Flow Approval Reminder Notification every "x" hr

[jaina]

Hi.

Good Day!

I have an approval flow using MS Flow in Sharepoint List. I wanted to set a condition where as the approval email will notify for example every 5 hrs and will only stop unless the approver have responded. Is it possible? Thanks! 🙂

-Jaina

[ScottShearer · Accepted solution]

@jaina:

I demonstrate one technique of sending approval reminder emails below.

My example uses a loop and an approval action in parallel.  I also use a variable.  After the approval is complete, the variable is updated to "Complete.  The loop runs in parallel with the approval and runs until the variable is equal to "Complete".

When the loop starts, it waits 5 hours.  If the variable equals "Pending", a reminder email is sent.  This will continue until action is taken on the approval.

The email should include a link to the approval center (same link for everyone).

Please post here if you have additional questions.

If this solves your issue, please mark your question as Solved.

Scott

[jaina]

Hi @ScottShearer thank you so much for this solution! 🙂

[PrasadAthalye]

@ScottShearer

This looks interesting. I have a question. I have 2 levels of approvals.. So I can not terminate the flow if first approver takes action. Also My flow loops back if 2nd approver has approved. 

In such cases how to exit parallel branch?

[SamuelFerreira]

@ScottShearer Awesome Solution! 

I've tried a lot of different ways and tutorials, 

This was the first that worked perfectly!

Tks!

[ScottShearer]

@SamuelFerreira

Thanks!

[WilliamVingaard]

The only issue with this, is that your approval can have up to a 5 hour delay, as potentialy the delay just kicked in as the user approved. It will then have to wait the 5 hours before checking the loop value again and ending the loop.

Also I am not sure people appreciate getting a reminder every 5 hours.

An alternative is to just put a 5 minute delay inside the loop instead. Then you should place the condition after the loop and set the timeout of the loop to the amount of time you want to wait before checking to send a reminder, to avoid spamming people. You would have to do this for each reminder though.

[singletrackvale]

The problem with this solution and many I've seen similar to this is what happens if you have items after these in the flow that need to happen after approval.  The do loop has to complete and cancel out before anything else will run in the workflow.  So in a real example where the delay would be 1 or more days, if an action needs to happen after approval, it won't be hit until that delay is complete and the do loop cancels out.

There are also problems when you have multiple levels of approval needed.

MS needs to have approval reminders as part of the approval widget so they can work smarter.

[Anonymous]

I've got this working however, I have an issue when there are multiple approvers. I already set the variable as an array which will send it to multiple reviewers (list is dependent to what company is requesting for approval). The missing part is to check whether the approver responded or not.

Is it possible that I will only remind the one who didn't respond yet? If yes, how can you do it?

Thanks!

[teylyn1]

@singletrackvale , @WilliamVingaard  I have created an approach that eliminates your concerns. The status of the approval is checked every hour (for example), but the email is sent only once a day (for example). 

Check out how to do this in my blog https://teylyn.com/2020/01/07/timing-microsoft-powerautomate-approval-reminders/

[darsh]

I have an approval flow that send an email to approver when a new item is added into sharepoint list. I need to forward the approval  process to second approver if first appover doesn't respond after 5 days .

Please help i need urgently .

[darsh]

@ScottShearer 

Please help me !!!

I have an approval flow that send an email to approver when a new item is added into sharepoint list. I need to forward the approval  process to second approver if first approver doesn't respond after 5 days .

[teylyn1]

@darsh Please don't ask your question in someone else's post. You will reach more people and get results faster if you start your own question.

[hong_yip]

 ScottShearer

i have created function to setup reminder email, and one question is can i get  approval link at reminder email content?

[ScottShearer]

@hong_yip 

It would be best if your were to start a new post with your question.  When you post, please include a screen shot of your Flow.

[mcmoney29]

This seems like an old thread but I found a much simpler way to renotify users for approvals if anyone is still looking:

1. Initialize a Boolean variable as a success flag that raises when an approval is completed (either approved or rejected). This variable can be reused for each approval.

2. Then put your approval inside a 'Do Until' loop.

3. Add two set variables after the approval but still inside the loop (as shown in picture). The first one sets the success flag to FALSE and the second to TRUE.

4. Go to the approval's settings and change the timeout duration to however long you want before the user is reminded using ISO 8601 Format.

5. Go to 'configure run after' for 'Set False' action and set it to run only if the approval times out.

6. Go to 'configure run after' for 'Set True' action and set it to run only if 'Set False' is skipped.

And that's it! If the approval is not completed within the timeout duration then the flag will be set to false and the loop will repeat, sending another approval. When a new approval is sent the old one still exists but won't affect the flow if accepted/rejected. (i.e. user can only accept most recent approval sent to them).