This article outlines the step-by-step process for approving pending recognitions and earn requests, including external recognitions submitted through External Recognition programs. Approvals ensure that all recognitions and reward requests meet organizational standards before being granted. Admins and designated approvers are responsible for managing these approvals.
- Accessing the Pending Approvals Queue
- Approving Internal Recognitions and Earn Requests
- Approving External Recognitions
- Approval Notifications
- Notes for Approvers
Accessing the Pending Approvals Queue
To begin, please log in to your account. Click the bell icon located in the top right corner of the screen to access the admin portal.
This action will take you to a page displaying the recognitions you have submitted that are awaiting approval. The "My Approvals" tab shows recognitions that require your direct approval, while the "All Pending" tab displays all pending recognitions across the entire organization. Note that the "All Pending" tab is visible to administrators only. The "External Recognitions" tab displays all recognitions submitted through an external recognition program that are currently pending approval.
Approving Internal Recognitions and Earn Requests
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Click on a pending recognition to view its detailed information.
- Internal Recognitions: Review the recognition message, the number of points requested, and any attached media.
- Earn Requests: Verify the number of points requested and the justification provided.
- Budget: If applicable, select the appropriate budget from which the points will be awarded.
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Approve or Deny:
- Click ‘Approve’ to grant the recognition and the associated reward points.
- Click ‘Deny’ to reject the recognition. If you deny a request, provide a reason for the denial. This denial reason will be recorded in the events log. Additionally, the reason for denial can be displayed in the email to the recognition submitter (“Recognition Denied”) email notification with the use of the
{{ResponseText}}email template variable.
If the recognition or earn request requires only one level of approval, it will be processed and sent to the recipient. If multiple levels of approval are required, the request will be routed to the approval queue(s) of the next designated approver(s). Super Administrators have access to a ‘Super Approve’ button within the action dropdown. Clicking ‘Super Approve’ will bypass any remaining approval steps and immediately send the recognition to the recipient.
Approving External Recognitions
External recognitions are recognitions submitted by customers, vendors, partners, or other third parties through the External Recognition Programs. These recognitions also require approval before they are posted publicly.
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In the ‘Approvals’ tab, select the ‘External Recognitions’ section to view all pending external recognitions.
Click on a pending external recognition to review its details, including the recognition message, the submitter's information, and any suggested reward points. If reward points are suggested, verify that the points are within the designated allowable access budget.
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Approve or Deny:
- Click ‘Approve’ to grant the recognition and the reward points (if applicable). The recognition will then appear in the public social feed.
- Click ‘Deny’ to reject the recognition. If you deny a request, provide a reason for the denial. Please note that this message will only be visible in the events log within reporting and will not be displayed to the original submitter of the recognition.
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Approve or Deny:
Awardco Intelligence: AI Filtering for External Recognitions
When enabled, Awardco Intelligence enhances the external recognition approval process by incorporating AI-powered filtering. Before reaching human approvers, recognitions undergo three stages:
- Moderation: AI automatically identifies and blocks harmful or inappropriate content. These recognitions will not appear in the approval queue.
- Sentiment Analysis: AI analyzes the tone and intent of the recognition, providing a recommendation to approve, decline, or further review the submission.
- HIPAA Filtering: Recognitions that potentially contain health-related identifiers are flagged for review. There is also an option to use AI to redact identifying information.
AI-generated suggestions will be visible in the approval interface to guide approvers. However, all final approval decisions remain the responsibility of human reviewers. For assistance with configuring this feature, please contact your Awardco administrator.
Approval Notifications
In most instances, approvers will receive email notifications when there are recognitions or earn requests awaiting their approval. If you are not receiving these notifications, please verify the settings for the relevant Recognition or Earn program.
Notes for Approvers
- If a user who has submitted a recognition or Earn request for approval has a supervisor who leaves the organization, the pending request can be rerouted to their new supervisor's approval queue. Please discuss with your CSM or the Technical CSM team to enable this feature.
- For external recognitions submitted through personalized user links, direct supervisors have the ability to approve recognitions for their direct reports. Ensure that the "Assign Supervisor to Approve for direct reports" option is enabled within the External Recognition Program settings.
- Awardco Intelligence can provide valuable assistance in the external recognition approval process by offering sentiment analysis and content moderation. You can enable this feature in the External Program Settings under the ‘Settings’ tab.
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.