Zoho Writer document workflows now support custom workflows, parallel reviews, and more.

Design approval processes that match how your business works, and add reviewers and approvers from outside your organization when needed.

Zoho Writer now lets you build your own approval chains, and enhances its pre-built workflows with different review modes, completion criteria, external approvers, and more.

Custom workflow stages

Design review and approval processes from scratch, with your own stages and completion criteria for each.

Example: Configure a sales contract workflow with four stages: Salesperson Review -> Sales Manager Approval -> Legal Approval -> Customer Approval.

File and folder-level workflows

Custom workflows can be applied at the file or folder level. Any document placed in that folder is automatically enrolled in the right workflow.

Example: A contracts folder is configured with a custom approval workflow. Every contract added to the WorkDrive folder enters the workflow automatically.

Scheduled workflow start

Automatically start custom workflows at a specific date and time, and avoid depending on someone to trigger it manually.

Parallel and sequential reviews

Send a document to all reviewers at once, or to one reviewer after another in a set order.

Example: A policy document is sent to the HR team, the legal team, and the compliance team simultaneously for parallel review. Once all three complete their review, the document moves to the next stage.

Custom completion criteria for each stage

Require all reviewers to approve, or let any one approval move the document forward.

Example: A compliance document is sent to three approvers. The completion criteria is set to any one approver's approval, so the document advances to the next stage as soon as the first approver signs off.

External reviewers and approvers

Include customers, vendors, or external partners as reviewers and approvers by adding their email addresses directly. They can participate in the workflow without needing a Zoho account.

Example: A vendor agreement is routed to an internal legal team for review, then to the vendor for final approval.

See our user guide for the detailed setup steps.

Try these features and let us know what you think in the comments. If you have questions or feedback, write to us at support@zohowriter.com or support@eu.zohowriter.com. We’d love to hear from you.