How Do I Set Up Approval Workflows?

Approval workflows in Propel allow you to review and approve AI-generated responses before they're sent to prospects. This ensures quality control, compliance, and gives you confidence in automated communications. This guide explains how to set up and manage approval workflows effectively.

What Are Approval Workflows?

Approval workflows require human review before sending AI-generated responses. When enabled:

• Propel generates responses but doesn't send them immediately
• Approvers receive notifications when responses need review
• Approvers can approve or deny responses via email or dashboard
• Approved responses are sent automatically to prospects
• Denied responses are not sent and can be edited or discarded

Use Case Examples:

• Property Management: Review responses for high-value rental properties or sensitive situations
• Real Estate: Approve communications for luxury properties or complex negotiations
• Short-Term Rentals: Review booking confirmations and policy communications
• Commercial Real Estate: Ensure compliance and quality for enterprise clients

Why Use Approval Workflows?

Approval workflows provide several benefits:

Quality Control

• Review AI responses before they reach prospects
• Ensure messaging aligns with your brand and standards
• Catch and correct any errors or inappropriate content

Compliance

• Meet legal or regulatory requirements for certain communications
• Ensure proper disclosures are included
• Maintain audit trails of reviewed communications

Confidence Building

• Gradually build trust in automation
• Test new rules or configurations safely
• Maintain oversight while benefiting from automation

Risk Management

• Prevent costly mistakes in high-value situations
• Ensure sensitive information is handled correctly
• Maintain control over important communications

Enabling Approvals in Mailbox Settings

Before you can use approval workflows, you need to enable approvals for your mailbox.

Step 1: Navigate to Mailbox Settings

1. Go to Settings > Mailboxes
2. Click the mailbox you want to configure
3. You'll see the mailbox detail page

Step 2: Enable Approvals

1. Scroll to the "Approvals" section
2. Toggle "Enable Approvals" to ON
3. The approval settings will appear

Step 3: Configure Approver Emails

1. In "Default approver emails", enter comma-separated email addresses
2. Example: manager@example.com, supervisor@example.com
3. These team members will receive approval notifications

Note: Approvers must be team members with access to your Propel organization.

Step 4: Set Approval Expiration

1. In "Approval expiration (hours)", enter how long approvals should wait
2. Default: 24 hours
3. Minimum: 1 hour

Best practices:

• Shorter times (4-8 hours) for time-sensitive inquiries
• Longer times (24-48 hours) for less urgent communications
• Consider your team's availability when setting expiration

Step 5: Save Changes

Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the Approvals section.

How Approval Workflows Work

The Approval Process

When approvals are enabled, here's what happens:

1. Email arrives - A prospect sends an email to your monitored mailbox
2. AI generates response - Propel creates an appropriate response
3. Approval requested - Instead of sending immediately, Propel creates an approval request
4. Approver notified - Designated approvers receive email notifications
5. Review period - Approvers review the response (via email link or dashboard)
6. Decision made - Approver approves or denies the response
7. Action taken - Approved responses are sent; denied responses are not sent

Approval Notifications

Approvers receive email notifications when responses need approval. The notification includes:

• Contact information - Who the response is for
• Message preview - The AI-generated response content
• Approve link - Direct link to approve the response
• Deny link - Direct link to deny the response
• Expiration time - When the approval will expire

Approval Methods

Approvers can approve or deny responses in two ways:

Method 1: Email Links

1. Receive notification - Approver gets an email with approval request
2. Click approve or deny - Use the links in the email
3. Optional reason - Add a reason when denying
4. Decision processed - Response is sent (if approved) or not sent (if denied)

Method 2: Dashboard

1. Navigate to Approvals - Go to the Approvals page in your dashboard
2. View pending approvals - See all responses waiting for approval
3. Review response - Read the full response content
4. Make decision - Click Approve or Deny
5. Add reason - Optionally add a reason for denial

Viewing and Managing Approvals

Accessing the Approvals Dashboard

1. Go to your organization dashboard
2. Click "Approvals" in the navigation (or use the approval notification icon)
3. You'll see the Approvals page with all approval requests

Approval Dashboard Features

The Approvals dashboard shows:

• Pending approvals - Responses waiting for review
• Approved responses - Recently approved messages
• Denied responses - Responses that were rejected
• Approval statistics - Metrics about approval rates and timing
• Time-based charts - Visual representation of approval activity

Filtering and Searching

You can filter approvals by:

• Status - Pending, approved, denied, expired
• Date range - View approvals from specific time periods
• Contact - Find approvals for specific prospects
• Mailbox - Filter by mailbox if you have multiple

Approval Actions

For each approval request, you can:

• Approve - Send the response to the prospect
• Deny - Reject the response (it won't be sent)
• View details - See full conversation context
• Edit - Modify the response before approving (if supported)

Setting Up Approval Rules

While you can enable approvals for all responses in mailbox settings, you can also create rules that require approvals for specific situations.

When to Use Approval Rules

Create approval rules when you want approvals for:

• High-value properties - Properties above a certain price threshold
• Specific keywords - Responses containing sensitive terms
• Lead sources - Inquiries from certain sources
• Property types - Specific property categories
• Complex situations - Scenarios requiring human judgment

Creating Approval Rules

1. Go to Settings > Rules
2. Click "Create Rule" or "New Rule"
3. Write a rule that includes approval requirements

Example rule:

When a prospect inquires about a property priced over $3000/month, respond with property details and tour availability. Require approval from the leasing manager before sending.

