Consent Approvals
Part of Consent-aware marketing automation under Australian law
Testing permission checks at the moment of send
Use controlled cases to check current permission, late withdrawals and the sender's actual action before launch.
Test permission at the last point where the intended sender can still stop a marketing message. A check at journey entry may be stale after a delay, audience export or withdrawal. For each case, write the expected decision, then inspect both the permission gate and the sender's action.
Find the send boundary
Identify when the email or SMS provider receives the message or recipient batch, and where recipients can still be changed. Record the contact identifier, channel, sender, purpose, campaign version and permission state read at that boundary.
If a platform submits a whole batch before its scheduled delivery time, an earlier workflow check may be the last controllable point. Establish the cutoff in the actual setup and use a provider-side suppression control where one is available.
Check any other message requirements separately; an allowed permission decision alone does not establish that the message meets them.
Workflow for Validating Permission at Send Boundary
- Identify send boundaryDetermine when provider receives message or batch; record contact ID, channel, sender, purpose, campaign version, permission state.
- Confirm cutoff in actual setupIf batch submitted early, earlier workflow check may be last controllable point.
- Use provider-side suppression if availableApply suppression control to prevent sending ineligible contacts.
- Check message requirements separatelyAn `allowed` permission does not guarantee compliance with all sending rules.
Write cases that expose stale decisions
Set the expected result before using a preview or controlled run:
| Controlled case | Expected decision |
|---|---|
| Current permission covering this sender, channel and purpose | Eligible, subject to other campaign checks. |
| No evidence for the proposed use | Hold; no marketing submission. |
| Withdrawal before journey entry | No marketing submission. |
| Withdrawal during a delay | Recheck and stop the waiting marketing action. |
| Withdrawal after export but before provider submission | Remove or suppress at the sender before submission. |
| Permission lookup unavailable | Hold and alert an owner; do not treat the error as approval. |
These are expected outcomes for a proposed design, not platform guarantees. Add a later permission with narrower scope than the message, and a contact who should remain eligible so an overbroad block becomes visible.
Observe the gate and sender separately
A workflow preview can show a simulated path. It cannot establish that the sender received the latest withdrawal or changed a queued batch.
In a contained check, record when the withdrawal was received, the state read at the final gate, the decision returned and the provider's acceptance or non-submission evidence. Use staff-controlled recipients and inspect other active routes before any live rehearsal.
If a provider request times out, mark its outcome uncertain and inspect provider records before repeating it. A contact skipped by the central workflow cannot be called “not sent” until the relevant sending routes have been checked.
Check the hand-off gap
A withdrawal may arrive between the final permission check and provider submission. Identify that interval and which system controls suppression during it.
If the provider offers a pre-send suppression control, confirm how it behaves in the actual account.
If a gap remains, keep it as short as the design allows, document it and assign an owner to review any affected send. A workflow setting cannot recall work already accepted by an outside sender.
Repeat the cases after changing a permission rule, export, sender integration or queue timing. Keep expected decisions, observed gate states and destination evidence with the campaign version.
Key Metrics for Permission Check Validation
- Hand-off Gap Duration
- Time between final permission check and provider submission
- Provider Suppression Control Available
- Yes / No – confirmed via account settings
- Unresolved Gaps Documented
- Yes / No – assigned owner for review
- Cases Re-tested After Changes
- Yes – after rule, export, integration or queue timing changes
