Streamlining Approvals: Your Guide to Manager Workflows in HubSpot Pipelines

Hey ESHOPMAN community! As experts in helping businesses like yours thrive with HubSpot, we're always on the lookout for clever ways to optimize your operations. A strong HubSpot setup isn't just about sales and marketing; it's about making every internal process run like a well-oiled machine. And what's more critical to smooth operations than approvals?

Recently, a fascinating discussion popped up in the HubSpot Community that really resonated with us, especially for those of you managing complex internal processes, whether it's for customer service tickets or legal reviews. The original poster, let's call them a fellow HubSpot user, was grappling with a common challenge: how to implement a 'Waiting for Manager Approval' stage in their ticket pipeline effectively.

The Manager Approval Conundrum

The core problem presented by the original poster was this: they needed a way for high-urgency tickets, specifically within a legal pipeline, to go to a manager for approval before being marked as 'Submitted' or 'New'. The approval process needed to allow for either 'Approved' or 'Rejected,' with rejection moving the ticket to a 'Closed' stage. They had employee contacts in HubSpot, along with their departments, and were wondering if adding managers as HubSpot users to facilitate email-based approval/rejection was the best route.

This is a fantastic question because it touches on a fundamental aspect of efficient RevOps: ensuring critical steps are met and documented before a process moves forward. For any business, including those running an ecommerce storefront solution, internal process bottlenecks can quickly impact external customer experience. Getting these workflows right is crucial.

Unpacking the Community's Wisdom

Fortunately, the HubSpot Community came through with some solid advice. One insightful respondent immediately confirmed the original poster's intuition, laying out a clear path forward. Another community member added a valuable, albeit general, reminder about the importance of thorough review during any approval stage.

The HubSpot Workflow Approach: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s the distilled, actionable solution for setting up a robust manager approval stage in your HubSpot pipelines:

1. Managers Must Be HubSpot Users: This is non-negotiable. For a workflow to assign a task, send an internal notification, or require an action from a manager within HubSpot, that manager needs to have a user seat in your HubSpot portal. This allows them to access the ticket, update its properties, and interact with the system directly.
2. Create a Custom Property for Approval Status: This is your key mechanism for tracking the approval state. We recommend creating a custom Ticket Property (or whatever object you're using, like a Deal or Custom Object if applicable) with a dropdown select or checkbox field. Good options might be:
   • Manager Approval Status (Dropdown Select: 'Pending Approval', 'Approved', 'Rejected')
   • Manager Approved? (Single Checkbox: 'Yes', 'No')
   This property will be updated by the manager.
3. Build a Ticket-Based Workflow: This is where the magic happens. Here’s a breakdown of the workflow logic:
   • Enrollment Trigger: Set your workflow to enroll tickets that meet specific criteria. In the original poster's case, this would be: Ticket Pipeline is 'Legal Pipeline' AND Ticket Urgency is 'High' (or whatever property you use for urgency). Crucially, the ticket should then move into your 'Waiting for Manager Approval' stage.
   • Assign for Approval: Once enrolled, the workflow should assign the ticket to the relevant manager. This can be done in a few ways:
     • Specific Manager: If it's always the same manager, assign directly.
     • Manager via Association: If you have a 'Manager' custom property on the employee contact record that links to the manager's HubSpot user, you can dynamically assign.
     • Round Robin: For a pool of approvers, use a round-robin assignment.
     You can also send an internal email notification to the manager with a direct link to the ticket, prompting them to review and update the custom approval property.
   • Wait for Action: Implement a 'Delay until an event occurs' action. The event would be: Ticket property 'Manager Approval Status' is known (or 'Manager Approved?' is 'Yes' or 'No'). This pauses the workflow until the manager has made their decision and updated the property on the ticket.
   • Conditional Branches for Outcome: After the delay, create 'If/then branches' based on the 'Manager Approval Status' property:
     • If 'Approved': Move the ticket to the next stage (e.g., 'Submitted' or 'New'), and reassign it to the original owner or relevant team.
     • If 'Rejected': Move the ticket directly to the 'Closed' stage. You might also send an internal notification to the original submitter explaining the rejection.

This systematic approach ensures that tickets don't progress prematurely and that all necessary approvals are captured within your CRM. The general advice from the community about reviewing all details carefully before approval is perfectly supported by this system; it provides the framework for that careful review to happen.

ESHOPMAN Team Comment

We absolutely agree with the community's consensus here. The solution proposed by the first respondent is spot-on and leverages HubSpot's core strengths in automation and data management. Relying on custom properties and workflows is the most robust and scalable way to handle internal approvals, far superior to ad-hoc email chains. For any business, especially those managing sales, support, or an ecommerce storefront solution through HubSpot, having these clear, automated gates ensures data integrity and operational efficiency.

Bringing It All Together

Implementing a manager approval stage doesn't have to be a headache. By making your managers HubSpot users, creating a dedicated custom property for approval status, and building a smart, ticket-based workflow, you can automate this critical step. This not only streamlines your internal processes but also ensures that high-urgency items get the necessary oversight before proceeding, ultimately leading to better outcomes for your team and your customers.

Whether you're managing complex legal tickets or ensuring every sales deal gets the green light, HubSpot's workflow capabilities provide the flexibility you need. Happy automating!