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Approval requests for large deals and discounts, in Teams

QuoteCloud's approval workflow holds big quotes and deep discounts In Review. A Zap makes sure the approver hears in Teams, and the rep hears back the minute it's approved.

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Set an approval workflow in QuoteCloud, on the Business plan, for quotes over a total value or discount. A Zap on Document Review Requested posts the request to a Teams channel with Send Channel Message, mentioning the approver; a second Zap on Document Review Accepted tells the rep it's ready to send. QuoteCloud's Zapier app is on Essentials and up.

Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team

Two overlapping panels with sample data. Behind, Tessmore Engineering's quote TE-Q-2426 for Quenda Robotics, $22,253.00 including tax, In Review because its total is over $15,000, waiting for Gareth Lyle. In front, an illustrative team channel, Sales › Deal desk: a Zap's post marked important that mentions Gareth with the client, total and rule, Gareth's reply that he's approving, then a second post saying TE-Q-2426 was approved and Callum Reid's reply that he's sending it.

Why ask approvers in Teams?

Tessmore Engineering lets its estimators quote freely up to $15,000. Above that, or with a discount over 10%, QuoteCloud's approval workflow holds the quote In Review until general manager Gareth Lyle approves it.

The rule works; the waiting didn't. Gareth spends his day on the shop floor and in Teams, not in QuoteCloud's dashboard. Now a Zap posts each request to the Deal desk channel with Gareth mentioned, and tells the estimator the moment it's approved.

  • The approval workflow, its rules and approvers are set in QuoteCloud (Business plan).
  • Document Review Requested fires when a document enters workflow review; Document Review Accepted when it's approved.
  • Gareth still approves in QuoteCloud's Workflow Review, unless you build the approve-from-Teams variation further down.

How do I post approval requests to a Teams channel?

One step after the trigger. Every name is the exact event you pick in Zapier.

ZapApproval needed: post to the deal desk

  1. When QuoteCloudTriggerDocument Review RequestedFires when a document enters workflow review.Passes on
    • Document title
    • Reference
    • Client
    • Total
    • Owner
  2. Then Microsoft TeamsActionSend Channel MessageMention the approver with <user>Gareth Lyle</user> in Message Text.Mapped in
    • Team
    • Channel
    • Message Text
    • Importance: high

The same job can be built in Make, bring your own, with Make's Microsoft Teams modules.

Callum Reid's quote for 1,000 QR-220 housings comes to $22,253.00. He requests approval at 9:30 on Friday; at 9:31 the Deal desk channel has the client, the total, the rule and Gareth's name, marked important.

Result

The approver hears in the channel they watch, with enough on the post to know whether it can wait.

Approval workflow: Business · QuoteCloud's Zapier app: Essentials and up

Approvals and margins for manufacturers

Approved in QuoteCloud, heard in Teams

Tessmore EngineeringRFQ response · Quote TE-Q-2426 Sample · fictional business

Document workflow

Approved

Triggered when Total value greater than $15,000

  • Gareth LyleGeneral managerApproved

Must be approved by all approvers

  1. Approval request sent by Callum Reid
  2. Approved by Gareth Lyle

Approval workflow · Business plan

Activity

  1. Approved by Gareth LyleFri 23 Oct, 9:47 am
  2. Sent to Marcus Oyelaran and Sofia LindqvistFri 23 Oct, 10:05 am · by Callum Reid
  3. First viewed by MarcusMon 26 Oct, 8:40 am · Callum got a Teams chat
  4. Signed by Marcus and SofiaWed 28 Oct, 4:20 pm · 2 of 2
TE-Q-2426: approved by Gareth Lyle at 9:47 am, then sent, viewed and signed.

Zap

  1. Document Review Accepted
  2. Send Channel Message

Sales › Deal deskTessmore Engineering · channel · 9 members

Illustration · sample data

  1. Sales automationsFri 23 Oct · 9:31 amPosted by a ZapImportant

    @Gareth Lyle

    TE-Q-2426 is waiting for your approval

    Client
    Quenda Robotics
    Total incl. tax
    $22,253.00
    Prepared by
    Callum Reid
    Rule
    Total over $15,000

    Approve or decline it in Workflow Review on your QuoteCloud dashboard.

