Providing clarification for approval requests
When you request a Catalog-native service, approvers have the option to ask for clarification if they require additional information before approving the request. With this capability, you receive direct feedback for your request instead of rejection, allowing you to provide the necessary details without restarting the process. This approach saves time, improves the chances of approval, and helps you submit comprehensive requests over time.
The option to request clarification is available to the following types of approvers: the original approver, the alternate approver, the reassigned approver, and additional approvers in serial approvals or multi-approval requests.
When an approver requests clarification, the request's status changes to More information needed, and you are notified via email and an in-app (bell) alert. The More information needed status is visible in the list view, card view, and Service request details view. Everyone who is authorized to view this request can see this status.
To provide clarification for your approval request, perform the following steps:
- Log in to BMC Helix Digital Workplace.
- Open a request for which clarification is required in the Service request details view.
- Click the Review Approval Messages button.
- In the Approval Messages window, review the message left by the approver and click Reply.
- In the text input area, enter your response and add an attachment if needed.
Learn more about considerations related to adding and viewing messages in the Supported use cases and considerations for providing clarification section.
- Click Submit.
After you reply to the clarification message, the following changes take place:
- The response is saved as a message in the Approval Messages window. All subsequent messages from both you, as the service requester, and the approver are displayed in this window. These messages are accessible even after the request is canceled, approved, or rejected.
- The approver receives an email and an in-app (bell) notification that the response has been provided.
The push notifications are not supported. - The request's status changes back to Waiting Approval. If the requester adds another question, the status reverts to More information needed.
If multiple approvers are part of the approval process, each approver can individually initiate the clarification flow with you. You can see all messages from all approvers in the Approval Messages window. In contrast, each approver can only see their own messages and your replies to those messages.
Supported use cases and considerations for providing clarification
The following table outlines supported use cases and considerations related to submitting and viewing clarification requests:
| Messages visibility | Only you, as the service requester, and the approver who requested clarification can see the messages exchanged in the Approval Messages window. |
|---|---|
When you submit a request for another user, only that specific user can view and respond to clarification messages in the Approval Messages window. Therefore, if the Requested By and Requester For people are different users, only the Requester For user can see and address clarification requests from the approver. Additionally, collaborators can't see or respond to these clarification requests. | |
| If multiple approvers are part of the approval process, each approver can individually initiate the clarification flow with you. You can see all messages from all approvers in the Approval Messages window. In contrast, each approver can only see their own messages and your replies to those messages. They cannot view messages submitted by other approvers or your replies to those questions. Therefore, you might receive similar questions from different approvers. | |
| Number of responses | You can submit only one response for a question posed by an approver. If multiple clarification questions are asked by different approvers, you can submit one response for each question. |
| You can't edit your submitted response. | |
| Text input | Only plain text input is supported for clarification responses; rich text is not supported. |
| Attachments | Only one attachment can be added for each question-answer pair at a time. If the approver has added an attachment to a question and you add another attachment to your response, your attachment replaces the previously added attachment in this pair. However, new question-answer pairs can each have their own attachments. |
| Response time | When you reply to the approver's question, the date and time of your response are not shown.
|
| Requesting clarification for orders | If you have submitted multiple requests as an order, approvers can't request clarification for any service request in the order. Requesting clarification is supported only for single service requests. |
| Approving the request | Approvers can approve or reject requests even if clarification requests, including those from other approvers, remain unanswered. If a request is approved or rejected, it is not possible to answer unresolved clarification requests. |
Notifications
As a service requester, you receive email and in-app (bell) notifications when approvers request clarification. Similarly, approvers are notified via email and in-app (bell) alerts when you respond. If multiple approvers are involved in the approval process, notifications are targeted specifically at the requester and the approver who asked the question. For example, the reassigned, the alternate, and additional approvers don't get notifications about the communication between the original approver and the requester. Also, if you, as a service requester, submit a request for another user, only that specific user receives email and in-app (bell) notifications when an approver requests clarification. Therefore, if the Requested By and Requester For people are different users, only the Requester For user receives email and in-app (bell) notifications. Additionally, collaborators don't receive any notifications about clarification requests.
Email notifications are sent from both BMC Helix Digital Workplace and Approval Central. To prevent users from receiving duplicate notifications, administrators can disable notifications from Approval Central. Learn how to complete this task in Enabling approvers to ask for clarification, the procedure To disable notifications from Approval Central.
The following image shows a sample email notification:
The following image shows a sample in-app (bell) notification:
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