How To Manage Event Approvals the Easy Way

 Securing a couple of approvals for a few events can be challenging enough. When you expand that to many approvals across the dozens of events (or more) that you might have in process at any given time, it can be overwhelming.

We understand the effort involved, which is why Mazévo has features and functions specifically designed to make managing secondary approvals (meaning those beyond the use of the space) easier. We explained and demonstrated them in a Mazévo Connect webinar titled “Simplifying Event Approvals.” The session was just 45 minutes long but packed with information. We’ve also summarized the webinar below.

Whether you’re new to Mazévo or have been using our scheduling solution for a while but haven’t capitalized on the event approval functionality, we encourage you to read on and then check out the webinar recording.

TL;DR Key Takeaways:

• Coordinating multiple approvals across many events can be overwhelming.
• Mazévo has functionality that simplifies the process.
• Event planners can send approval requests to everyone involved in an event with one button press.
• Mazévo automatically emails the approvers daily until they take action on a request.
• Automated approvals save time, improve accuracy, enhance transparency, and reduce risk.

The Problem: Why Secondary Approvals Can Be So Challenging

While there are still simple “I just need a room” events, it seems like there’s a trend today toward more complex ones. And organizations want to be sure they have their ducks in a row, so multiple approvals are often required. You might need the green light from your AV department, catering group, campus security, and others.

Without an efficient way to get those approvals, the process can be painfully slow, with event planners often having to chase down responses manually. That requirement can lead to delays that impact your team and elevate your stress level. The lack of a more automated approval process also increases the risk of miscommunications and all the potential fallout from them, including angry customers.

But that bleak scenario doesn’t have to be your reality. There’s a better way to ensure events are fully approved in a timely manner!

The Solution: How Mazévo’s Secondary Approval Workflow Works

Getting approvals is faster, easier, and less resource-intensive when you leverage Mazévo’s approval workflow. Here’s how it plays out:

1. Initial request submission. The requester submits details through Mazévo and can see that their request is pending approval. What they don’t see is how many different people need to approve the event. That’s by design, as the requester doesn’t need to know that, say, five people must review the event. They simply see that you’ve received their request and the process is underway.
2. Initial review by an event planner. The event planner is like the team “quarterback.” They assess the request and determine if it should be approved, and processing should continue.
3. Secondary approvals triggered. If secondary approvals are required, the event planner ensures requests are sent to all relevant departments. The great news for event planners? This is done with a single button press! Approvers get an email notifying them that they need to review the event and approve or decline the requested resource or service.
4. Real-time notifications. Approvers receive notifications and can approve or reject requests immediately.
5. Automatic reminders. If approvers don’t take action on an approval request, Mazévo automatically emails them daily reminders until they approve or decline the request. This is another huge timesaver for event planners!
6. Final approval and confirmation. Once all required approvals are received, the event planner grants final approval and notifies the requester.

Mazévo includes a convenient dashboard view where the event planner can monitor the status of all pending approvals. There is no need to search through emails to see if the event has been approved.

The Tremendous Benefits of the Secondary Approval Process

As you can see from the steps above, Mazévo’s efficient, automated secondary approval functionality provides multiple benefits to busy event planners:

• Saves time. The approval process eliminates back-and-forth emails and manual follow-ups that can take significant time and reduce an event planner’s productivity.
• Improves accuracy. Nothing “slips through the cracks” with Mazévo tracking approval requests. The system ensures all necessary approvals are obtained.
• Enhances transparency. Everyone involved can track the approval status in real time. That’s helpful in multiple ways, including putting subtle pressure on approvers to take action.
• Reduces risk. Defining and using automated approvals ensures compliance with campus policies and safety regulations.

Check Out the Mazévo Connect Webinar

“That all sounds good,” you say, “But what does it look like?” We’re glad you asked! Our team members walk through all the steps of the approval process in our Mazévo Connect webinar. You can watch it in its entirety or check out specific areas of interest below:

• Introduction to Secondary Approvals
• Workflow Process Overview
• Making a New Request
• Event Planner Reviewing the Request
• Activating Secondary Approvals
• AV Approval Demonstration
• Campus Safety Approval Demonstration
• Event Planner Approves Event
• Requester Sees their Event Is Approved
• Overview of Other Approval Functions
• Secondary Approval Configuration

 See the Mazévo Approval Process Live!

How would automating and streamlining approvals improve your operations? Schedule a demo, and we’ll do a deep dive into your requirements and show you how Mazévo can meet them.

Just have a few questions about approvals (or any Mazévo capability)? Email us at sales@gomazevo.com, and we’ll get back to you asap!