automation workflow approval - Use form to request additional information prior to Approve/Deny

I am looking for the ability for the approver to ask a questions (normally from the requester) prior to making a final selection of Approve/Deny. Currently the approval form has access to the comment field but the only way for the form to process something added to the comment field is if you select Approve or Deny (Which moves the automation past this decision point). I want to keep the approvers and users out of the primary sheet and have them use forms so I can ensure the integrity of the sheet. Thus, having them go to the sheet to add a comment is not a good workaround for me. I would like to add a third button to the existing approval form that would only process a comment. Letting the approver gain information, they feel is critical prior to making their decision.

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Nik Fuentes

So if I understand correctly you're looking for a button on any given row which, when pressed, pings the row creator [or whoever] for additional information that will remain visible to other users in a column. Is that right? If so, I think that might be a little too niche of a feature request. It's a little more circuitous, but you can manage that with the systems to hand already.

I can see using a couple new columns and a new status together with an update request automation. When status turns to Query [or whatever], ping the row creator with a question from the "Query" column [as filled out by the asker] and a prompt to answer by filling in the "Answer" column. The answer column would then trigger another automation to ping the asker with the provided answer.

Joe Luc

No Nik, in the automation workflow "request approval" form.

Mary Beth B.

Hi Joe,

I had this same issue with a form/sheet I had. What I had to do was create 3 additional columns and 2 workflows (there was probably an easier way to do it but...did the best I could)

1st, I added the three columns to the sheet

1) checkbox column called "Request More information"

2) Question from Approver

3) Response from Requester.

Then I created two workflows, one to send it out and one for the response to be returned.

When I had a question, I would populate the "question from Approver", check the box "request more information" and hit save which would then trigger the workflow and send the question.

If you haven't already figured it out, I hope this helps.

Joe Luc

Creative! Thanks for the input. Ideally, I would like to keep the executives out of the master sheet and just have them use the automated approval form, but this is a possible fallback position.

Thanks Mary Beth,

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