Can Google Forms do Approvals?

Approval processes are a vital part of modern businesses, ensuring that decisions are documented, tasks are verified, and projects move forward smoothly. For those exploring options for managing approvals digitally, Google Forms often comes up as a popular choice due to its simplicity. But can it handle the complexities of an approval workflow?

Approval workflows are central to streamlining operations, especially in businesses reliant on digital form workflows and workflow software. While Google Forms offers excellent features for collecting data, setting up an efficient Google Form workflow for approvals often requires additional steps or tools.

This article will explore whether Google Forms can do approvals, the costs involved, and how to use them effectively.

What is an approval form

An approval form is a structured document or digital tool designed to collect and track decisions within a defined workflow. These forms are commonly used to standardize and streamline processes such as:

• Vacation or Leave Requests: Ensuring employee absences are approved and documented.
• Budget Approvals: Tracking expenditures and maintaining financial oversight.
• Project Sign-Offs: Verifying project milestones and deliverables.

In the context of digital form workflows, approval forms are essential for:

• Streamlining Repetitive Tasks: Reducing manual effort and back-and-forth communication.
• Maintaining Accountability: Keeping an auditable record of decisions.
• Ensuring Efficiency: Automating steps to avoid bottlenecks or delays.

For businesses leveraging workflow software, approval forms also enable automation, minimizing the risk of human error while saving time. Google Forms, a popular tool for data collection, can be adapted for approval workflows using integrations like Google Form Approvals.

Incorporating features such as conditional logic and automated notifications, these adaptations allow users to:

• Add steps to ensure no request is overlooked.
• Maintain transparency across teams.
• Track approvals in real-time.

However, for businesses that need a more flexible and scalable solution, platforms like beSlick provide a superior alternative. With its digital forms feature, beSlick enables users to not only create and execute approval workflows seamlessly but also offers enhanced visibility and the ability to adapt processes as needed. This makes it an ideal choice for growing businesses seeking efficiency and ease of use.

Can you add approvals to Google Forms

Google Forms can do approvals, but it requires third-party tools or integrations to enable this functionality. While Google Forms is widely recognized for its simplicity and ease of use, it lacks built-in features to handle complex approval workflows. However, with the right tools, it is possible to transform a basic form into a system capable of managing approvals.

So, can Google Forms do approvals? The answer is yes, but only with the help of tools like:

• Form Approvals Addon: A third-party integration designed to enable approval workflows in Google Forms. It allows users to build multi-step processes, send automated notifications, and track decisions seamlessly.
• Google Form Approval Addon: Another useful tool for adding customized approval workflows, enabling routing of responses to specific approvers and confirming decisions in real-time.

These addons can enhance a standard Google Form workflow by allowing users to:

• Automatically notify approvers when a form is submitted.
• Set conditional routing based on the form’s data.
• Provide real-time updates to requesters, ensuring transparency throughout the process.

While these integrations enable Google Forms to handle approvals, they may have limitations in customization and scalability. Businesses with more complex needs may find advanced workflow software like beSlick more effective. beSlick’s tools provide seamless digital form workflows with features designed to simplify and optimize approval processes.

Is Google Form Approval free

The cost of using approval workflows in Google Forms depends on the tools or addons you choose to integrate. By default, Google Forms itself is free to use, but it does not include native approval features. To enable approval workflows, you’ll need to rely on third-party solutions like the Form Approvals addon or other Google Form approval addon options.

Google Forms approvals pricing:

• Form Approvals Pricing: The Form Approvals addon offers a free plan with limited features, such as a cap on the number of approvals per month. Paid plans start at around $8 per user per month, which include advanced features like conditional routing and detailed analytics.
• Free Alternatives: Some addons provide free versions that support basic approval workflows. However, these may lack features like multi-step approvals, integration with other tools, or detailed reporting.

While the initial costs for using these addons might seem manageable, businesses with more complex approval workflows or higher volumes of requests may find these solutions restrictive over time.

For those looking for a scalable and cost-effective solution, beSlick offers a powerful alternative. Its digital forms feature not only supports approvals but also provides advanced workflow management without the limitations often associated with third-party addons.

How to use Google Forms Approval

Setting up an approval process in Google Forms requires integrating a third-party tool like the Form Approvals addon. While Google Forms doesn’t natively support approvals, addons like this make it possible to automate workflows and manage requests efficiently.

How to use Form Approvals in Google Forms:

• Install the Form Approvals addon:
  • Open your Google Form and click on the three dots in the top right corner.
  • Select “Add-ons” and search for Form Approvals Google Forms in the Google Workspace Marketplace.
  • Install the addon and grant the required permissions.
• Configure the Approval Workflow:
  • After installation, open the Form Approvals addon from the puzzle piece icon in the top menu.
  • Define approvers by adding their email addresses.
  • Set up conditional rules to route responses to specific approvers based on form answers.
• Enable Notifications: Configure automated email notifications for approvers and requesters to keep everyone informed.
• Track Approvals: Use the addon’s dashboard to monitor approval statuses and ensure no requests are delayed.

Knowing how to use Form Approvals in Google Forms can make basic workflows more manageable. However, for businesses with complex processes or higher demands, tools like beSlick provide a more robust solution. beSlick’s digital forms feature offers superior flexibility, including dynamic due dates, advanced routing, and in-depth tracking, making it ideal for growing businesses.

Ready for a Smarter Way to Handle Approvals?

Using Google Forms with addons like Form Approvals can help streamline basic approval workflows. However, these solutions often come with limitations—whether it’s restricted customization, reliance on third-party tools, or scalability challenges.

If your business needs a more efficient and flexible approach to approvals, beSlick offers a game-changing alternative. With its digital forms feature, you can create approval workflows that are not only simple to set up but also tailored to your unique business needs.

• Automate tasks with dynamic due dates.
• Track approvals in real-time with complete visibility.
• Make updates instantly without disrupting your processes.

Why settle for workarounds when you can have a platform designed for seamless workflow management? Explore how beSlick can transform your approval processes and elevate your business operations.

Learn more about digital form workflows here, or dive into the benefits of a Google Form workflow enhanced with workflow automation.