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Sending a public link form back to the submitter in Assurance
Who is this article for?
Full users who want guidance on sending a public link form back to the submitter.
Update rights to the form, Person Responsible or Approver access is required.
When a submitted form contains errors or incomplete information, the Send Back to Submitter feature allows Full users to return the form to the original submitter for corrections, without creating a new form. The submitter receives a unique URL by email, updates the form, and resubmits it. The form then re-enters the approval workflow from the first stage.
Before you start
- Feature must be enabled: The Send Back to Submitter option must be activated on the form template by an administrator before it becomes available. If the option is not visible, contact your administrator or refer to Customising the Public Link settings of an Assurance form.
- Valid submitter email required: The submitter must have provided a valid email address when completing the form. This feature is unavailable for forms with Anonymous Submission enabled.
Approver notifications: For first-stage approvers to be notified upon resubmission, the Send Email Notification to Approvers & Person Responsible option must be enabled on the form.
1. Sending a public link form back to the submitter
1. Go to Registers and Forms and select the relevant form submission's Key or Title.
2. Under the Details tab, select the More Actions icon (three vertical dots).
3. Select Send Back to Submitter from the dropdown menu.
4. In the popup, enter the reason for sending the form back to the submitter. This field is mandatory and will be included in the email to the submitter.
After the submitter resubmits, the form returns to Stage 1 and must progress through the approval workflow to reach its previous stage.
5. Select Next to preview the email that will be sent to the submitter.
6. Select Confirm to send, or Back to edit your message.
Once the form is sent back, it becomes read-only in Assurance. Updates can only be made using the unique URL included in the email notification, available to the submitter or a Full user who accesses the link.
2. Retrieving and re-sharing the submitter link
If the submitter requires the link to be resent, or if a Full user needs to access the form directly, the URL can be retrieved at any time while the form is in Sent Back to Submitter status.
- Hover over the amber Sent Back to Submitter status on the form.
- Select Copy to copy the URL.
- Share the link with the submitter or use it to make updates directly.
Once the form is updated and submitted via the URL, whether by the submitter or a Full user, submitter access is automatically revoked, and the form is resubmitted for approval from Stage 1.
3. Cancelling the submitter access to a form that is sent back
If the send back needs to be cancelled before any updates are made, for example, if it was actioned unintentionally or the corrections are no longer required, submitter access can be revoked at any time.
- Select Cancel Submitter Access on the right side of the form to cancel the link.
Cancelling submitter access revokes the unique URL and returns the form to editable mode in Assurance. The form is then submitted to the first stage approvers for approval. Once first stage approval is granted, the form moves directly back to the stage it held before it was sent back.
4. What does the submitter experiences?
When a form is sent back, the submitter receives an email detailing the reason for the return and providing a unique URL to access and update the form. No Assurance account or login is required to make corrections.
5. What happens after the form is resubmitted?
Once the submitter has reviewed and resubmitted the form, their access to the URL is automatically revoked.
The form returns to Stage 1 and must progress through the approval workflow to reach the stage it was at when it was originally sent back. Where the form was already at Stage 1 at the time of the send back, it will remain at Stage 1.
First stage approvers are notified of the resubmission (if 'Send Email Notification to Approvers & Person Responsible' is enabled).