App tiles allow you to integrate some of your org's most commonly used applications right on the home dashboard of your Simpplr intranet. Simpplr offers pre-built integration tiles, including:

• Salesforce CRM

• Workday

• JIRA

• ServiceNow

• Google Calendar

• BambooHR

• UKG Pro

• Asana

• Zendesk

• Monday.com

• GitHub

• Airtable

• DocuSign

• Greenhouse

Note that Simpplr will not override permissions from any of these applications. In other words, no user will see items they do not have access to. If an intranet user does not use these applications as part of their workflow, they will only see the shell of the tile on the home dashboard, but it will not be populated with any information. If the home dashboard is user controlled, the user can remove any of these tiles if they're not relevant.

For full instructions on setting up and using out-of-the-box app tiles, check out this article!

For instructions on creating custom app tiles, see this article.

App tiles: Types and authoring options

App tiles in Simpplr enable employees to interact with third-party applications directly from their intranet dashboard without switching between tools. Whether it's viewing key data or submitting requests, app tiles help bring external systems into the daily flow of work.

This guide explains the two primary types of app tiles and how they support a more connected, streamlined digital workplace.

Types of app tiles

• Display app tiles

Display app tiles are used to surface information from external systems onto Simpplr dashboards. These are read-only tiles that help employees stay informed at a glance.

Examples:

• View unassigned support tickets from tools like Zendesk or ServiceNow

• Display leave balance synced from systems like Workday or BambooHR

Form app tiles

Form app tiles allow employees to take action by submitting forms directly from Simpplr. These write-enabled tiles use APIs to send data to third-party applications.

Examples:

• Apply for Paid Time Off (PTO) using Workday or BambooHR

• Create a service desk ticket in systems like ServiceNow or Jira Service Management

Learn more about Custom form app tiles

• Hybrid app tiles

Custom Hybrid App Tiles let you do more than just view information. You can now take actions—like approving a request, changing a status, or updating a record that too right from the tile itself. These tiles not only show you important details but also let you interact with them, making your work quicker and easier.

Examples:

• View unassigned support tickets from tools like Zendesk or ServiceNow

• Create a service desk ticket in systems like ServiceNow or Jira Service Management

Learn more about Custom hybrid app tiles

Where app tiles appear

App tiles can be added to:

• Home Dashboards: visible to all employees

• Site Dashboards: targeted to specific teams or locations

App Managers can customize placement and audience targeting to ensure relevance.

Composite Approvals Tile (Multi‑App Approval Hub)

The Composite Approvals Tile (also called the Multi‑app approval hub) is a dashboard tile that shows all of a user’s pending approvals from multiple business systems in one place.

Instead of opening several tools (for example, HR, finance, and IT systems) to review and approve requests, approvers can:

• See all pending approval tasks in a single tile.

• Identify which system each request comes from.

• Approve or reject directly from the tile (when allowed by the connected system).

This helps reduce context switching and speeds up decision‑making for managers and other approvers.

What can it connect to?

The tile is designed to work with multiple third‑party systems that support approval workflows, such as:

• HR platforms (for example: time‑off requests, job or compensation approvals).

• Finance/expense tools (for example: expense reports, purchase requests).

• IT/service management tools (for example: access requests, change approvals).

• Other business applications with an approvals API.

The exact systems available in your environment depend on which integrations your organization has enabled.

Who is this for?

The Composite approvals tile is intended for:

• Managers and people leaders who regularly approve requests across multiple systems.

• Approvers in HR, Finance, IT, and Operations who handle frequent approvals (e.g., time off, expenses, access, or purchase requests).

• Executives and senior leaders who want a quick overview of all approvals requiring their attention.

If you do not have any approvals assigned to you in the connected systems, the tile will show an empty state.

How it works

A. High‑level flow

1. Admins connect systems
   Your administrator configures connections between your intranet and one or more external systems that support approvals.

2. The Approvals tile is added to your dashboard
   Once enabled, the tile appears on the dashboard(s) chosen by your administrator (for example, the global home dashboard or a manager‑specific dashboard).

