> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.riff.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.riff.ai/playbooks/finance/escalate-flagged-transactions.md).

# Escalate flagged transactions

**Best fit:** Agent (detection and routing) + App (approval queue) **ERP systems:** Infor LN / M3, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle ERP Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365 **Time to build:** \~35 minutes

***

## What you're building

A workflow that detects payment exceptions requiring approval — transactions above thresholds, unusual suppliers, policy violations, mismatches — and routes them to the right approver automatically. Approvers see a clean queue in a Riff App; they approve or reject with a reason; the decision is written back to your ERP.

***

## What you need

* Riff workspace with your ERP connected
* Your delegation-of-authority matrix (who can approve what up to which value)
* Read access to invoices, payment proposals, and AP exceptions
* Write access to update invoice/payment status in your ERP
* Approver email addresses or Slack handles

***

## Step 1: Define your escalation rules

Build your routing table before you start:

| Exception type               | Threshold     | Routes to             |
| ---------------------------- | ------------- | --------------------- |
| Invoice value above limit    | > €50,000     | Finance Director      |
| New supplier (first invoice) | Any value     | AP Controller         |
| Duplicate invoice            | Any value     | AP Controller         |
| Price mismatch               | > 5% variance | Buyer + AP Controller |
| Payment terms mismatch       | Any           | AP Controller         |

***

## Part 1: Build the detection agent

### Step 2: Create the agent

1. Click **+ New** → **Agent**
2. Name it — e.g. "Payment Escalation Agent"
3. Brief the agent with your routing table:

> You monitor the AP exception queue in \[ERP]. For each exception, you apply the escalation routing table. Invoices above €50,000 are flagged to the Finance Director. First-time supplier invoices go to the AP Controller regardless of value. Duplicate invoices go to the AP Controller immediately. Price mismatches above 5% go to both the buyer on the PO and the AP Controller. You create an approval request for each flagged item and send a notification to the approver. You do not approve any payment without explicit approval from the right authority level.

### Step 3: Connect and trigger

* **Integrations tab**: connect your ERP
* **Triggers tab**: schedule to run after each invoice processing batch, or set a real-time trigger if your ERP supports it

***

## Part 2: Build the approval App

### Step 4: Create the approval queue

1. Click **+ New** → **App** (or add a tab to an existing finance App)
2. Build a queue view:
   * Exception type and description
   * Invoice number, supplier, and value
   * Routing reason (why this needs approval)
   * Assigned approver
   * Days in queue
3. For each item, add **Approve** and **Reject (with reason)** buttons
4. When an approver acts, the agent writes the decision back to your ERP and logs it

### Step 5: Configure notifications

Brief the agent to send:

* A notification to each approver when a new item arrives in their queue
* A daily summary of open approvals (so nothing sits unactioned)
* An escalation alert if an item has been open for more than 24 hours without a decision

***

## What good looks like

* No payment exception sits unrouted for more than minutes
* Approvers have all the context they need in one view — no ERP login required to approve
* Every approval and rejection is logged against the invoice in your ERP
* Finance Director can see the full approval queue and override if needed

***

## Variations

**If your organisation uses email-based approvals:** Configure the agent to send an approval request email with approve/reject links, and process the reply.

**If thresholds vary by legal entity or cost centre:** Brief the agent with your full delegation matrix, keyed by entity, category, and value.

**If you use a third-party approval workflow (e.g. Coupa, Basware):** Integrate the agent with that system via its API — route exceptions there and sync decisions back to your ERP.


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