Software that acts on its own raises exactly one question: what does it do without me? Action approval is the answer, and it lives in one place instead of being scattered across ten tools.
The principle: a level per impact, not per tool
A tool does very different things. DB-Leads, for example, searches and scores your database, writes an assessment into your CRM, and can email a contact. With a single switch you would have to choose: either block the harmless scoring to prevent the email, or accept the email to get the scoring.
That is why there are three impact classes. The classification follows what happens in the worst case, not which technology is behind it: whether a message goes out by email or WhatsApp changes nothing for you. Whether it goes out at all changes everything.
The three levels
For each class you pick one of three levels.
What you start with
Out of the box:
| Impact class | Default |
|---|---|
| Inside the workspace only | Automatic |
| Writing to the CRM | Approval |
| Message to a contact | Approval |
So scoring runs from day one, because a tool that may not even compute without asking is not a tool. Anything that leaves the office or touches other people's records waits for you.
That is a deliberate decision, not caution: an automation you switch on after seeing what it does is your decision. An automation that runs from the start is a surprise, and the first unexpected email to a client is usually the last time anyone trusts the software.
What the gate does not cover
Whatever you click happens immediately. When you press "Write to CRM" or "Send request", you have already decided with that click; asking again afterwards would be the same question twice.
The levels apply to what happens without a click: an overnight run, an automation after a scan, a scheduled follow-up message.
Setting a level
Open the tool
Go to Settings · Automation and click the tool in question. Every tool has its own page there.
Pick the level
The three classes are listed one below the other. Under each, the actions that fall under it are spelled out. Pick the level.
That is all
The change applies to the next run. Approvals already waiting stay in place and can still be decided individually.
Switching a class that writes to the CRM or reaches outside to automatic asks you once more. That is the only change on this form with real consequences that need no further action from you. Every other change makes the system more cautious and needs no brake.
The same page also shows what this tool has currently prepared for approval, and what became of earlier approvals. At the bottom, Stop this tool entirely sets all three classes to off in one click.
Deciding approvals
When a class is set to approval, prepared actions collect under Approvals. A counter appears in the top bar as soon as something is waiting.
Each row shows:
- which tool prepared the action, and in which class
- who it would go to, with the address partly masked
- the finished text, exactly as it would go out, not a description of it
- when it was prepared and when it expires
You decide with Approve or Reject. Both remain on record; a rejected approval does not vanish without trace.
The overview
Under Settings · Automation all your tools appear with all three classes on one page. Anything that writes to the CRM or goes outside without asking is highlighted and sorted to the top.
That is the page for the question this text opened with. It answers it at a glance, instead of making you open ten tool pages one after another. On top of that:
- A filter narrows the list to tools that act on their own, or to those with something waiting for you
- The history lists what became of recent approvals: executed, rejected, expired or failed
- Stop everything sets every class in every tool to off, in one click
How this relates to advertising opt-outs
Not at all, and that matters. These are two separate checks, and both apply:
- Action approval answers: may this tool do such a thing on its own?
- The advertising opt-out answers: may this particular person be contacted?
Even at level "automatic", no advertising goes to someone who has objected. Conversely, a missing objection does not help if you set the class to off.