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Hi all, 

 

I am trying to use Workflow Automator for the following workflow, but it isnt behaving as expected:

 

Current workflow:

-user submits a portal form, and includes an email of an approver

-workflow is triggered, which includes a Timer node so that the ticket has 60 seconds to be fully ‘created’ in the system

-aftert the timer node, a new action begins which uses the custom field “Approving Manager Email” to send an email to the listed email in said field

-the email that the “approver” is receiving contains links to the ticket so they can approve, but none of the various textplaceholders i’ve used are working when inserted in the email . 

 

 

I understand that the “Send Approval Mail” placeholder is probably for when someone adds an approver via the service requests in the portal (and not through the form). But- is there a way or workaround so that an approver can not only be sent an approval email but also click the ticket link to view the ticket? 

 

We do not want these requests to be built out in the service items locations. These are ticket that are being sent in by users to make config changes in our system, and we need approval for SOC Compliance purposes. Having our team manually send an approval email is cumbersome, which is why I am looking to automate this step. 

 

Also- to note: we cannot use the Reporting Manager option for approval automation, as the “manger” that is approving these changes are often not the manager of the user submitting the ticket, but rather the owner of the software that the request is for.

 

Thanks!

Hi,

In this case you should be able to do this by initiating the approval through the API.
You would have to create a POST request in your workflow with the following:

Endpoint: https://{{service_desk_url}}/api/v2/tickets/{{ticket.id_numeric}}/approvals

Body:

{
  "approver_id": {{custom field}},
  "approval_type": 2 (or a different type if you prefer, see API info)
}

 

Now, for the placeholder {{custom field}} you should select the placeholder for your field from the form. Take into account that Freshservice expects an id here, and not an email address. The simplest way to do this is to turn your field into a dropdown field with data source "All users”.

 

Hopefully this helps :)

Hi xautomate_mostx, 

 

Triggering an approval email is not aligned with the ITIL best practices. Incident Management aims to restore service as quickly as possible, and introducing approvals can delay resolution. Approvals are better suited for service requests or change management processes. If approval is needed, consider reclassifying the ticket as a service request. 

I hope this helps :)

I’ve run into similar challenges when trying to automate approval emails in Freshservice. The key is that Freshservice expects an approver ID, not just an email, so you’ll need to use a user field that maps correctly.

One workaround is to use the API to create the approval step automatically, as mentioned above. Turning your custom field into a dropdown with all users can help you capture the approver ID instead of just the email.

I’ve also used eesel before to connect internal docs and make approval flows clearer for stakeholders, but the API approach is your best bet for this specific Freshservice setup.

Hope this helps make it smoother.

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