Sales Approval

Configuring the Sales Approval

Setting up a sales approval process in Zoho Books adds an extra layer of control and accuracy to your sales transactions. This process ensures that sales documents like estimates and invoices are reviewed and approved by authorized personnel before being sent to customers. This is particularly important for businesses with multiple users and varying levels of authorization. This section will guide you through the configuration of sales approvals in Zoho Books.

Understanding the Need for Sales Approval

Implementing a sales approval process offers several key benefits:

Reduced Errors: Ensures that estimates and invoices are reviewed for accuracy before being sent to customers, minimizing the risk of errors in pricing, quantities, or customer details.
Improved Compliance: Helps ensure that sales transactions comply with company policies and regulations.
Enhanced Control: Provides better control over pricing, discounts, and credit terms offered to customers.
Prevent Fraud: Reduces the risk of fraudulent sales transactions.
Clear Audit Trail: Creates an audit trail of approvals, providing a record of who approved which transactions and when.

Identifying Key Roles in the Sales Approval Process

Before configuring the approval process, identify the key roles involved and their responsibilities:

Creators/Submitters: Employees who create estimates and invoices. These users typically have limited approval authority.
Approvers: Managers or designated employees who have the authority to review and approve sales documents. Approvers often have higher-level access and a better understanding of pricing guidelines and company policies.
Administrators: Users who configure and manage the sales approval process in Zoho Books. They define the rules and assign approvers.

Types of Sales Transactions Requiring Approval

Typically, the following sales transactions benefit from an approval process:Quote: Approving quotations before they are shared with customers to ensure pricing and terms are correct.Sales Orders: Approving sales orders before they are sent to customers to confirm order details and availability.Invoices: Approving sales invoices before they are sent to customers to ensure accurate billing and tax compliance.Credit Note: Approving credit notes before issuing them to customers to validate returns, discounts, or adjustments.You can configure different approval workflows for each type of transaction, depending on your business needs.

Configuring Sales Approval in Zoho Books

If you enable sales approval, you can provide your users with the ability to submit and approve sales transactions such as quotes, sales orders, invoices, and credit notes.

Go to Settings on the top right corner of the page.Select any one tab (Quotes / Sales Orders / Invoices / Credit Notes) under Sales.Switch to the Approvals tab.Click Enable Approval Type.

Choose the approval type for the Sales transactions.Click Save.

a. Enable Simple Approval for Sales Approval

To enable Simple Approval:

Select Simple ApprovalAdmin User shall be selected automaticallySelect Notification PreferencesClick Saveb. Enable Multi-Level Approval for Sales Approval

You can also set up a multi-level approval process for the transactions that should be approved by two or more people. To set up a multi-level process for your organization:Select Multi-level approval with specific approvers.Select the approvers from the drop-down.Click + Add New Level to add more approvers, if needed.Note:You can add up to 10 approvers. Users with approval permission for the Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Credit Notes modules will only be listed will be configured for Multi-level approval.

Disable Sales Approval

Go to Settings on the top right corner of the page.Select Any One Tab under Sales.Switch to the Approvals tab.Click No ApprovalClick Save

How the Sales Approval Process Works in Practice

Once the sales approval process is configured, here’s how it will work:

Sales Document Creation: A salesperson creates an estimate or invoice that meets the criteria for approval (e.g., exceeds the specified amount).
Submission for Approval: The salesperson submits the sales document for approval.
Notification to Approver: The designated approver receives an email notification alerting them that a sales document requires their attention.
Review and Approval/Rejection: The approver reviews the sales document and either approves or rejects it. They may add comments or request changes.
Action Based on Approval Status:

What is the primary purpose of setting up a sales approval process in Zoho Books?

To automatically generate invoices.
To ensure that sales documents are reviewed and approved by authorized personnel before being sent to customers.
To track employee time.
To manage customer contact information.

What is sequential approval in a sales approval workflow?

The document can be approved by any of the assigned approvers simultaneously.
The document must be approved by one approver before being sent to the next.
The document is automatically approved after a certain period.
The document is randomly assigned to an approver.

Which of the following is a typical criterion used to define sales approval rules in Zoho Books?

Customer's favorite color.
Document type (e.g., estimate or invoice).
Salesperson's shoe size.
Number of employees in the company.