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Tutorial: Managing Action Reasons in the Admin Console

Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to configure and manage Action Reasons — predefined reasons that streamline contract workflow actions. By the end, you'll be able to:

  • Create custom reasons for voiding contracts and requesting changes
  • Organize reasons with drag-and-drop reordering
  • Enable/disable reasons without deleting them
  • Use predefined reasons when performing contract actions

Time required: ~10 minutes

Prerequisites

  • [ ] Admin access to the Admin Console
  • [ ] At least one partner with a contract (for testing the workflow)

What Are Action Reasons?

When you void a contract or request changes, you typically need to explain why. Action Reasons provide a standardized list of common explanations that you can select, making your workflow faster and more consistent.

Benefits: - Faster workflows — Select from a dropdown instead of typing the same reasons repeatedly - Consistency — Ensure all admins use the same terminology - Analytics — Track why contracts are voided or require changes - Flexibility — You can still add custom text alongside the predefined reason

Step 1: Access the Action Reasons Settings

  1. Log in to the Admin Console
  2. Click the Settings menu (gear icon) in the navigation
  3. Select Action Reasons

You'll see a page with two tabs: - Void Reasons — For contract cancellation/void actions - Change Reasons — For requesting changes to contracts

![Action Reasons Settings Page]

Step 2: Create Your First Reason

Let's create a reason for voiding contracts due to compliance issues.

  1. Make sure you're on the Void Reasons tab
  2. Click the Add Reason button (top right)
  3. Fill in the form:
Field Value
Name Compliance Issue
Slug (auto-generated: compliance-issue)
Description Contract voided due to regulatory or compliance concerns
  1. Click Create

What's a Slug? The slug is a unique identifier used internally. It's automatically generated from the name (lowercase, spaces become hyphens). You can edit it if needed, but it must be unique within its category.

Step 3: Add More Reasons

Create a few more void reasons to have a complete set:

Name Description
Partner Request Voided at the partner's request
Terms Not Accepted Partner did not accept the contract terms
Duplicate Contract This contract duplicates another active contract
Business Decision Internal business decision to discontinue

Repeat the same process: 1. Click Add Reason 2. Enter the Name and Description 3. Click Create

Step 4: Reorder Your Reasons

The order you see in the settings page is the order admins will see in the dropdown. Let's organize them by frequency of use.

  1. Drag and drop: Click and hold the grip icon (⋮⋮) on the left of any reason
  2. Move it up or down to your preferred position
  3. Release — the order is saved automatically

Tip: Put your most commonly used reasons at the top for faster selection.

Step 5: Enable/Disable Reasons

Sometimes you need to temporarily remove a reason without deleting it (e.g., during a policy change).

  1. Find the reason you want to disable
  2. Click the toggle switch on the right side
  3. The reason becomes grayed out and won't appear in dropdowns

To re-enable, simply click the toggle again.

Disabled vs. Deleted: - Disabled: Hidden from selection but preserved in the system. Historical records that used this reason remain intact. - Deleted: Permanently removed. Only delete reasons that were created by mistake.

Step 6: Edit an Existing Reason

Need to update a reason's name or description?

  1. Click the pencil icon next to the reason
  2. Update the fields as needed
  3. Click Save

Note: You can also change the slug when editing, but be cautious — changing slugs on established reasons may affect reporting.

Step 7: Set Up Change Request Reasons

Now let's set up reasons for the "Request Changes" workflow.

  1. Click the Change Reasons tab
  2. Add reasons specific to why changes might be requested:
Name Description
Missing Information Contract is missing required information
Incorrect Pricing Pricing terms need correction
Legal Review Required Legal team needs to review specific clauses
Partner Details Wrong Partner information needs to be updated
Format Issues Document formatting or structure problems

Step 8: Use Reasons in Contract Actions

Now let's see how these reasons work in practice.

Voiding a Contract

  1. Navigate to Partners in the main menu
  2. Select a partner with an active contract
  3. Find the contract and click to expand it
  4. Click the Void button
  5. In the panel that opens:
  6. Select a reason from the dropdown (optional)
  7. Add additional context in the text area
  8. Click Void Contract

The selected reason and your comment are both recorded with the contract.

Requesting Changes

  1. Find a contract in "Sent" or similar status
  2. Click the Request Changes button
  3. In the panel:
  4. Select a reason from the dropdown (optional)
  5. Explain what needs to change in the text area
  6. Click Request Changes

Testing Your Setup

Verify everything works correctly:

  1. Go to any partner's contract list
  2. Try voiding a test contract — confirm your reasons appear in the dropdown
  3. Check that disabled reasons don't appear
  4. Verify the order matches your settings

What You've Learned

In this tutorial, you:

  • ✅ Accessed the Action Reasons settings page
  • ✅ Created reasons for both void and change request workflows
  • ✅ Organized reasons using drag-and-drop
  • ✅ Learned to enable/disable reasons without deletion
  • ✅ Used predefined reasons when performing contract actions

Tips and Best Practices

Naming Conventions

  • Keep names short but descriptive (2-4 words)
  • Start with the main concept (e.g., "Compliance Issue" not "Issue with Compliance")
  • Be consistent with capitalization

Organization

  • Put frequently used reasons at the top
  • Group related reasons together
  • Review and update reasons quarterly

When to Use Reasons

  • Use predefined reasons for common, recurring situations
  • Always add context in the text field for specific details
  • The reason dropdown is optional — you can skip it for unique situations

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Can't create reason Check that the slug is unique within the category
Reason not appearing in dropdown Ensure the reason is enabled (toggle is on)
Can't edit a reason Refresh the page and try again
Order not saving Check your internet connection; changes save automatically

Next Steps

  • Review your organization's common contract issues and create reasons for them
  • Train other admins on using predefined reasons
  • Monitor which reasons are used most frequently (future analytics feature)

See Also