Initial Submission Actions
Initial Submission Actions are the actions executed at the moment a record enters a Salesforce Approval Process for the first time.
Definition
Initial Submission Actions are the actions executed at the moment a record enters a Salesforce Approval Process for the first time. They fire when a user clicks Submit for Approval and the record meets the entry criteria, before the first approver receives the request. The action set typically includes Field Updates (mark the record as Submitted, lock related fields), Email Alerts (notify the submitter and approver), Task creation (queue a follow-up for the submitter), and Outbound Messages (notify external systems that an approval is in progress).
Initial Submission Actions sit alongside Final Approval Actions, Final Rejection Actions, and Recall Actions in the Approval Process configuration. The four phases give admins a complete lifecycle hook into the approval flow. Initial Submission is the most commonly used; it sets up the state of the record (locking it via the Locks the Record for Editing flag, posting to Chatter, sending a confirmation email) so the submitter and the approver see consistent information from the first moment the request is alive.
How Initial Submission Actions fit into the Approval Process lifecycle
The four action phases of an Approval Process
Salesforce Approval Processes have four action hook points: Initial Submission (when submitted), Final Approval (when approved by the last approver), Final Rejection (when rejected at any step), and Recall (when the submitter pulls the request back). Each phase can fire any combination of Field Updates, Email Alerts, Tasks, and Outbound Messages. Most processes use all four phases to manage the record state through the lifecycle.
Locks the Record for Editing
The Initial Submission phase includes an automatic Locks the Record for Editing flag. When enabled, the record becomes read-only for all users except admins until the process completes. This prevents the submitter from editing the record after submission, which would otherwise undermine the approver''s review. Salesforce ships this as a separate setting from the action list, but it fires at the same moment.
Email Alerts on submission
The most common Initial Submission Action is an Email Alert to the first approver in the chain. The alert uses an Email Template that includes the record details, the approver''s actions (Approve, Reject), and a link directly into the approval page. Without this email, the approver has to find pending requests in their Salesforce home page; the email pushes the notification.
Field Updates that mark the state
Many processes use a Field Update to set a Status field to Submitted or Pending Approval. This visible state lets reports filter for in-flight approvals and surface them on dashboards. It also lets downstream automation (other workflows or flows) react to the submitted state.
Outbound Messages for external integration
For integrated processes (a SAP-side approval chain that mirrors Salesforce), an Outbound Message sends the submitted record to the external system at the moment of initial submission. The external system queues the request, processes it on its own timeline, and writes back via the standard REST API to update the Salesforce record. The integration is bidirectional but Salesforce stays the source of truth for the approval state.
Tasks for follow-up reminders
Less common but valuable: an Initial Submission Action that creates a Task assigned to the submitter, reminding them to follow up if the approval has not moved in 24 hours. The Task acts as a personal SLA and prevents the request from getting forgotten in the approver''s queue.
Migration to Flow Approvals
Salesforce announced Flow-based approvals as the long-term replacement for the legacy Approval Process. The migration is gradual; current Approval Processes continue to work, but Flow Builder Approval Steps offer richer logic. Initial Submission Actions in the new model become flow elements before the first Approval Step.
Configure Initial Submission Actions on an Approval Process
The actions are configured on the Approval Process detail page in Setup. The choices reflect the desired record state at submission time.
- Open the Approval Process
Setup, Approval Processes, click the process you want to configure.
- Scroll to Initial Submission Actions
The section sits below the entry criteria and above the approval steps. Default action is just the record lock.
- Click Add New Action
Pick from Field Update, Email Alert, Task, or Outbound Message. Each action type opens its own configuration modal.
- Configure the action
For a Field Update: pick the target field and the new value. For an Email Alert: pick the template and recipients. For a Task: set the assignee and due date. For an Outbound Message: configure the endpoint.
- Save and test
Save the Approval Process. Submit a test record and verify each Initial Submission Action fires in the expected order.
- Iterate on production
Adjust as users provide feedback. Initial Submission is the most user-visible phase; getting the email and task design right drives adoption.
- Field Updates fire in the order they appear in the action list. Order matters when one update depends on the result of another.
- Email Alerts use the running user''s field-level security to render template fields. Hidden fields show as blank in the email body.
- The Locks the Record for Editing flag applies to everyone except admins. Users with edit access to the object cannot bypass the lock without admin privileges.
- Flow-based approvals are the long-term direction. New approval automation should evaluate the flow approach before committing to the legacy Approval Process pattern.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Choose Initial Submission ActionsSalesforce Help
- Approvals OverviewSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Initial Submission Actions.
- Approval Process LifecycleSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Initial Submission Actions.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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