Combining Approvals with Other Features

You can combine approvals with:

• Handoffs - CC team members while requiring approval
• Response rules - Control when responses are generated
• Custom workflows - Complex approval scenarios

Approval Best Practices

Start with Approvals Enabled

When first setting up Propel:

1. Enable approvals for all mailboxes initially
2. Review responses to understand AI behavior
3. Build confidence in automation quality
4. Gradually disable approvals as you gain trust

Set Appropriate Expiration Times

• Time-sensitive inquiries - 4-8 hours
• Standard inquiries - 24 hours
• Less urgent communications - 48 hours
• Consider team availability - Ensure approvers can review within expiration time

Use Multiple Approvers

• Add backup approvers - Ensure coverage when primary approvers are unavailable
• Distribute workload - Share approval responsibilities across team
• Set clear expectations - Define who approves what types of responses

Create Specific Approval Rules

Instead of approving everything:

• Use mailbox-level approvals for general quality control
• Create specific rules for high-value or sensitive situations
• Balance automation and control - Approve only what needs review

Monitor Approval Metrics

Regularly review:

• Approval rates - How often responses are approved vs denied
• Response times - How quickly approvals are processed
• Denial reasons - Why responses are being rejected
• Expired approvals - Responses that weren't reviewed in time

Provide Feedback

When denying responses:

• Add clear reasons - Help improve future responses
• Note patterns - Identify recurring issues
• Update rules - Adjust rules based on denial patterns

Common Approval Scenarios

Scenario 1: Property Management - High-Value Rentals

Setup:

• Enable approvals in mailbox settings
• Create rule: "Require approval for properties over $2500/month"
• Set approvers: Leasing manager and supervisor
• Expiration: 8 hours

Workflow:

• AI generates response for high-value property
• Leasing manager receives approval request
• Manager reviews and approves
• Response sent to prospect

Scenario 2: Real Estate - Luxury Properties

Setup:

• Enable approvals for luxury property mailbox
• Create rule: "Require approval for properties over $1M"
• Set approvers: Senior sales agent and sales manager
• Expiration: 12 hours

Workflow:

• Buyer inquires about luxury property
• AI generates response with property details
• Sales manager reviews and approves
• Response sent with showing availability

Scenario 3: Testing New Rules

Setup:

• Enable approvals for testing mailbox
• Create new rule with approval requirement
• Set approvers: Team lead
• Expiration: 24 hours

Workflow:

• Test rule with sample inquiries
• Review all generated responses
• Adjust rule based on approval feedback
• Disable approvals once rule is validated

Troubleshooting Approvals

Approvers Not Receiving Notifications

If approvers aren't getting notifications:

1. Verify approver emails - Ensure emails are correct in mailbox settings
2. Check spam folders - Approval emails might be filtered
3. Verify team access - Approvers must have organization access
4. Check email provider - Ensure email delivery is working

Approvals Expiring Too Quickly

If approvals expire before review:

1. Increase expiration time - Set longer expiration in mailbox settings
2. Add more approvers - Ensure coverage when primary approvers are unavailable
3. Monitor expiration - Check dashboard for expired approvals
4. Adjust workflow - Consider if approvals are needed for all responses

Responses Not Being Sent After Approval

If approved responses aren't sending:

1. Check approval status - Verify approval was processed correctly
2. Review activity log - Check for errors in message sending
3. Verify mailbox is enabled - Ensure mailbox is active
4. Check email provider - Ensure email account is connected

Too Many Approval Requests

If you're receiving too many approval requests:

1. Review approval rules - Ensure rules are specific enough
2. Disable mailbox-level approvals - Use rule-based approvals instead
3. Adjust rule conditions - Make approval requirements more selective
4. Build confidence - Gradually reduce approval requirements

Approval Workflow Examples

Example 1: Gradual Automation

Week 1-2:

• Enable approvals for all responses
• Review every response manually
• Build understanding of AI behavior

Week 3-4:

• Create specific approval rules
• Disable mailbox-level approvals
• Approve only high-value situations

Week 5+:

• Further refine approval rules
• Reduce approval requirements
• Maintain approvals only for critical scenarios

Example 2: Team-Based Approvals

Setup:

• Property managers approve rental inquiries
• Sales agents approve buyer/seller leads
• Managers approve high-value properties
• Team leads approve complex situations

Workflow:

• Different approvers for different scenarios
• Clear escalation paths
• Backup approvers for coverage

Next Steps

Now that you understand approval workflows:

• Configure mailbox settings to enable approvals
• Create approval rules for specific scenarios
• Set up handoffs to combine with approvals
• Monitor conversations to see approvals in action

Related Articles

• Configuring Mailbox Settings - Enable approvals and configure approvers
• Creating Your First Rule - Create rules with approval requirements
• Setting Up Handoffs - Combine handoffs with approvals
• Understanding Your Dashboard - Navigate the approvals dashboard
• Monitoring and Reviewing Conversations - Review approved responses