Alerts and the Invoice Approval Process

For each invoice approval process, you determine whether or not alerts will be sent when invoices are submitted, approved, rejected, or unsubmitted (each invoice approval action).

For each invoice approval action, you select the employees to be alerted, how they will be alerted (email, dashboard, or both), and the alert frequency (alerts sent per invoice or per billing or approval entry session). You specify these settings for an invoice approval process in Settings > Billing > Invoice Approval Process in the desktop application.

You can specify that alerts are sent when invoices are:

• Submitted in Interactive Billing or Batch Billing.
• Approved in Interactive Billing, Invoice Approvals, or Interactive Approvals.
• Rejected in Invoice Approvals or Interactive Approvals.
• Unsubmitted in Interactive Billing.

Alerts Sent per Invoice

When you choose to have alerts sent per invoice for an invoice approval action:

• Alerts are sent after the action taker enters a comment for the invoice in Interactive Billing, Batch Billing, Interactive Approvals, or Invoice Approvals.
• Alerts are sent to each employee who is specified to receive an alert.
• One invoice is included in the alert that is sent to each employee.

Alerts Sent per Session

When you choose to send alerts per a billing or approval entry session for an invoice approval action:

• Alerts are sent when you exit the entry session in Interactive Billing, Batch Billing, Interactive Approvals, or Invoice Approvals.
• Alerts are sent to each employee who is specified to receive an alert.
• If multiple invoices have been processed during the invoice action, one or more alerts are sent-grouped by the invoice approval process for the invoices that are included in the session.
• Multiple invoices are included in the alert sent to each employee.

Example: An entry session for submitting invoices includes 15 total invoices (all to be approved by one person). Five of the invoices use invoice approval process "A" and 10 of the invoices use invoice approval process "B." Two alerts are sent to the approver-one alert includes the five invoices that use invoice approval process "A" and the other alert includes the 10 invoices that use invoice approval process "B."

Hyperlinks in Alerts

Alerts that are sent when invoices are submitted include a hyperlink to the Invoice Approvals application in Billing. In Invoice Approvals, you see only the invoices that require approval for projects for which you are defined as the approver, rejecter, or biller. As an invoice approver, your role access to projects (set up in role security) also determines the invoices that you see in Invoice Approvals.

Alerts that are sent when invoices are approved, rejected, or unsubmitted include a hyperlink to the specific invoice in the Interactive Billing application in Billing.