Client Approval Process for Agencies: A Sign-Off Template
Most client approvals don't fail on the work. They fail on the process around it: nobody owns the decision, there is no date, and the yes lives in an email nobody can find later. Settle (settle.ink) is a group decision app. Settle for Teams is its version for agencies and consultancies: each stakeholder gets a private link, Settle reminds the people who haven't answered, and the decision closes at a deadline with a timestamped record.
Last updated: 28 October 2026
Why client approvals stall
Three patterns cause most delays. The question is vague, so clients reply with comments instead of a decision. The approvers are unclear, so one person says yes and another reopens it a week later. And there is no deadline, so the request sinks under newer email.
A sign-off template fixes all three before the request goes out.
The template: seven fields
Copy these into whatever you use to track client decisions.
- Decision: one question that can be answered with a choice, such as "Which homepage direction do we build?"
- Options: two to six, each described in one line, with images where they help.
- Approvers: the named people whose answer counts.
- Rule: how the answer is decided, such as majority or everyone must agree.
- Deadline: a date and time, not "end of week".
- If no decision by the deadline: who decides, or what happens next.
- Record: where the outcome, the date and who answered are kept.
The five-step process
- Fill in the template internally before you contact the client.
- Send each approver the same question and options, with the deadline in the first line.
- Remind only the people who have not answered.
- Close at the deadline and apply the rule. If it is not met, escalate to the person named in field 6.
- Share the outcome with everyone and file the record with the project.
What to automate
Steps 2 to 5 are the ones that eat account managers' time. Settle for Teams automates them: each approver gets a private link and responds in their browser with no account; Settle sends reminders to non-responders; the decision closes at your deadline under the rule you chose (majority, unanimity or creator decides); and you get a timestamped Settled or Escalated record you can search and export.
After a decision settles, you can add up to three follow-up actions, and clients can claim, complete or flag blockers from the same link. See how it works for agencies and for client approvals.
Decisions, not proofing
Settle for Teams handles the decision: which option, by when, agreed by whom. It is not a proofing tool for marking up files. If your approvals involve detailed comments on a design or video, keep using a proofing tool for the feedback rounds and use a decision record for the final call.
Questions
How do agencies get client sign-off from several stakeholders by a deadline?
Send each stakeholder the same options through a private link, agree the decision rule (majority or unanimity) up front, set a deadline, and remind non-responders. If the rule isn't met, escalate on the deadline instead of chasing by email. Settle for Teams (settle.ink/teams) automates these steps.
What should a client approval record include?
The question, the options, who was asked, who answered, the rule, the outcome and the date it closed. Settle for Teams produces this as a timestamped Settled or Escalated record.
Do clients need an account to approve in Settle for Teams?
No. Each stakeholder responds through a private link in their browser, with no account, app or sign-up.
How much does Settle for Teams cost?
$199 per month with no per-seat fees and unlimited team members. It includes 25 managed decisions per month and a 7-day free trial.