When an approval request is not approved, rejected, or reassigned within the allotted time, it can be automatically reassigned to a new approver so the approval process can continue.

From the March 2016 release onwards, auto-escalation is enabled for sub-process approval rules only. Do not set up auto-escalation on child process approval rules. For example, if an approval rule set up on a child record object (such as a line item or an agreement line item) is used as a child process, then entries in that approval rule are not auto-escalated.

Once an approval request is created, the system uses the expected time-to-complete value (days and hours) to determine when to auto-escalate the approval request. A background service periodically checks the status of approval requests and when one is flagged for exceeding that time, it triggers auto-escalation. Auto-escalation is triggered at the approval step level. If you do not want to wait for auto-escalation, you can manually escalate approval requests from the approvals related list for the object under approval. Auto-escalations can take one of two paths, single-step or multi-step, depending on the auto-escalation assignee type.


Single-step

After an approval is auto-escalated to the next user, if that user does not act on the approval in the designated time, the approval request is auto-escalated to the backup admin user. For example, if the auto-escalation assignee type is Role, and you have a "territory manager" role with three users assigned to it, the auto-escalation is assigned to the first active user assigned to that role. If that user does not decide on the request in time, the request is sent to the backup admin user. Single-step assignee types are: backup admin user, queue, related user, role, rule, and user. When the assignee type is queue or backup admin user, there is no delegate user.

Note

If you select rule as an assignee type, the approval request is sent only to the first user that satisfies the filter criteria in the approval rule. If you have multiple approvers in a sequence, only the first approver is selected and assigned.

Multi-stepAn auto-escalated request can move among multiple users for that assignee type before being sent to the backup admin user. For example, if the auto-escalation assignee type is "user delegated approver", the initial auto-escalation sends the approval request to that user's delegated approver, configured in their user account. If the request is not decided in time, the request is auto-escalated to the delegated approver of the user who received the auto-escalated request. This continues until that assignee type is exhausted, then it is sent to the backup admin user. Multi-step assignee types are: user approval matrix next approver, user delegated approver, and user manager.

Configuring Auto-Escalation

You must configure the following for this feature.


Workflow rulesWorkflow rules that contain time triggers cannot be included in a managed package, so you must configure them manually to provide the time-based framework for this feature.
Auto-escalation remindersReminder emails can be sent to approvers to let them know that approval requests not approved, rejected, or reassigned will be automatically escalated.
Approvals system propertyThe Enable Approval Request Auto-Escalation flag indicates to the system to use auto-escalation per the configured settings.
User approver settingsConfigure these settings to auto-escalate to the user-delegated approver or user-manager assignee types.
Email templates

These templates are used to generate the email notifications that are sent to the auto-escalation approvers. The system comes with escalation templates for opportunities, and term exceptions. For other objects that use approvals you must create custom templates.


Attention

You must create custom email templates to use attachments with your emails. Default templates do not support attachments.
Global escalation optionsThese options must be configured so that if no escalation options are configured for an approval process step, the escalation process can fall back to determine when escalation begins, involving whom.

By completing this configuration, you can use auto-escalations and they will work according to the configuration; however, you will be able to override some of the options later when creating approval processes.

To configure Workflow Rules

  1. Go to Build > Create > Workflow & Approvals > Workflow Rules and click New Rule.
  2. Select Approval Request from the list and click Next.
  3. Enter Escalate Approval Request for the mandatory rule name, and for evaluation criteria select created, and any time it's edited subsequently to meet criteria.

  4. Enter the following rule criteria:

    FieldOperatorValue

    Active

    		equalsTrue

    Auto Escalate

    		equalsTrue

    Can Escalate

    		equalsTrue

    Date Escalated 

    		not equal to null (blank)

    Escalated to Highest Level

    		equalsFalse

    In Escalation

    		not equal toTrue

    Approval Status

    		equalsAssigned

    Approval Status

    		equalsReassigned
  5. Enter the following Filter Logic: 1 AND 2 AND 3 AND 4 AND 5 AND 6 AND (7 OR 8).  

  6. Click Save and Next to display the Specify Workflow Actions page.
  7. Click Add Time Trigger and set the values to 0 Minutes After Date Escalated and click Save.
  8. In the Time-Dependent Workflow Actions section, select Add Workflow Actions > Select Existing Actions.



  9. From the Choose Action Type list, select Field Update and from the Available Actions list, select Field Update: Set Can Escalate To False, Field Update: Set Date Escalated To Null, Field Update: Set in Escalation to True and click Add. These actions are already included in the Approvals package and only need to be associated with the workflow rule here.
  10. Click Save and return to the Specify Workflow Actions page.
  11. Click Done on the Specify Workflow Actions page and you are returned to the main Workflow Rule page.
  12. Activate the workflow rule.

The required workflow rule framework for auto-escalated approval requests is now ready.

You can add additional workflow triggers to inform someone their request will be auto-escalated and configure the auto-escalate settings and email templates.

To enable the approval systems property

  1. Go to Build > Develop > Approvals System Properties and click Manage.
  2. Beside System Properties, click Edit.
  3. Select Enable Approval Request Auto-Escalation and click Save.

This enables auto-escalation. Set up the required email templates and global escalation options.

