will get notified when new form entries are received for review and approval. You can trigger email notifications for each stage of the approval process, and choose to process integrations set up for your form only on the approval of the form entries. This automation can ensure a systematic approach that will prevent delays and establish uniformity across team members.

How do Form Approvals work?



overview


For example, consider a job application form for candidates that requires multi-level approval:

1. Candidate submits a job application form.    

  Job application form
                          
2. Team Lead gets notified for candidate screening.
3. Team Lead approves the candidate.              
4. Technical Lead gets notified to review the candidate for Round 2.
5. Technical Lead approves the candidate.
6. HR get notified to review the candidate.
7. HR approves the candidate.


8.  Final Approval status - Approved
9. Employee gets notified on final decision.

Final Approval Email


Once the approval process is configured in Web application, you can also use our mobile app to approve or deny the entries.

Mobile app



Form Approval Workflow Use-cases

Form approval workflows are a common in businesses and organizations that need to collect data and then review and approve them before further processing. Here are some examples of how form approval workflows can be used:

Employee Onboarding
HR departments can use form approval workflows to collect new employee information such as personal details, job role, and department, and then send the form for approval to the relevant managers or team leaders before the employee can be officially onboarded.

Purchase Requests
Businesses can use form approval workflows to collect purchase requests from employees, including items, quantities, and budgets. The form can then be sent for approval to the relevant managers or department heads before the purchase can be authorized.

Leave Requests
Organizations can use form approval workflows to collect leave requests from employees, including the type of leave, dates, and reasons. The form can then be sent for approval to the relevant managers or HR personnel before the leave can be authorized.

Expense Reports
Companies can use form approval workflows to collect expense reports from employees, including expenses such as travel, accommodation, and meals. The form can then be sent for approval to the relevant managers or accounting personnel before the expenses can be reimbursed.

Service Requests
Service providers can use form approval workflows to collect service requests from clients, including the type of service, scope, and budget. The form can then be sent for approval to the relevant project managers or service delivery personnel before the service can be initiated.

Types of Approval Processes

Depending on your workflow complexity, Zoho Forms offers two types of approval workflows:
  1. Basic 
  2. Advanced

Basic Approvals

The Basic approval process is designed for straightforward, sequential approvals with multiple levels. If you need a linear approval flow without complex conditions, this option is ideal. Form entries are processed step-by-step through a chain of approvers. If the first approver accepts the submission, it moves on to the next approver. You can define several stages of approvals. For example, a leave request might go through the employee's manager first, then HR, and finally the department head. This type of workflow doesn’t include conditions. Every submission follows the same path through all the approval stages.

Advanced Approvals

The Advanced approval process introduces more flexibility with the ability to configure conditional logic at multiple levels. This option is suitable for complex approval workflows that require different actions based on the form responses. You can configure conditional rules to decide which approver the submission goes to next based on the data submitted. For example, if the total expense is above a certain amount, it may require higher-level approval. Each level in the workflow can have unique conditions, and different branches can be triggered based on the data submitted.

Steps to setup Form approvals

Approval Workflow
  1. Set up levels of approval
  2. Configure Approval Settings
  3. Send email notifications in approval process
  4. Review of form entry by approvers

    Zoho CRM Training Programs

    Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

    Zoho CRM Training
      Redefine the way you work
      with Zoho Workplace

        Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

        If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

        Zoho CRM Training

          Create, share, and deliver

          beautiful slides from anywhere.

          Get Started Now


            Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

            BOOK A SESSION











                                        You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                            Manage your brands on social media

                                              Zoho Desk Resources

                                              • Desk Community Learning Series


                                              • Digest


                                              • Functions


                                              • Meetups


                                              • Kbase


                                              • Resources


                                              • Glossary


                                              • Desk Marketplace


                                              • MVP Corner


                                              • Word of the Day


                                                Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                  Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                   

                                                      Zoho Forms Resources


                                                        Secure your business
                                                        communication with Zoho Mail


                                                        Mail on the move with
                                                        Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                          Stay on top of your schedule
                                                          at all times


                                                          Carry your calendar with you
                                                          Anytime, anywhere




                                                                Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                  Sign, Paperless!

                                                                  Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                  Get Started Now




                                                                          Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                  Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                    Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                    Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                    REGISTER NOW


                                                                                      Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                      Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                      Get Started Now









                                                                                                          • Related Articles

                                                                                                          • Record Approvals

                                                                                                            Upon receiving form entries from your respondents, you can create reports to sort and consolidate the entries that need to be approved by applying filters. You can set approvers to review the records and approve or deny them. This will streamline the ...
                                                                                                          • Overview

                                                                                                            Under Manage Form Attachments, you can choose to store your form attachments, form submissions as PDF, and merged documents in third-party cloud storage services. Only file attachments uploaded by respondents when they submit form entries or edit ...
                                                                                                          • Reviewing Form Entries

                                                                                                            When you are designated as an approver for form entries, Zoho Forms offers 3 ways to review and take action on submissions: Approvals list view In-app notifications Email notifications The Approvals List View The Approvals list provides a ...
                                                                                                          • Overview

                                                                                                            Beautiful forms can make a great difference in the number of entries you receive. The Theme Editor in Zoho Forms allows you to polish your forms with minimal effort. You can customize your form and play around with custom backgrounds, fonts, effects, ...
                                                                                                          • Overview

                                                                                                            If you are looking to automate the process of adding data to your Zoho CRM modules, you can use the Zoho Forms - Zoho CRM integration. With this integration, you can push the form entries directly into Zoho CRM modules and pre-populate certain data ...
                                                                                                            Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                            your workplace

                                                                                                              Resources

                                                                                                              Videos

                                                                                                              Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                              eBooks

                                                                                                              Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                              Webinars

                                                                                                              Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                              CRM Tips

                                                                                                              Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                Zoho Show Resources