You can use the Approval Manager as a final test before an email is sent out. First, the email will be sent to a selected group of people. Only if they, or some of them, approve the mailing, it will be planned for final send out. This article explains how the Approval Manager works.
This functionality is not a standard part of Spotler MailPro. Are you interested in this functionality? Then please contact your account manager or mail to sales@spotler.com so that this functionality can be activated for you.
Setting up the Approval Manager
Once the feature has been activated, some extra options will appear when you send an email.
Approval group
Firstly, create a test group that includes everyone who must be able to give their approval. If you do not know how to create such a group, no problem. This article explains it in detail. The approval group should be a test group. Select the group you created under Approval group when you send your email.
Approval period
During the approval, you set the time that the email’s recipients get to inspect the email and either approve or disapprove it. Note that an email with too few approvals will not be scheduled for dispatch.
Number of approvals
Underneath the approval period, you select the minimum number of people who have to approve the email and the maximum number of people who may disapprove it. For example, you can choose to require at least three approvals before an email is sent out. Furthermore, you can opt to have an email automatically removed from the schedule once two people have disapproved it. That means the email will not be sent out.
What happens when the sendout starts?
If you choose to send the email immediately, the test email will also be sent to the approval group immediately. If the email is scheduled for a later time, the email to the test group will be sent at that scheduled time. That means the test dispatch will not occur before the scheduled time. The definitive sendout will happen when the approval time is passed and the mail has a status of approved on that set time.
Approving or disapproving the email
The recipients in the approval group will be asked to approve the message. They will receive the email in their inbox and at the bottom of the email are presented with the options to approve or disapprove the email.
The time listed under “Please make your choice before YYYY-MM-DD HH:HH” depends on the selected duration of the approval period.
After someone from the approval group clicks Approve or Disapprove, they are referred to a new page that processes their selection. The page shows a check (for approval) or a cross (for disapproval). A countdown timer is also visible. It indicates the time remaining in the approval period. The status of the approval is visible underneath this timer. It shows how many approvals have already been issued and how many are required. It also shows how many disapprovals have been given and what the maximum number of disapprovals is. Finally, it shows whether the email will be dispatched or not (yet).
When someone approves or disapproves an email, they have the option to provide feedback. The person who scheduled the email for dispatch will be notified of any received feedback via email.
What happens if an email is disapproved?
If an email receives too many disapprovals or if it has not received enough approvals by the end of the approval period, it will not be sent out. The person who scheduled the email for dispatch will be notified via email that their message has not been sent, along with the reason.
This gives the sender the chance to make the necessary changes to the email. When the email is subsequently rescheduled, the approval process begins anew if you use the Approval Manager again.