During order creation, the Check for Approval button is displayed so the agent is aware that the order may be sent for approval based on the account level purchase limit. If the order requires approval, the agent may not need to request payment details; only deferred payment is accepted, for example, an invoice.
Order approval and rejection are completed by an account approver, after order approval has been enabled in the administration interface, and orders have been submitted that require approval.
When creating an order for a buyer, once the items have been added to the cart, in the Payment Details section, on the right side of the page, click Check for Approval to see if the order requires an approval. A message is displayed to inform the buyer if approval is required. If the order requires approval, in the Payment Details section, credit/debit card information does not need to be added as the system does not retain credit/debit card information during the approval process. Only deferred payments (for example, cash and invoice) are accepted.
To approve or reject orders, the approver can log into his or her account and view a list of orders on the Orders Pending Approval tab. The approver can then view the details of an order and either click Reject or Approve. An email notification is sent to the shopper after an order has been approved or rejected.
Agents can assist approvers and account buyers by:
Approving pending orders on behalf of an approver.
Amending approved orders during the remorse period.
It is solely the approver’s responsibility to approve or reject orders. However, an account buyer can contact an agent to amend an order.
To approve an order on behalf of an approver:
An example might involve an approver who is unable to access his or her Order Approvals tab because of lack of access to the internet.
Complete a customer search to confirm the shopper has the role of approver. On the Customer Profile page, refer to the Storefront Role section to identify if the shopper is a designated approver.
On the approver’s profile, under Account Name, select the account for the orders for approval.
Click the Order Approvals tab to view pending approvals.
The Order Approvals tab is only displayed if the shopper has the approver role.
From the list of pending orders, click the order link for the appropriate order. The Order page is displayed with the status of Pending Approval.
Optionally, add information in the Approval Comments field.
Click Reject or Approve. On the confirmation dialog, click Approve or Cancel.
Once approved, the status of the order changes to Pending Payment if a credit or debit card was used, or Submitted to Fulfillment if another method, like invoice, was used. The buyer receives an email informing him or her that the order has been approved.
The order can also be set to Pending Payment in cases where no payment has been provided for an order sent for approval.
The buyer can now access the order and add payment information if necessary. If a credit or debit card was used for the original order, the buyer needs to re-enter the credit card information. Once approved, orders created using the invoice payment method are submitted directly to fulfillment and do not require additional buyer intervention. In cases where credit or debit card are used, card data is not saved; the buyer must provide credit or debit card information.
For orders with pending payments, your business can set a price hold period during which the price of the order will not change. After the period passes, the order is cancelled. For more information, see the Set the price hold period section.
To amend a buyer’s order:
Conduct an order search and open the order to confirm the order is within the remorse period.
Amendments to a buyer’s order can only be made if the order is still within the remorse period.
On the Order page, click Edit Order. A dialog is displayed to inform the buyer that the order may require an approval.
Complete the order amendment process.
The buyer can add an invoice number at this point instead of a credit or debit card. With an invoice, once the order is approved, the order goes immediately to Submitted to Fulfillment. Credit and debit card information is not retained by the system.
Ensure that the credit or debit card information is complete.
If approval is not required, once the order is placed, the order is submitted for fulfillment.
Once the order is completed, click Place Order. If the order requires approval, a dialog is displayed to inform you of that fact. Click OK to proceed with the approval process.
Because a new order requires approval, the new order is generated and the previously placed order is cancelled. If a credit or debit card was used for the order, once the order is approved, the buyer must open the order and re-enter the credit card information as the system does not retain this information.
