In many organizations, certain tasks or requests require approval or changes from specific individuals or teams before they can proceed. For example, issuing equipment, processing financial requests, or granting special access often involves multiple stakeholders. Desk365’s approval management/change management streamlines this by automating and organizing approvals, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
By using Desk365’s change/approval management, you can eliminate back-and-forth emails, reduce delays, and maintain an organized record of all approval or change-related activities. Whether approvals need to follow a strict sequence or be managed flexibly, Desk365 provides tools to accommodate different workflows.
Example scenario: Requesting a laptop for a new employee
Imagine Isabella, a new hire in the marketing department, needs a laptop. In this case, Isabella submits a ticket. The ticket requires approval from:
- Marketing Department Head (to ensure budget availability).
- IT Manager (to confirm inventory and issue the laptop).
We’ll use this scenario to explain how Desk365’s change/approval management workflows work, from setup to completion.
Important note: Support agents can create ad-hoc approval requests directly within a ticket, even if no pre-configured approval process exists. For example, if Isabella’s request was unexpected, the agent handling her ticket could manually initiate an approval process to address it promptly.
Step 1: Setting up a change/approval management workflow
To create and manage approval management or change management workflow:
- Navigate to Settings > Productivity > Approval Process.
- Configure the workflow based on your organization’s requirements.
Desk365 supports two types of change/approval management workflows: Sequential and Non-Sequential. Let’s break these down in the context of Isabella’s laptop request.
Sequential change/approval management workflow
In this workflow, approvals follow a specific order:
Step 1: The Department Head approves the ticket.
Step 2: After the Department Head’s approval, the ticket moves to the IT Manager for final approval.
- If any approver rejects the request, the process stops immediately, and the request is marked as rejected.
- The sequence of approvers can be reordered in the settings if needed.
Why use sequential approvals in change/approval management?
This is ideal for situations where approvals need to be hierarchical or conditional. For example, Isabella’s request must be approved by the Department Head first because the IT Manager shouldn’t issue a laptop without budget confirmation.
Non-sequential change/approval management workflow
In a non-sequential workflow, approvals don’t follow a strict order. There are two configurations:
Everyone must approve:
- All approvers (e.g., both the Department Head and IT Manager) must approve the request.
- If any approver rejects the request, it’s marked as rejected.
Anyone can approve:
- If any one approver (e.g., either the Department Head or IT Manager) approves, the process is complete.
Why use non-sequential approvals in change/approval management?
This is useful for simpler requests where multiple approvers are involved but not necessarily in a specific order. For example, if both the Department Head and IT Manager are notified simultaneously, either can approve to expedite the process.
Step 2: Requesting approval for a ticket
Agents can request approval directly from the ticket details view or set up an automation rule:
1. Requesting approval from the ticket details view
- Open Isabella’s ticket.
- Click Approvals > Request Approval.
- You can either:
– Create a new approval management workflow.
– Select an existing workflow from the dropdown.
2. Requesting approval by setting up an automation rule
Desk365’s automation feature lets you set predefined actions based on specific triggers. Here’s how you can create an automation rule to streamline laptop request process.
So, when Isabella submits a ticket through the Support Portal with the word “Laptop” in the subject, the rule automatically:
- Sends a notification to the approvers that the approval has been requested and,
- Initiates the approval process using the predefined “Laptop Request Workflow.”
Step 3: Sending reminders
If an approver hasn’t acted, you can send a reminder from the ticket details.
Note: Reminders are valid for 30 minutes, meaning they can only be sent once every half hour.
Step 4: Managing approvals in progress
Agents can make changes to the approval process or cancel approval requests:
- Edit approval request: Modify approval details as needed.
- Cancel approval request: Cancel the approval if it’s no longer required. If any approver cancels, the entire workflow is terminated.
- Remove an approver: The workflow adjusts, and the removed approver no longer participates in the process.
Step 5: Role-based permissions in approvals
Desk365 provides granular control over who can manage approvals:
- Navigate to Settings > Roles > Admin to configure permissions.
- Here admins can:
– Cancel any approval request: If unchecked, users can only cancel approvals they created.
– Remove any approver: If unchecked, users cannot remove approvers from requests.
Note:
- Default Settings: These permissions are enabled for Admins and Managers by default.
- Impact on Agents: If agents lack these permissions, they will not be able to see the remove approver or cancel approval buttons.
- Temporary Approvers: In some scenarios, an agent who serves as an approver for a ticket may not have direct access to that ticket. For instance, let’s say a ticket is assigned to the IT Group, but one of the approvers, Finance Manager, belongs to the Finance Group and doesn’t have permission to view the ticket. In this case, Desk365 will display an error message, such as: “Agent (Finance Manager) does not have access to the ticket.”
To resolve this without altering the ticket’s assignment group (e.g., moving the ticket from the IT Group to the Finance Group), you can add the Finance Manager as a watcher on the ticket.
Adding the Finance Manager as a watcher provides him/her with temporary access to the ticket, allowing him/her to view and approve it seamlessly. Once added as a watcher, the error message will no longer appear, and the workflow proceeds without unnecessary reassignment or disruption. This ensures approvals are efficient while maintaining the ticket’s integrity within its original assignment group.
Step 6: Approval notifications
Desk365 ensures clear communication during the approval process with configurable notifications. Navigate to Settings > Productivity > Notifications > Agent Notifications to set these up.
Notifications can be triggered for:
- Approval request creation
- Approval reminders
- Approval acceptance or rejection
- Approval cancellation
For example, when Isabella’s laptop request is approved by the IT Manager, a notification is sent. It includes:
- The approver’s name
- Approval description
- Approval status
- Approval type and,
- Request details.
Step 7: Closing tickets with pending approvals
Desk365 allows you to enforce rules to ensure tickets aren’t closed or resolved while approvals are pending:
- Navigate to Settings > Productivity > Closure Rules.
- Enable the options:-
– Close a ticket only if no approval is pending.
– Resolve a ticket only if no approval is pending.
This prevents accidental closure of tickets like Isabella’s before the laptop request is fully approved.
Step 8: Tracking approval and change requests
The Approvals Menu provides a centralized view of:
- Approvals you’ve requested.
- Approvals assigned to you.
- All approvals in the system.
By following this guide, you can configure and manage change/approval management workflows in Desk365 to suit your organization’s needs, ensuring a smooth and efficient process for handling requests.