    Gareth Lyle 9:44 am
    Margin holds at the 1,000 break. Approving now.

  2. Sales automationsFri 23 Oct · 9:47 amPosted by a Zap

    TE-Q-2426 approved by Gareth Lyle

    Owner
    Callum Reid
    Next
    Ready to send

    Callum Reid 9:52 am
    Sending it to Marcus and Sofia now.

Illustration with sample data, not Microsoft Teams’ screen.

Deal desk: the approved post, and Callum on his way to send it.

The channel is our illustration of a team chat with sample data, not Microsoft Teams' screen.

How does the rep hear it's approved?

A second Zap on QuoteCloud's review-accepted trigger.

ZapApproved: tell the deal desk and the owner

  1. When QuoteCloudTriggerDocument Review AcceptedFires when a document's workflow review is accepted.Passes on
    • Reference
    • Document title
    • Owner email
  2. Then Microsoft TeamsActionSend Channel MessageMapped in
    • Team
    • Channel
    • Message Text
  3. Or Microsoft TeamsSearch · optionalFind Team MemberSearches on
    • Search by
  4. Or Microsoft TeamsAction · optionalCreate Chat and Send MessageA one-on-one nudge to the owner: chat the owner.Mapped in
    • Team Member(s)
    • Message Text

Gareth approves at 9:47. The Deal desk channel says so a minute later, Callum sees it and sends the quote to Marcus and Sofia at 10:05.

Result

Approved quotes go out the same morning instead of when the rep next checks.

QuoteCloud's Zapier app: Essentials and up

Can the approver approve from the card in Teams?

It can be built: Teams' approval card collects the decision, and QuoteCloud's Approve or Reject Document Workflow records it.

ZapApprove from Teams

  1. When QuoteCloudTriggerDocument Review RequestedPasses on
    • Reference
    • Client
    • Total
  2. Then Microsoft TeamsActionSend Approval Request and WaitPosts the card and waits; only the named approver's click counts.Mapped in
    • Send To
    • Approver: Gareth Lyle
    • Adaptive Card JSON
  3. Paths Paths by ZapierPathsOn the decision the card returns.
    • ApprovedApprove or Reject Document Workflow, Decision: approve
    • DeclinedApprove or Reject Document Workflow, Decision: reject, with the reason
  4. Then QuoteCloudActionApprove or Reject Document WorkflowRecords the connected pending approver's decision.Mapped in
    • Document Number
    • Decision
    • Reason

Check with your QuoteCloud administrator before relying on it: it puts the approver's QuoteCloud connection in Zapier, and approval rules with several approvers need one Zap each.

This Zap's QuoteCloud connection must be the approver's own QuoteCloud account, because the action records the decision of the connected pending approver. Build one Zap per approver.

Send Approval Request and Wait needs the Zapier app installed from the Teams Store, and you design the card's body yourself; Zapier adds the Approve and Decline buttons.

Result

Gareth taps Approve on the card in the Deal desk channel, and TE-Q-2426 is approved in QuoteCloud under his name.

Approval workflow: Business · QuoteCloud's Zapier app: Essentials and up

What the approver sees

A card in the channel with the client, total, who prepared it and the rule that caught it, plus Approve and Decline.

Once Gareth decides, the Zap records his decision in QuoteCloud. The quote's workflow log shows it like any other approval.

What needs the Zapier app in Teams

Sales › Deal deskTessmore Engineering · channel · 9 members

Illustration · sample data

  1. Sales automationsFri 23 Oct · 9:31 amPosted by a Zap

    Approval needed: TE-Q-2426

    Client
    Quenda Robotics
    Total incl. tax
    $22,253.00
    Prepared by
    Callum Reid
    Rule
    Total over $15,000

    Only Gareth Lyle can respond to this card.

    ApproveDecline

    Approved by Gareth Lyle · 9:47 am · recorded in QuoteCloud

Illustration with sample data, not Microsoft Teams’ screen.

