Configure Invoice Approval Email Templates

Approvers receive email notifications for each invoice to which they’ve been assigned. Chrome River offers the HTML version of these invoice approval emails in three formats: Everything Approval Email, Medium Approval Email and Lite Approval Email. For complete details on each of these templates, see Invoice Approval Email Templates. Note that each user's email preference must be set to HTML in the People Admin Screen in order to receive emails in these formats.

Using the Entities Admin Screen in Chrome River, you can select which type of HTML email your users receive for all types of notifications, as well as customize the text of the instructions and the footer.

Notification Types

There are four different types of email notification, each of which can be formatted using any of the three templates described in Invoice Approval Email Templates. You will set up the Default template in the next section, Creating the Approval Email Entity Type. Step 5 of that section lists the Entity Type Codes you will need to create the other email notification types listed below.

Note: Your organization must set up rules to govern the notification types you'd like to add. See Business Rules Admin Screen for more information.

• Default: Notifies users that an invoice has been assigned to them.

• Additional Approver: Notifies users that they have been assigned as an additional approver on an invoice.

• Return: Notifies users that an invoice has been returned to them.

• Online: Notifies users that an invoice must be approved via Chrome River INVOICE online because it cannot be approved via email.

• Online Return: Notifies users that an invoice has been returned to them and advises them they must log in to the application to approve or return it. Use this if you want to require the approver to log in to the application.

Rush Requests

Each of these notifications is also available in a "Rush" version for invoices that require immediate action.

Creating the Approval Email Entity Type

Before you can configure the various types of notification, you must create each of the ones you will need as entity types in Chrome River.

1. On the Application Menu, click ADMIN SETTINGS > MASTER DATA > ENTITIES.

2. Use the search box to see if the required entity type "EmailFormat Invoice Approval Notification Default" (Code: EmailFormat_IAAN_default) already exists for your organization. If so, skip to Step 5. Otherwise, continue to Step 3.

3. Click the blue + button to the right of "Entity Types" and enter the following:

• Name: EmailFormat Invoice Approval Notification Default
• Description: Default Invoice Approval Email Template
• Code: EmailFormat_IAAN_default
• Sort Order: Use the Sort Order drop-down to change the order in which this entity type will appear in the list. You may sort by Entity Name, Entity Code or Sort Order.

4. Check the Do Not Delete (from feed) box, click APPLY in the pop-up box, and then click SAVE.

For more details on the Languages option, see "Add and Edit Entity Type Languages" in Entities Admin Screen.

5. Now that you have created the default Invoice Approval email notification template, you may follow the same steps using the entity type codes listed below to create additional templates.

Selecting an Invoice Approval HTML Email Format

Now that all of the entity types have been created, you can assign to each of them one of the three Invoice Approval Email Templates: Everything Approval Email, Medium Approval Email or Lite Approval Email.

1. Click on the desired entity type. In the Entities grid in the lower half of the screen, click the blue + button.

2. Add the following entity:

• Name: Everything
• Code: TemplateName
• Extra Data 1: The value you enter (or do not enter) here determines which of the three Invoice Approval HTML Email Templates your users will receive for this notification type. Choose one below.

• Everything Approval Email (Default) Template: Leave the Extra Data 1 field blank

• Medium Approval Email Template: Medium

• Lite Approval Email Template: Lite

Check Do Not DELETE (from feed), leave the other fields blank, and click SAVE.

Customize the Instructions

You may customize the instructions that appear below the green and red ACCEPT and RETURN buttons in the emails, up to 500 characters (including spaces). If desired, you may use basic HTML tags to style the text.

1. Click on the desired notification in the Entity Types list.

2. The first time, you will need to create a Custom Text entity. Click blue + button in the Entities section and enter the following information in the New Entity pop-up window:

• Name: Custom Text

• Code: ACCEPT_RETURN_TXT

• Extra Data 1: [Enter your new customized instructions of 500 characters or fewer, including spaces and basic HTML tags, if desired]

3. Leave the other fields blank, check Do Not Delete (from feed) and click SAVE.

Customize the Footer

You may also customize the instructions that appear in the footer of the email, up to 500 characters (including spaces). If desired, you may use basic HTML tags to style the text.

1. Click on the desired notification in the Entity Types list.

2. The first time, you will need to create a Footer entity. Click blue + button in the Entities section and enter the following information in the New Entity pop-up window:

• Name: Footer (for the Online notification type use "Header2" instead)

• Code: Use FOOTER or HEADER2, depending on the notification type

• Extra Data 1: [Enter your new customized footer of 500 characters or fewer, including spaces and basic HTML tags, if desired]

3. Leave the other fields blank, check Do Not Delete (from feed) and click SAVE.

Add/Remove a “View Images” Link in the Email

For instructions on adding to your HTML email template a “View Images” link and, if applicable, a "View PO" link, see Add a "View Images" Link to Invoice Approval Emails.

Adding a Reminder Count to the Subject Line

For emails triggered by the Invoice Approval Reminder scheduled report, you may configure your selected HTML email template to show a reminder count in the subject line of the invoice approval email.

1. Click on the desired notification in the Entity Types list.

2. The first time, you will need to create a reminder count entity. Click blue + button in the Entities section and enter the following information in the New Entity pop-up window:

• Name: Show Reminder Count

• Code: SHOW_REMINDER_COUNT

• Extra Data 1: TRUE

3. Leave the other fields blank, check Do Not Delete (from feed) and click SAVE.

4. To remove this setting later, simply replace the Code with placeholder text of any kind.

Mark Invoice Approval Emails as "Confidential" in Microsoft Outlook

Marking invoice approval emails as “Confidential” when they are received in Microsoft Outlook prevents non-approvers who share the same inbox from viewing and approving invoices.

To activate this feature, navigate to CONFIGURATION > CUSTOMER PREFERENCES > INVOICE and click EDIT. Check the box next to “Confidential Invoice Approval Emails” and click SAVE.