Workflow Approval
Workflow Approval is a system that enables multiple rounds of interaction and data flow between respondents (C-end) and publishers (B-end). Using Workflow Approval, you can route submitted form/survey data into the approval system, assign tasks to different collaborators based on conditions, and enable two-way communication between respondents and processors.
What is Workflow Approval
Workflow Approval allows submitted data from forms/surveys to flow into the approval system. In this system, tasks can be assigned to different collaborators based on conditions. Collaborators can execute subsequent workflow steps or directly reply to form/survey submissions. After replying, respondents receive notifications and can continue the conversation.
This feature is ideal for scenarios such as leave request approvals, document review processes, application processing, and any workflow requiring multi-step approval and communication.
Feature Access
1. Navigate to your survey/form design page
2. Click "Workflow Approval" in the left sidebar
Creating a Survey/Form
Workflow Approval starts with data submitted from a survey/form. First, create your survey or form according to your business needs. There are no special requirements for creating the survey/form - simply add the question types you need based on your business requirements.
Enabling Workflow Approval
After creating your survey/form, enable the Workflow Approval system:
1. Go to "Design Survey" → "Workflow Approval"
2. Configure the following settings:
Configuration Settings
1. Project Name
The project name defaults to your survey/form name. You can modify it by clicking the edit button and then clicking "Save" to save.
2. Reply Method
Select a reply method based on your business needs:
Email question
Selecting the email topic from the questionnaire as a reply method to interact with respondents via messages..
3. Reminder Settings
When enabled, if a node collaborator has not processed a task, the system will send reminder notifications at specified times.Select reminder time points - you can set reminders for specific hours on daily or workday (Monday to Friday) basis
The system will send reminder notifications at the specified times. Collaborators can click the reminder message to enter the pending tasks page and process tasks.
4. Respondent Workflow Homepage
After approver processes approval data, routes to Respondent , Respondent receives email notification, clicks to view approval result, after verification can view detailed approval result.
Respondents can access the workflow homepage from the survey page to check progress.
Understanding Nodes and Collaborators
Nodes
In a simple leave request workflow, an employee submits a leave request, a department manager approves it, and then it goes to HR for review. This simple workflow has three nodes: Employee, Department Manager, and HR.
In Workflow Approval:
- Survey/form respondents = Employees (this node exists naturally and doesn't require additional setup)
- Workflow Approval collaborators = Department Managers and HR (these are collaborator roles in the workflow that need to be added and configured)
Collaborators
Each node can have multiple collaborators. Node collaborators can be bound via email. Once set up, they will receive email notifications when new tasks require their attention.
Setup Methods:
1. If all data needs to be processed by the same collaborators, click "All Responses" to set collaborators
2. If data needs to be routed to different collaborators based on conditions,select the question, and choose collaborators based on corresponding conditions
3. If there are many conditional branches, you can also click "Batch set Approvers" to bulk import collaborators via text input
CC Recipients: After respondents submit responses, data can be copied to specified recipients.
Workflow Actions
When processing data, node collaborators can not only reply with text like handling tickets, but also use predefined processing methods.
For example, in a leave request workflow, you can predefine three processing methods: "Approve", "Reject", and "Modify", and set what the applicant can do next:
- Approve: Only notify the applicant, no reply needed from the applicant
- Reject: Notify the applicant and allow them to reply for further explanation
- Modify: Notify the applicant, allow them to reply and modify previously submitted data, so they can resubmit after modification
Workflow Process Example
In real life, the most typical example that embodies the "workflow approval" feature is the leave request process. Both the requester and the approver participate in the process approval within a single system.Therefore, we will use the leave request process as an example to experience and demonstrate the entire workflow:
Click here to experience the requester's side of the process.
Screenshots of the administrator's interface will be provided in the following sections. The data you actually submit will also be processed periodically.
1. Respondent Submits Form and Subscribes
(1) Employee accesses the "Leave Request System" via link and fills in necessary information before submitting
2. Collaborator Receives Message and Processes
(1) The system automatically routes submitted data to different node collaborators based on predefined rules. For example, leave requests from the User Experience team are assigned to the User Experience team leader. All reminders are sent via Email, with a frequency of once every five minutes
(2) Node collaborators process using predefined actions. For example, a department manager can execute "Approve", "Reject", or "Modify" actions.
3. Respondent Views and Continues Reply
(1) Employee receives and views the collaborator's reply via Email message
(2) Employee modifies the leave request type based on the reply message and replies to the department manager
4. Collaborator Continues Processing
The department manager receives the leave request again and processes it as "Approve".
Application Scenarios
Workflow Approval can be applied in various scenarios, including:
- Library card application document submission and review.Click here for details
- NPS survey negative feedback follow-up and processing in user research
- Enterprise administrative departments: item requisition/purchase systems, item maintenance systems
- Enterprise HR departments: campus recruitment electronic resume collection and interview scheduling systems.Click here for details.
- Enterprise marketing departments: seminar/press conference registration + approval + notification systems
- Schools: psychological counseling room appointment systems
- Restaurant industry: table reservation systems.Click here for details.
- Media: voting event candidate registration material review systems
- Schools and enterprises: leave request approval systems
- New product/new feature Beta version experience appointment systems
- Equipment loan expiration automatic reminder systems
Important Notes
- Respondents must complete eamil question after submission for data to enter the Workflow Approval system
- Collaborators must bind their email to receive task notifications
- Reminder notifications are sent at specified times when tasks are not processed
FAQs
Q1: What is the difference between Workflow Approval and regular form submission?
A: Regular form submission only collects data, while Workflow Approval enables multi-step approval processes with task routing, collaborator assignments, and two-way communication between respondents and processors.
Q2: How do I set up collaborators for my workflow?
A: You can set up collaborators in three ways: 1) Click "All Responses" to assign the same collaborators to all submissions, 2) Select questions and set collaborators based on conditions for conditional routing, or 3) Use "Batch set Approvers" to bulk import collaborators via text input.
Q3: What happens if a collaborator doesn't process a task?
A: If reminder settings are enabled, the system will automatically send reminder notifications at specified times (daily or workday basis) until the task is processed. Collaborators can click the reminder message to access the pending tasks page.
Q4: Can respondents modify their submissions after approval actions?
A: Yes, if a collaborator uses the "Modify" action, respondents will be notified and can reply to modify their previously submitted data, then resubmit after making changes.
Q5: What are workflow actions and how do they work?
A: Workflow actions are predefined processing methods (such as "Approve", "Reject", "Modify") that collaborators can use when processing tasks. Each action can be configured to determine what respondents can do next - whether they need to reply, can modify data, or just receive a notification.
Q6: How do respondents track the status of their submissions?
A: Respondents can access the workflow homepage from the survey page to check the progress of their submissions. They will also receive email notifications when collaborators process their requests.
Q7: Can I use conditional routing to send different submissions to different collaborators?
A: Yes, you can select questions from your survey and set up conditional routing based on answer values. For example, leave requests from the User Experience team can be automatically routed to the User Experience team leader.
Q8: What is the purpose of CC recipients?
A: CC recipients receive copies of submitted data for information purposes. They are notified when submissions are made but are not required to process or approve the data.
Q9: Can I customize the reply method for different workflows?
A: Yes, you can select an email question from your questionnaire as the reply method. This enables two-way communication between respondents and processors via email messages.
Q10: What happens if I delete a node or collaborator that has pending tasks?
A: It is recommended to process or reassign all pending tasks before deleting nodes or collaborators. Deleting active workflow components may affect task routing and notification delivery.