3. Approvals are aggregated
   When you open the dashboard:

   • The tile collects all pending approvals assigned to you from the configured systems.

   • Each task is shown with key details such as requester name, request type, and source system.

4. You approve or reject from the tile

   • You can approve or reject each request (if your permissions in the source system allow it).

   • Your decision is sent back to the originating system.

   • Once processed, the item disappears from the tile or updates its status.

B. What you’ll typically see

Within the tile, you can expect to see for each approval task:

• Title or request type (e.g., “Time‑off Request”, “Expense Report”, “Access Request”).

• Requester name.

• Source application (the system where the request originated).

• Relevant dates (such as request date or due date, when available).

• Actions:

  • Approve

  • Reject
    (Some connectors may also allow an optional comment.)

In some configurations, you may also be able to open a link to the original request in the source system for more details.

Using the Composite approvals tile

A. Viewing your pending approvals

1. Go to your intranet Home or other dashboard where the Approvals tile is placed.

2. Locate the Approvals or Approvals hub tile.

3. Review the list of pending items:

   • Each row/card represents a single approval task.

   • You can quickly scan who requested it, the type of request, and where it came from.

If there are no pending approvals, you’ll see a message indicating that there’s nothing to review.

B. Approving or rejecting a request

1. In the Approvals tile, find the item you want to act on.

2. (Optional) If your organization has enabled it, open the linked request in the original system to review full details.

3. Choose Approve or Reject from the tile.

4. If prompted, add a comment (for example, a reason for rejection).

5. The tile sends your action back to the source system and updates the list.

If the underlying system takes a moment to process, you might briefly see the item until the updated status is confirmed.

Admin overview (for customer admins)

This section is for customer administrators responsible for enabling and configuring the feature.

A. Requirements

• Your environment must be upgraded to 26.03-A.1.0 or higher.

• Your organization’s contract or configuration must support the relevant integrations.

• Admin access to:

  • The intranet admin settings.

  • The external systems you plan to connect (to create API credentials, service accounts, or OAuth apps as required).

B. Typical setup steps

1. Enable integrations

   • In your admin/integrations area, enable the connectors that support approvals (for example, your chosen HR, finance, or ITSM systems).

   • Provide the required credentials (API tokens, OAuth client details, etc.).

   • Complete any user mapping if a connector requires linking intranet accounts to user accounts in the external system.

2. Add and configure the Approvals tile

   • Open the dashboard editor for the dashboard where you want to show approvals.

   • Add the Approvals/composite approvals tile.

   • Choose which connected systems should be included in the tile.

   • (Optional) Apply filters such as:

     • Types of approvals to surface.

     • User segments that should see the tile (e.g., only people managers).

3. Test with pilot users

   • Confirm that:

     • Pilot users with known pending approvals can see them in the tile.

     • Approve/reject actions from the tile correctly update the request in the source system.

   • Adjust configuration or mappings if some items are missing or permissions don’t match expectations.

C. Permissions and visibility

• The tile relies on the permissions of the source systems:

  • Users will only see approvals assigned to them in each connected system.

  • If a user is not an approver in a system, they will not see that system’s approvals in the tile.

• The intranet’s own visibility rules (e.g., who can see a particular dashboard) also apply.

Limitations and expected behavior

• Connector availability
  The tile only surfaces approvals for systems that:

  • Are supported, and

  • Have been explicitly connected and enabled by your admin.

• Latency and sync
  When you approve or reject an item:

  • The action is sent immediately to the external system.

  • There may be a short delay before the tile refreshes and removes the item or updates its status, depending on the external system’s API.

• System outages or misconfiguration
  If an external system is misconfigured, unavailable, or its API is failing:

  • Approvals from that system may not appear.

  • Some items could temporarily show an error or fail to update.

  • Once the external system or configuration is fixed, the tile should begin displaying items again.

• Mobile support
  This feature is primarily designed for the web experience. There is no dedicated mobile‑specific behavior for this release.

