Automate the Approval Process

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Create an approval process that automates application reviews and approvals.
Manage rejected applications.
List the tasks you can automate using Flow Builder.
Create a Document Checklist Item.

Create an Approval Process

A Salesforce approvals process automates the approval of applications in your organization. When a constituent submits an application through a public portal, the approval process begins. It includes steps for reviewers to follow to approve or reject an application.

Tishon needs to set up an approval process for all business license application reviews and approvals at Cosville. Let’s join her as she gets the approval process in place.

From Setup, in the Quick Find box, search for and select Approval Processes.
For Manage Approval Processes For, select Business License Application.
For Create New Approval Process, select Use Jump Start Wizard.
Note: For processes that use a single step, use the Jump Start Wizard, which suggests default options for you. The Standard Setup Wizard is better for more complex processes that require customization.
For Name, enter Establishment License Approval Process, and press Tab to auto-populate Unique Name.
Under Specify Entry Criteria, add this criteria:
- For Field, select Business License Application: Record Type.
- For Operator, select equals.
- For Value, enter Spa License.
Under Select Approver, select Automatically assign to queue. Click the magnifying glass icon to view and select the name of the reviewer queue as Initial Review Queue.
Save your changes.
To view the approvals process you just created, click View Approval Process Detail Page.

Configure an Approval Process

To configure an approval process, you define what happens at each step along the way. The process typically starts with initial submission and ends with final approval or rejection of the application. You can configure four types of actions.

Task: The approval process assigns a task to a user with a deadline.
Email Alert: The approval process sends an email alert, such as a status update, to the applicant.
Field Update: The approval process updates a field on a selected object to a new value.
Outbound Message: The approval process sends an email notification to a third-party system.

Now it’s time to join Tishon as she configures her approval process to allow reviewers to approve or reject applications.

Add Approval Actions

The first step is to add the approval actions that reviewers can select during application review. Follow these steps to add approval actions.

On the Approval Processes page for the business license application, in the Initial Submission Actions list, click Add New, and select Field Update. Here you define a variable that resets every time a constituent submits an application.
On the New Field Update page, specify these values:
- For Name, enterReset Returned Flag, and press Tab to auto-populate Unique Name.
- For Field to Update, select Returned to Applicant.
- Under Specify New Field Value, select False.
Save your action.

Now she adds actions to approve an application.

In the Final Approval Actions list, click Add Existing.
On the Select Existing Actions page, for Choose Action Type, select Field Update.
Add Field update: Reset Returned Flag to the Selected Actions list.
Save your action. Next, you add an action to update the application status to In Review.
In the Final Approval Actions list, click Add New, and select Field Update.
On the New Field Update page, specify these values:
- For Name, enter Initial Review Approved, and press Tab to auto-populate Unique Name.
- For Field to Update, select Application Status.
- For Picklist Options, click A specific value, and then select Approved.
Save your action.

Screen capture showing the Final Approval Actions

Add Rejection Actions

Add an action to track when an application is returned to the applicant.

Under the Final Rejection Actions list, click Add New, and then choose Field Update.
On the New Field Update page, specify these values:
- For Name, enter Set Returned Flag, and press Tab to auto-populate Unique Name.
- For Field to Update, select Returned to Applicant.
- Under New Field Value, select True.
Save the action.

Next, Tishon adds an action so reviewers can reject an application if it needs corrections.

Click Add New, and then select Field Update.
Specify these values:
- For Name, enter Initial Review Returned.
- For Field to Update, select Application Status.
- For Picklist Options, click A specific value, and then select Application Rejected.
Save the action.
Click Activate. Once activated, you can view the approval process in the Active Approval Processes section.

Hurray! Tishon has successfully created and configured an approval process for business license applications.

Use Flow Builder to Streamline Approval Processes

With Flow Builder, you can control the order of actions using the point-and-click tool that shows a graphical representation of your process as you build it. Use the straightforward logic of Flow Builder to easily add automation to approval processes. You can configure immediate actions or schedule actions to run at a specific time.

Tishon uses Flow Builder to route different types of applications through different approval automations. She can also automatically send email alerts to license applicants every time their application status changes. For information on how to use Flow Builder, see the Help articles in the Resources section.

Create a Document Checklist Item

There's one last thing that Tishon wants to do to streamline her approval process: she wants to ensure that applicants upload all of the necessary supporting documents for their business license applications.

Missing documents can lead to application rejection and rerouting back to the applicant. To prevent this and to help applicants manage their file uploads efficiently, Tishon creates a Document Checklist Item.

Let’s see how she does it.

Open the business license application for which you want to create a document checklist item.
Under Related, in the Document Checklist Items section, click New.
For name, enter Business Establishment documents.
For document type, select address proof. You can create more document types by going to Setup | Document Type | New Document Type.
For Instructions, enter Provide valid proof of address documents such as a rental agreement or utility bill.
Save your changes.

Tishon has successfully created a document checklist item for all Salon Establishment License applications.

The screen capture highlights the Document Checklist Items added to the business license application.]

You can also relate your document checklist items to Action Plan Templates and generate similar checklist items to create Action Plans for those templates. To learn more, see the Salesforce documentation in the Resources section.

Congratulations! You now understand the approval workflow in Public Sector Solutions. Equipped with this knowledge, you can set up and configure your own approval processes to meet the needs of your organization.

In the next unit, you see how all of the pieces of the process come together as Salima Sheikh reviews and approves a business license application in Cosville.