Client work
Client approvals without the email chain
A client approval process for agencies: one place for every file, a clear yes or no with a reason, and a record of exactly what the client signed off.
8 min read
Client approval software
Every file signed off, with a name on it.
Ask for approval as you upload. Your client approves, or rejects with a note, on the job where the work is. The next version takes the old one's place, and the record stays.
Ask as you upload
Ask for approval as you upload
Attach a file to a comment on the job and tick Request approval for this file. The people on the job are told a file is waiting for them, and nobody has to go looking for it.
- The job's Files tab shows how many files are pending approval
- Each person's Inbox has an Approvals filter for the files waiting on the jobs they're part of
- An email says a file needs your approval, unless you turn that email off
- A project connected to Slack can post the request to its channel
A files panel with four attachments. The client, Tom, approves brand-guidelines-v3.pdf, its status changes from awaiting approval to approved and a notification appears. Another file has been rejected.
A clear decision
A clear yes, or a no with a reason
Anyone on the project except the person who uploaded the file can approve or reject it, from the comment thread, the Files tab or the Inbox. It all works in a phone's browser too.
Approve, with a note if you like
Approve file asks for an optional note, so a yes can say what was good or what to watch next time.
Reject, with what needs to change
A rejection asks for a note before it can be sent, so every no arrives with what needs to change.
The uploader hears either way
Whoever uploaded the file is told when it's approved or rejected, and who decided.
One decision per file
Once a file is approved or rejected, that decision stands. A change means a new version, so the record can be trusted.
A name on every decision
The Files tab says who approved or rejected each file. The job's activity records when.
Ask the right person
Name the person you're asking with an @mention. Your team can mention a whole client team, or add one to the job.
New versions
One live version, not final_v3_FINAL
On a rejected file, Upload new version puts the next one up for approval straight away. The rejected file stays in the list, marked Replaced by new version, with the note that sent it back.
The status tells you which file is current, not the file name. Anyone on the project can upload the new version, and it goes back to the people on the job for approval.
Hand it on
Send on what was signed off
Download all on the Files tab gathers a job's files into one zip. It leaves out anything still awaiting approval or rejected, and takes the approved files and the ones that never needed approval.
Large zips are built in the background and emailed to you. Every download link is signed and expires after 8 hours.
Clients approve free
Your client never needs a seat to say yes
Invite a client to the job and they join their project as a single-project guest. They can approve, comment and upload without ever taking a seat, on either plan.
They see their project and the people on it. If several clients share a project, client teams keep each client's people to themselves. More on the client portal.
The invite dialog on a job: tom@northwind.co typed into Email addresses, a line saying someone new joins as a free guest who sees that project only, a preview marking Tom as new with an invitation to send and no change to the paid seats, and a Send invitation button.
- Every no says why
- A rejection asks for a note before it can be sent.
- One decision per file
- Approved or rejected once, with who decided on the file and when on the job.
- Clients approve free
- Single-project guests are never billed, on either plan.
FAQ
What people ask about approvals
Everything else Skybase does is on the features page, and getting started walks through working on a job.
Who can approve a file?
Anyone on the project except the person who uploaded it. That includes your colleagues as well as the client, so name the person you're asking with an @mention in the comment. Your team can also mention a whole client team. Every decision shows who made it.
Can clients approve without a paid seat?
Yes. Invite them to the project as a single-project guest. They can approve or reject files, comment and upload, and they're never billed on either plan.
What happens when a file is rejected?
The person rejecting it adds a note on what needs to change, and the uploader is told. On the Files tab, Upload new version puts the next file up for approval, and the rejected one is marked Replaced by new version.
Can a decision be changed?
No. Each file gets one decision, so the record can be trusted. If an approved file needs to change, post the new file with approval requested again.
Where do people see what's waiting for them?
In the Approvals filter of their Inbox, on the job's Files tab, and by email unless they turn off "A file needs your approval" in their notification settings. A project connected to Slack can post approval requests to its channel too.
How do we send the final files on?
Use Download all on the job's Files tab. The zip leaves out anything still awaiting approval or rejected, and takes the approved files along with any that never needed approval.
Read next
Client work
Sharing work with clients: what they should see
How to share a project with clients: what a free guest can see and change, how to keep internal work private, and when a client counts as a paid user.
8 min read
- Guide Getting started with Skybase Find your way around a new workspace: projects and boards, adding jobs and tasks, your Inbox, and the shortcuts that save time. Read the guide
- Guide Invite your team and clients Members or guests? How to invite people to your workspace, a project or a single job, and which roles count towards your bill. Read the guide
Get your next file signed off in Skybase.
Free plan, no credit card. Clients approve as free guests.
Free plan · No credit card · Clients always free