Decisions through a shared mailbox
Quiz question
Where does the flow read the decision from with Send email with options?
Solution
- A) From the mailbox's Approvals centerWrong. This action creates no approval and therefore does not appear in the Approvals center.
- B) From the dynamic value SelectedOptionCorrect. SelectedOption contains the clicked button, UserEmailAddress the person who clicked.
- C) From a reply email sent to the flowWrong. No email comes back. The click goes straight to the waiting flow.
What it is about
If you assign Start and wait for an approval to a shared mailbox, everyone sees the email, but clicking Approve has no effect. The approval belongs to the mailbox identity, and the person who clicks is not registered as the approver. The solution is the action Send email with options from Office 365 Outlook. You put the shared mailbox in To and the buttons in User Options, for example Approve,Reject. Anyone with access to the mailbox can respond. The answer is in SelectedOption, and UserEmailAddress shows who clicked. This creates no entry in the Approvals center. If you want to trace the decision, you write it to a list yourself.
When to use it, when not
Use it
For support, finance or dispatch mailboxes where whoever is available decides.
Better not
When you need the history in the Approvals center or a specific person has to decide.
Most common mistake
Not saving the answer. Without your own record there is no log of who decided what.
License
Standard Runs without a premium connector, so the license from Microsoft 365 is enough. Source on Microsoft Learn: Office 365 Outlook, Connector-Referenz. For your whole flow: License check.
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Short link: powerautomate.ninja/en/149
Source: PowerPlatformTip #149, Microsoft Learn: Office 365 Outlook: Send email with options.