Field map for the approval Zaps

Approval Zaps: QuoteCloud fields and the Teams message or card, and the decision that comes back
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams fieldDirectionQuoteCloud: QuoteCloud fieldGoes intoExample (sample data)Note
Request and approved posts
Message Text: the heading QuoteCloud to Microsoft Teams Reference and document title Message field TE-Q-2426 · QR-220 sensor housing, 1,000 pcs
Message Text: client and total QuoteCloud to Microsoft Teams Client, Total Message field Quenda Robotics · $22,253.00
Message Text: mention QuoteCloud to Microsoft Teams A fixed approver Message field <user>Gareth Lyle</user> Teams' mention tag, typed into the text.
Importance QuoteCloud to Microsoft Teams A fixed value Message field high
Approve from Teams
Adaptive Card JSON QuoteCloud to Microsoft Teams Reference, Client, Total Approval card TE-Q-2426 · Quenda Robotics · $22,253.00
The card's decision Microsoft Teams to QuoteCloud Decision (Approve or Reject Document Workflow) Document field approve
Reference Microsoft Teams to QuoteCloud Document Number Document field TE-Q-2426

All values are sample data.

Variations on this recipe

  • Discounts as well as totals

    QuoteCloud's workflow rules can use the discount percentage as well as the total value. Every rule ends in the same Document Review Requested trigger.

  • A different channel per rule

    Add Paths on the total so finance's channel hears about the biggest quotes and the sales manager's about the rest.

  • Straight to the approver

    Swap Send Channel Message for Create Chat and Send Message, and the request goes to the approver one-on-one.

  • Declined quotes

    QuoteCloud's Zapier triggers have no review-declined event, so the rep sees a decline in QuoteCloud, where they update and resubmit the quote.

  • Slack instead

    Teams that work in Slack can post the same requests there: QuoteCloud with Slack.

  • Build it in Make instead

    Bring your own: Make's built-in OAuth connection to QuoteCloud and QuoteCloud's API or Zapier endpoints, beside Make's own Microsoft Teams modules. There's no ready-made QuoteCloud app on Make, so you design each step.

Stop big quotes waiting

The approval workflow is on the Business plan; QuoteCloud's Zapier app on Essentials and up. Start a free 14-day trial and test it with a quote over your limit.

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Build the approval posts in five steps

  1. Set the rule in QuoteCloud

    Under Settings › Workflow, create a workflow with a condition such as total value over $15,000 and pick the approvers.

  2. Start with Document Review Requested

    In Zapier, choose QuoteCloud's Document Review Requested and load a test quote you've sent for approval.

  3. Post to the approvers' channel

    Add Microsoft Teams' Send Channel Message, pick the channel, map the reference, client and total, and mention the approver.

  4. Add the approved Zap

    Build a second Zap on Document Review Accepted that posts to the same channel or chats the owner.

  5. Test both

    Request approval on a test quote, approve it in Workflow Review, check both posts, then switch the Zaps on.

Questions about approvals in Teams

Can QuoteCloud send approval requests to Microsoft Teams?

Yes, through Zapier. When a quote enters QuoteCloud's approval workflow, a Zap on Document Review Requested posts the request to a Teams channel or chat. The approval workflow is on the Business plan; QuoteCloud's Zapier app is on Essentials and up.

Where does the approver approve the quote?

In QuoteCloud, in Workflow Review on the dashboard, as usual. If you build the approve-from-Teams variation, the decision on Teams' approval card is recorded in QuoteCloud by the Approve or Reject Document Workflow action instead.

What triggers an approval request?

The rules in your QuoteCloud workflow, such as a total value or discount percentage over a limit. When a quote meets a rule it goes In Review, and that's the moment Document Review Requested fires.

Does the rep hear when a quote is declined?

Not through Teams. QuoteCloud's Zapier triggers include review requested and review accepted, but no review declined, so the rep sees a decline in QuoteCloud, updates the quote and resubmits it.

Which plan do I need?

The Business plan for QuoteCloud's approval workflow, which includes the Zapier app from Essentials. Posting requests to Teams creates no documents, so it carries no per-document fee; Zapier bills its own plans separately.

More Microsoft Teams questions

More on QuoteCloud and Microsoft Teams

Five use cases with the exact Zapier steps, then how to connect, the IT admin side, the limits and the cost.

Big quotes, approved before lunch.

Start a free 14-day trial and post QuoteCloud's approval requests to the Teams channel your approvers already watch.

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