Message Approval Workflows
Required Permission
Approving messages requires one or both of the following permissions:
- OUTGOING_MESSAGES_APPROVAL_EMAILS — Approve pending emails
- OUTGOING_MESSAGES_APPROVAL_SMS — Approve pending SMS messages
Approval Workflows add a review step before Outgoing Messages are delivered. When configured, messages from certain users are held in an approval queue until a designated approver reviews and approves them.
How Approval Workflows Work
- A user composes and submits a message (email or SMS)
- If the user's User Role requires approval, the message is placed in the approval queue instead of being sent immediately
- Users with the Approval permission see the pending message in their approval queue
- The approver reviews the message and either approves (sends it) or rejects it
Email vs. SMS Approval
Approval workflows for emails and SMS are configured independently:
| Approval Permission | Controls |
|---|---|
| Email Approval Workflows | Review and approve/reject pending email messages |
| SMS Approval Workflows | Review and approve/reject pending SMS messages |
This means you can require approval for emails but not SMS, or vice versa, depending on your organization's needs.
Setting Up Approval Workflows
- Navigate to Team Administration → User Roles (see Creating User Roles)
- For roles that should require approval, configure their Outgoing Messages permissions to route through the approval queue
- For roles that should approve messages, grant the Email Approval Workflows and/or SMS Approval Workflows Feature Permission
Reviewing Pending Messages
Users with approval permissions will see pending messages in their approval queue:
- Navigate to Outgoing Messages
- Look for the approval queue section
- Review each pending message — preview the content, recipients, and who authored it
- Choose to Approve (message sends immediately) or Reject (message is not sent)
Impact on Users
- Users whose messages require approval will see their message status as "Pending Approval" instead of "Sent"
- Approved messages are delivered immediately upon approval
- Rejected messages are returned to the sender with notification
- Team Admins can always send messages without approval
- Scheduled messages that require approval are held until approved, then delivered at the scheduled time (if the time hasn't passed)
Best Practice
Use approval workflows for high-impact communications like bulk messages or messages sent to external contacts. For routine internal communications, approval may slow down your team unnecessarily.
Related Topics
- Outgoing Messages Overview — The complete messaging system
- Message Templates — Reusable message templates
- Feature Permissions — Assigning approval permissions
- User Roles Overview — Role-based access controls