ApproveThis manages your AcademyOcean Integration approvals.

When Training Meets Paperwork: Why This Combo Matters

Let’s be real – nobody got into HR or operations because they love chasing down signatures. But here’s where it gets interesting: AcademyOcean handles the training grind, while ApproveThis slashes the red tape. Connect them through Zapier, and you’ve got a system where compliance actually keeps up with your course completion rates.

Mid-sized companies waste 11 hours weekly on manual approvals (no, really – we’ve seen the logs). This integration targets that gap specifically for teams managing external partners, multi-department training, or compliance-heavy industries. Think pharmaceutical certifications that need legal sign-off, or contractor onboarding requiring safety course validation.

Three Ways This Duo Actually Solves Problems

1. Certificates That Actually Mean Something

Scenario: Your sales team just finished GDPR training in AcademyOcean. Normally, their cert auto-generates… and sits there. With ApproveThis?

- Compliance officers get an approval request with the test score attached
- Legal can flag borderline passes for review
- Certificates only issue after final sign-off

Real-world impact: A medical device company reduced audit prep from 3 weeks to 4 days by tying cert approvals to actual competency thresholds.

2. No More "Who Approved This?!" Moments

Here’s the kicker: ApproveThis approvers don’t need AcademyOcean logins. Critical when:
- External auditors validate contractor training
- Clients check their team’s compliance status
- Legal reviews sensitive material access

Example workflow: A financial services firm auto-revokes trading platform access when anti-money laundering course approvals expire. No human chasing required.

3. Training That Adapts to Policy Changes

When ApproveThis detects a denied request (say, a failed safety certification), it can:
- Trigger AcademyOcean to assign refresher courses
- Notify managers via Slack
- Freeze system access until re-certified

We’ve seen manufacturers use this to auto-update lockout tags when machine operation certs lapse. Zero paperwork, 100% compliance.

Setup That Doesn’t Require an IT Degree

1. Create a Zapier account (free tier works)
2. Connect AcademyOcean and ApproveThis as apps
3. Pick your trigger:
  - AcademyOcean: "New Certificate Issued"
  - ApproveThis: "Request Approved/Denied"
4. Map these fields:
  - Learner email → Approver list
  - Course name → Approval reason
  - Expiry date → Approval deadline

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ calculated fields to auto-deny certs expiring within 30 days. Saves your team from calendar-tetris.

Which Teams Actually Care?

HR & Compliance

Problem: New hire gets system access before completing harassment training.
Fix: AcademyOcean course completion → ApproveThis → IT ticket only after approval.
Stats: 68% faster audit response times reported by users.

Customer Success

Problem: Clients need admin training before getting premium features.
Fix: Client course cert → Partner manager approval → Feature unlock.
Real example: A SaaS company reduced support tickets by 40% using this gate.

Operations

Problem: Plant managers approve safety courses, but need production data.
Fix: Attach equipment usage logs to approval requests automatically.
Bonus: ApproveThis’ vacation delegation stops approvals from stalling during outages.

Why This Isn’t Just Another Integration

ApproveThis brings three things most LMS integrations miss:
1. Approval thresholds – Auto-approve certs with 95%+ scores, only escalate lower ones.
2. Dynamic routing – Send HIPAA courses to legal, forklift certs to floor managers.
3. Email approvals – Critical for external partners who won’t login to your systems.

Meanwhile, AcademyOcean handles the heavy training lift. Together, they turn “certified” from a checkbox to an actual business process.

The Bottom Line: Approval as a Feature, Not a Roadblock

63% of compliance breaches happen because approvals were rushed or bypassed. This integration makes proper sign-off the path of least resistance. Sales teams get faster client onboarding. HR stops playing approval detective. Clients see you as buttoned-up without the bureaucracy.

It’s not about adding layers – it’s about making compliance and training actually keep pace with how fast your company moves.

Next Steps for Non-Masochists

If you’re still manually emailing PDF certs for sign-off:
1. Grab an ApproveThis trial
2. Check AcademyOcean’s pricing (they do free tiers)
3. Book a 12-minute demo to see the Zapier flow live

Pro tip: Have your messiest approval process ready. We’ll automate it on the call.