How app tiles are configured

App tiles are configured by integration admins or app managers through the following steps:

1. Navigate to Manage > Application > App tiles

2. Choose tile type:

   • Select from Prebuilt App Tiles for popular integrations

   • Or create Custom Tiles using the Tile Builder and API setup

3. Define tile behavior:

   • For display tiles: configure data source and display fields

   • For form tiles: configure API endpoints, input fields, and success/error states

4. Deploy to Dashboards:

   • Add the tile to relevant home or site dashboards

   • Control visibility by role, department, or location

Tag component tile builder

With the 25.09 release we are introducing Tag Component that lets you highlight important values inside tiles using colors, icons, or styled text. Tags make it easier for users to quickly identify the status, priority, or category of an item at a glance.

Tag Styles

When adding a Tag Component, you can choose from the following styles:

• Status – Displays a colored circle with text.

  • Example: Open, Closed, In Progress

• Icon – Displays an icon with text.

  • Example: Finance, HR, Approved

• Text – Displays colored or styled text.

  • Example: High, Medium, Low

Mapping Rules

You can set up rules so that tags update automatically based on incoming data.

For example:

• Text = High > Color = Red

• Text = Medium > Color = Orange

• Text = Low > Color = Green

Each mapping rule connects an input value (plain text or regex) with a visual style (color, icon, or text formatting). You can add as many rules as needed.

Fallbacks

If no mapping rule applies (or an error occurs), you can define a default style to ensure the tag is never left empty or unclear.

• Example: Always show On hold in grey.

Customization Options

• Colors – Choose from the palette or define a custom color.

• Icons – Select from the library, upload your own file, or provide a URL.

• Text – Change font colors to emphasize key labels.

• Tooltips – Add optional hover text to provide additional context.

Example Use Cases

• Indicate priority levels: High / Medium / Low

• Show ticket status: Open / Closed / In Review

• Mark departments or categories with unique icons or colors

• Highlight custom labels: Urgent, Blocked, Approved

Things to keep in mind

• Always set a fallback to maintain a consistent user experience.

• Mapping rules can be configured using simple text or more advanced regex patterns.

Composite Approvals tile on mobile (Workday and ServiceNow)

The Composite Approvals tile allows users to view and act on approval requests from multiple systems in one place. With mobile support, this experience is now available in the Simpplr mobile app, enabling approvers to manage requests without switching between tools.

This creates a single, consistent approval experience across desktop and mobile.

Applies to

• Web (desktop)

• Simpplr mobile app (iOS and Android)

Supported systems:

• Workday

• ServiceNow

How it works

The Composite Approvals tile aggregates approval requests from connected systems and displays them in a single list.

Each item represents an approval task that the user is authorized to act on. From the tile, users can review requests, take action, or open the item in the source system for more details.

Using the tile

View approvals

Open the Approvals tile to see pending requests from connected systems. The list is consolidated, so users do not need to switch between applications.

Take action

Users can act directly from the tile:

• Approve a request

• Reject a request

Some systems may require additional input. For example, rejecting a Workday request may require a comment.

Open in source system

For full context, users can open an approval item in its original system (such as Workday or ServiceNow). This is useful when more details or advanced actions are needed.

View more items

If multiple approvals are available, the tile initially shows a limited set. Users can expand the list to view additional items.

Setting up the tile (admin or app manager)

To enable this experience, the required systems must be connected and the tile must be added to a dashboard or landing page.

Start by ensuring that integrations such as Workday or ServiceNow are configured and users are properly authorized. Once set up, add the Approvals tile to the relevant page.

After adding the tile, you can configure how it appears, including its title and which systems are included. Once published, verify that the tile is visible and functional on mobile for the intended users.

Permissions and access

The Composite Approvals tile follows existing permission models.

Users only see approval items they are authorized to access in the source system. Actions such as approve or reject are also controlled by permissions in those systems.

In addition, visibility of the tile itself depends on access to the page or dashboard where it is placed.

When the tile may not appear

The Approvals tile may not be visible if:

• It has not been added to the relevant page or dashboard

• The user does not have access to that page

• The user is not authorized in the connected systems

• The integrations are not properly configured

When actions may fail

If approval actions do not work as expected, common causes include:

• Missing permissions in the source system

• Required inputs not provided (such as mandatory comments)

• Temporary connectivity or authentication issues