To select Approver Settings

  1. Go to Administration Setup > Manage Users > Users and select Edit for the appropriate user.

  2. Scroll to the Approver Settings section and complete the following:

    OptionDescription
    Delegated ApproverThis can be any user, but be sure they can access the same objects as the user for whom they may receive delegated approval requests.
    ManagerThe user's manager.
    Receive Approval Request EmailsIf you select Never, the user will not receive email notifications that an auto-escalated approval request has been sent to them. They will receive notifications with any other option.
  3. Click Save.

You can now select User Delegated Approver and User Manager as auto-escalation assignee types for this user.

Repeat this task for other users, as there is no batch action update available for these settings. 

Email Templates for Auto-Escalation

By default, the Conga Approvals Management package contains Escalation templates for Opportunities, Agreements, and Term Exceptions.

These templates can be used as-is out of the box; however, you can also configure bespoke templates for your organization. See Setting Up Email Templates and Alerts and the email Appendices for more details.

Auto-Escalation Behavior

This section outlines the behavior for auto-escalation in approval rules.

ScenariosBehavior
  • Auto-escalation is active.
  • Expected hours to complete = 1 (or X, where X is a numeric variable).
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "User".

An approval request is escalated to the "User" assignee if the original assignee does not act within 1 or X hours of the approval request's generation.

If the escalated User assignee does not take action in 1 or X hours, the request is escalated to the backup admin.

This behavior applies to all other assignee types.

  • Auto-escalation is active.
  • Expected hours to complete = 1.
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "Delegate Approver".

An approval request is escalated to the Conga delegate approver assignee if the original assignee does not act in 1 or X hours of the approval request's generation.

If the escalated assignee does not take action in 1 or X hours, the request is escalated to the backup admin.

The approval request remains with the escalated assignee for the remaining life of the request.

  • Auto-escalation is active.
  • Expected hours to complete = 1.
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "Approval Matrix".

An approval request is escalated to the first assignee in the approval matrix if the original assignee does not act in 1 or X hours of the approval request's generation.

  • If the first assignee does not act within one hour, the request is escalated to the next assignee in the approval matrix chain.
  • The escalation process continues until the last assignee in the approval matrix is assigned the request.
  • If the last assignee takes no action, the approval request is reassigned to the backup admin.

The request ascends the approval matrix at the interval defined in the auto-escalation setup. For example, after every one hour that no action is taken on the approval request, the request is escalated to the next assignee.

  • Auto-escalation is active.
  • Expected days to complete = 1 (or X, where X is a numeric variable).
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "User".

An approval request is escalated to the assignee "User" if the original assignee does not act in 1 or X days of the approval request's generation.

If the escalated assignee does not take action in 1 or X hours, the request is escalated to the backup admin.

This behavior applies to all other assignee types.

  • Auto-escalation is active.
  • Expected days to complete = 1.
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "Delegate Approver".

An approval request is escalated to the Conga delegate approver assignee if the original assignee does not act in 1 or X days of the approval request's generation.

If the escalated assignee does not take any action in 1 or X hours, the request is escalated to the backup admin.

  • Auto-escalations is active.
  • Expected days to complete = 1.
  • Auto-escalation assignee is "Approval Matrix".

An approval request is escalated to the first assignee in the approval matrix if the original assignee does not act in 1 or X days of the approval request's generation.

  • If the first assignee does not act within one day, the request is escalated to next assignee in the approval matrix chain.
  • The escalation process continues until the last assignee in the approval matrix is assigned the request.
  • If the last assignee takes no action, the approval request is reassigned to the backup admin.

The request ascends the approval matrix at the interval defined in the auto-escalation setup. For example, after every one day that no action is taken on the approval request, the request is escalated to the next assignee.

Auto-Escalation Limitations

  • There are limits on the number of time-based workflow rules per hour. The limits are as follows:
    • Enterprise Edition = 500
    • Developer Edition = 50
    • Unlimited Edition = 1,000
  • Auto-escalation cannot be defined for rules used as child processes.
  • For an assigned request, if the expected completion time is greater than the current time, the request is auto-escalated.
  • If an assignee in a standard step is a rule, the assignees in the rule cannot have auto-escalation values.

Best Practices

  1. Escalation time should be no less than one day.
  2. Whenever escalation is set up for a specific user, role, or queue, follow the same format at every step.

If we configure a rule entry where Jim is an assignee, Mark is the escalation assignee, and the escalation time is set to one day, if Jim does not respond to a request in a day, it is escalated to Mark.

If there is any other step (standard or subprocess step) that also has Jim as an assignee, that step should also have Mark as the escalation assignee and an escalation time of 1 day.

This is also a system limitation. If a user has auto-escalation in one step, no auto-escalation in another step, and enables consolidated approvals, then escalation cannot work. In this scenario, an escalation request goes on hold.

Consolidation and Auto-Escalation Behavior

If consolidation is enabled (approvals or notifications), consolidation always takes precedence over escalation. For example, the escalation timer does not start until all requests are available (if a user has multiple requests, at least one must be in the assigned status).

Reassign and Auto-Escalation Behavior

Take, for example, an approval request that has Jim as a primary assignee, Mark as the auto-escalation assignee, and the request scheduled to escalate one day after assignment. After some time, the request is reassigned to Karl. This does not impact the escalation time. If Karl takes no action, the request escalates as expected (that is, it escalates one day after it was assigned to Jim.)

Ad Hoc Approver and Auto-Escalation Behavior

If an ad hoc approver is added, the end user does not have an option to add escalation value to the ad hoc assignee.

Auto Approve/Auto Complete and Auto-Escalation Behavior

Do not set up escalation on auto-approved steps.