Salesforce Approval Processes
Many business decisions need sign-off from a manager before they go through. A discount above 20% needs VP approval. A contract above ₹50 lakh needs the legal team's review. Salesforce handles these situations through Approval Processes — structured workflows that route a record to one or more approvers and track the decision at every step.
What Is an Approval Process?
An Approval Process is a predefined sequence of steps that a record must pass through to receive formal approval. At each step, a designated approver receives a notification, reviews the record, and either approves or rejects it. The record's status updates automatically based on the decision.
The Office Memo Analogy
WITHOUT SALESFORCE: Employee writes memo → Prints it → Walks to manager's desk → Manager scribbles "Approved" → Employee files it → Nobody else knows what happened WITH SALESFORCE APPROVAL PROCESS: Employee clicks "Submit for Approval" → Manager gets email + Salesforce notification → Manager clicks "Approve" or "Reject" → Record status updates automatically → Full history of who approved, when, and with what comments
Key Components of an Approval Process
Entry Criteria
The conditions a record must meet before it can be submitted for approval. Example: An Opportunity can only enter the approval process if the Discount field is greater than 15%. Records that do not meet the entry criteria cannot be submitted.
Approval Steps
An approval process can have one or multiple sequential steps. Each step defines:
- Who approves — a specific user, the record owner's manager, a queue, or a user field on the record
- Approval criteria — additional conditions that determine whether this specific step applies
- What happens if approved — field updates, emails, or other actions
- What happens if rejected — rejection actions like resetting a field or notifying the submitter
A Multi-Step Approval Example
Opportunity Discount > 15% → Submit for Approval
|
STEP 1: Direct Manager approves
|-- Approved → Go to Step 2
|-- Rejected → Email submitter, unlock record
|
STEP 2: VP Sales approves (only if Amount > ₹10 lakh)
|-- Approved → Final Approval Actions fire
|-- Rejected → Email submitter, unlock record
|
FINAL APPROVAL ACTIONS:
- Update field: Approval_Status__c = "Approved"
- Send email: Notify customer-facing team
- Create task: Generate contract documents
Submitter Actions
When a user submits a record for approval, you can trigger Initial Submission Actions — automatic steps that fire the moment submission happens. Common uses: lock the record so it cannot be edited during review, update a status field to "Pending Approval," or send a notification to the approver.
Recall Actions
If the submitter wants to pull back the approval request (before the approver acts), they can recall it. Recall Actions define what happens when the submission is recalled — typically unlocking the record and resetting the status field.
Approver Assignment Options
| Assignment Type | How It Works | Best Used When |
|---|---|---|
| Specific User | Always routes to one named user | Single approver for the entire company |
| Manager Field | Routes to the submitter's manager (set on the User record) | Standard hierarchical approval |
| User Field on Record | Routes to whoever is named in a specific field on the record | Deal-specific approvers (e.g., Account Executive) |
| Queue | Any member of a queue can approve | Team-based approvals where anyone can act |
How Approvers Take Action
Approvers receive a Salesforce notification and an email containing the record details and Approve/Reject buttons. They can take action in three ways:
- Clicking the Approve or Reject link directly in the email — no login required
- Logging into Salesforce and using the Approval History related list on the record
- Using the Salesforce mobile app to approve on the go
Approvers can add Comments when approving or rejecting. These comments are saved permanently in the Approval History related list on the record — a full audit trail of every decision and the reasoning behind it.
Record Locking During Approval
By default, Salesforce locks a record the moment it enters an approval process. While locked, regular users cannot edit any fields. This prevents someone from changing the discount percentage after the manager has already started reviewing. Only administrators and designated approvers can edit a locked record.
Approval Process Actions Summary
| Trigger Point | Actions Available |
|---|---|
| Initial Submission | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
| Approval (per step) | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
| Rejection (per step) | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
| Final Approval | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
| Final Rejection | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
| Recall | Field Update, Email Alert, Task, Outbound Message |
Approval Process vs. Flow
Approval Processes and Flows can both automate decisions, but they serve different purposes. Use an Approval Process when a human must review and manually approve or reject a record. Use a Flow when the decision can be made automatically based on data — no human review needed. Many orgs combine both: a Flow detects the need for approval and submits the record, then the Approval Process routes it to the right person.
Key Points
- Approval Processes route records to designated approvers and track every decision with a full audit trail.
- Entry Criteria control which records can enter the approval process.
- Steps define who approves, in what order, and what actions fire on approval or rejection.
- Records are locked during the approval process to prevent edits while under review.
- Approvers can act via email link, Salesforce desktop, or the mobile app — and must add comments explaining their decision.