ApproveThis manages your CIM Integration approvals.

When Approval Workflows Meet Building Intelligence

Here's the problem with most approval processes: they happen in a vacuum. Someone requests maintenance budget approval. A facilities manager needs sign-off on equipment upgrades. But what if those decisions could be triggered by actual building performance data instead of guesswork?

That's where connecting ApproveThis (your approval HQ) with CIM (your building's central nervous system) changes the game. We're talking about automating approval workflows that kick in when:

• Energy consumption spikes beyond thresholds
• Critical equipment shows pre-failure warnings
• Maintenance costs hit budget guardrails

No more "Hey Bob, should we fix this HVAC unit?" emails. Just real-time data triggering structured approval paths. For building operations teams, this isn't just convenient – it's how you prevent minor issues from becoming six-figure emergencies.

How This Integration Actually Works

Through Zapier, ApproveThis becomes the decision layer on top of CIM's monitoring capabilities. Here's the technical breakdown:

The Two-Way Street

From CIM to ApproveThis: When CIM detects an alert (say, a 20% energy spike in Building 3), Zapier automatically creates an approval request in ApproveThis. The request includes all relevant data – historical usage charts, equipment involved, cost projections.

From ApproveThis to CIM: When your team approves a major capital expenditure in ApproveThis, Zapier can trigger CIM to monitor specific metrics post-implementation. Did the new HVAC system actually reduce energy costs by 15%? Now you'll know.

Why This Beats Manual Processes

Facilities managers love CIM's alerts but hate chasing down approvers. ApproveThis adds three killer features:

1. Automatic routing: Energy-related approvals go to the regional ops director + CFO. Equipment approvals route to maintenance leads.
2. Approval thresholds: Requests under $5K auto-approve if within budget. Over $50K? Triggers executive review.
3. Zero license overhead: External vendors or finance approvers don't need CIM access – they just approve via email.

Real-World Use Cases That Move the Needle

1. Preventative Maintenance Escalation

The Scenario: CIM detects abnormal vibration patterns in a chiller plant. Left unaddressed, this leads to $200K+ in repairs.

The Automation: CIM alert → ApproveThis creates a request with repair quotes, downtime estimates, and budget impact. Routes to facilities director (technical approval) → CFO (budget sign-off).

Who Cares: Property management firms with 50+ buildings. Catching 5 major issues early per year pays for both platforms.

2. Energy Budget Guardrails

The Scenario: A retail chain's Chicago location exceeds monthly energy budget by 12%.

The Automation: CIM triggers an ApproveThis workflow requiring regional manager approval for overtime HVAC usage. If denied, CIM automatically reverts to standard operating hours.

Who Cares: Multi-site retailers trying to hit ESG goals without micromanaging every store.

3. Capital Project Accountability

The Scenario: Approving a $250K solar panel installation.

The Automation: Once approved in ApproveThis, CIM starts tracking energy production vs. projections. Miss targets by 10% for 3 months? Automatic review request triggers.

Who Cares: Universities and municipalities under public scrutiny for capital expenditures.

Setting This Up Without the Headache

If you can connect two Lego pieces, you can set this up:

1. Zapier Account: Free tier works for testing (get started here)
2. Connect CIM: Use CIM's Zapier integration (official docs here)
3. Map Critical Fields: Which CIM alerts trigger which approval types? Pro tip: Start with 2-3 high-impact alerts first.

Most teams get their first workflow live in 18 minutes. The real time sink? Deciding which alerts actually need approvals. (Our advice: If it impacts safety, compliance, or costs over 1% of budget, automate it.)

Department-Specific Wins

Facilities Teams

Stop being the middleman between CIM dashboards and budget holders. Auto-route approvals with all context attached. Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to show ROI projections right in the approval request.

Finance Teams

Finally understand where those maintenance dollars go. ApproveThis tracks every approval's cost impact, while CIM verifies the actual savings post-approval.

Operations Leadership

See approval bottlenecks in real time. Why is the Midwest region taking 3x longer to approve repairs? Maybe they need delegated approvers during peak vacation months.

Why This Isn't Just Another Integration

Most app integrations shuffle data between systems. This one actually changes decision-making behavior:

• Data-Driven Approvals: No more "I feel like we should wait" – every request includes CIM's historical trends and projections.
• Closed-Loop Accountability: Approved a $80K generator repair? CIM automatically monitors performance post-repair.
• Scale Without Chaos: Add 10 new buildings? Approval rules apply automatically based on CIM's tags.

The Quiet Benefit Everyone Misses

Using ApproveThis as the approval layer means external partners don't need CIM licenses. HVAC vendors approve repair plans via email. Energy consultants review usage data without CIM access. It's secure, compliant, and doesn't bloat your software spend.

Getting Started Without Overcommitting

Best practice: Run a 30-day pilot on one workflow. Pick something with clear metrics, like HVAC repair approvals. Measure:

• Time from alert to approval
• Cost variance vs. manual approvals
• Approver satisfaction (hint: they'll love the mobile approvals)

Most teams see 40-60% faster approvals in phase one. Not because people work faster – because the process works smarter.

Ready to Stop Chasing Approvals?

If your building ops team spends more than 3 hours/week on approval follow-ups, this integration pays for itself. No, really – we've seen facilities managers reclaim 11 hours/month just on energy-related approvals.

Book a 15-minute demo to see live workflows, or start a free trial and connect your first CIM alert in under an hour. Pro tip: Bring your last month's CIM alert log – we'll show you exactly which ones to automate first.