ApproveThis manages your YoCo Board Integration approvals.

Two Tools, One Seamless Workflow

When approval processes govern how work gets tracked - and paid - delays compound quickly. Finance teams wait for manager sign-off on timesheets. Project leads chase down client approvals for billable hours. Operations managers manually reconcile disputed clock entries. These friction points aren't just annoying; they directly impact cash flow, client trust, and compliance.

ApproveThis and YoCo Board solve opposite halves of this problem. YoCo Board provides precise time tracking with employee clock management, while ApproveThis brings structure to decision-making workflows. Together via Zapier, they create closed-loop systems where time tracking triggers approvals, and approvals govern time tracking - all without manual handoffs.

Why This Integration Changes the Game

Most companies treat approvals and time tracking as separate processes. Employees log hours, then someone exports CSV files, then approvers react to static data days later. This disconnect leads to:

• 48-hour delays in dispute resolution (Aberdeen Group)
• 12% of payroll costs lost to inaccurate time reporting (APA)

The ApproveThis-YoCo integration through Zapier collapses these silos. Real-time triggers turn clock events into approval workflows, and approval decisions into clock actions. Project managers see pending approvals directly in YoCo timelines. Finance teams auto-flag unapproved hours before payroll runs. External clients review billable time without needing YoCo licenses.

Three Workflows That Redefine Efficiency

1. Automatic Approval Requests for Completed Work Sessions

When a YoCo Board clock entry stops, Zapier triggers ApproveThis to create an approval request with details like:

• Employee name + role
• Total hours logged
• Project/client tags
• Optional notes

Real-World Impact: A marketing agency uses this to enforce client-budget guardrails. Any time entry exceeding 8 hours/day on a client project auto-triggers approval from both the PM and client contact. ApproveThis' calculated fields auto-flag budget overages, while YoCo provides the raw data.

2. Start Tracking Time When Approvals Begin

ApproveThis workflows often involve prep work - gathering specs, reviewing briefs, aligning stakeholders. This setup time frequently goes unbilled. The integration fixes this by starting YoCo clocks when approval requests are initiated.

Example: A construction firm's project leads create material approval requests in ApproveThis. The integration starts tracking YoCo time immediately, capturing 2-3 hours/week per lead previously lost to "admin time." Approval thresholds ensure only qualified approvers receive requests, while vacation delegation prevents bottlenecks.

3. Stop Clocks When Approvals Finalize

Approved deliverables often require minor revisions or client feedback. Traditional time tracking lumps this into the original task, inflating project hours. This Zapier automation stops YoCo clocks the moment ApproveThis records a decision, ensuring post-approval work is tracked separately.

Use Case: A software dev team stops billing for feature development once clients approve the initial build. Any post-approval tweaks are logged under "revisions" with separate rates. ApproveThis' audit trails prove compliance, while YoCo's detailed reports justify billing.

Team-Specific Benefits Beyond Time Savings

HR & Payroll Teams

ApproveThis integrates with YoCo to auto-hold unapproved hours. If a manager doesn't sign off by payroll cutoff, those hours queue for next cycle. Approval groups ensure department heads review contractor time, while thresholds auto-approve routine entries under 40 hours/week.

Project Managers

Real-time dashboards show pending approvals alongside YoCo timelines. If client sign-off delays a phase, PMs reallocate resources before overages stack up. Conditional logic routes complex approvals to senior staff, while standard requests flow to junior approvers.

External Clients & Contractors

ApproveThis' email-based approvals let clients review YoCo hours without platform access. They receive formatted summaries, approve/deny via reply, and trigger automatic Zapier updates to YoCo statuses. No extra licenses, no training, no missed emails buried in inboxes.

Implementation Made Simple

Connecting ApproveThis and YoCo Board takes three steps in Zapier:

1. Create a Zapier account (if new) at zapier.com
2. Choose your trigger (YoCo clock event or ApproveThis workflow)
3. Set the resulting action (start/stop YoCo clock or launch ApproveThis request)

Critical pro tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-populate YoCo data like:

Total Hours = {YoCoClockOut} - {YoCoClockIn}
Overtime = IF({TotalHours}>8, {TotalHours}-8, 0)

These dynamic values drive approval logic without manual entry. Combine with approval thresholds to auto-approve standard shifts while flagging exceptions.

Beyond Basic Automation

While the Zaps handle core triggers, ApproveThis adds layers of control YoCo alone can't match:

Escalation Paths: If a YoCo entry sits unapproved for 24hrs, ApproveThis notifies alternate approvers. If denied, it creates Jira tickets or Salesforce cases via other Zaps.

Compliance Logs: Every approval decision timestamps the original YoCo entry. During audits, managers pull correlated reports in two clicks.

Multi-Stage Approvals: High-value projects might require team lead → client → CFO sign-off on YoCo hours. ApproveThis sequences these steps, updating YoCo statuses at each milestone.

Who Gains Most From This Integration?

Professional Services Firms

Law, accounting, and consulting practices bill by the hour but often eat costs from unapproved overages. The integration enforces hard stops - no approval, no timesheet submission.

Manufacturing & Field Services

Shift supervisors approve crew hours onsite via ApproveThis mobile. YoCo auto-calculates overtime, while geo-tagged clock entries validate worksite presence.

Startups with Remote Teams

Distributed teams sync via approval workflows. A developer stops their YoCo clock, triggering ApproveThis requests to PMs in other timezones. Conditional routing skips offline approvers via vacation delegation.

Getting Started

Ready to transform how approvals and time tracking interact?

1. Sign up for ApproveThis (14-day trial, no card required)

2. Connect your existing YoCo Board account via Zapier

3. Use pre-built templates or customize workflows in under an hour

For complex use cases like multi-currency approvals or union-regulated industries, request a custom demo. Our team will map your YoCo data to compliant approval chains tailored to your payroll cycles and project methodologies.

The Bottom Line

Time tracking and approvals aren't separate workflows - they're phases of the same cycle. By integrating ApproveThis and YoCo Board through Zapier, companies eliminate the gaps where errors and inefficiencies breed. Finance teams close books faster. Project managers stay under budget. Employees spend less time justifying hours and more time logging them accurately.

The tools are ready. The integration is proven. The only question is how many more cycles you'll let pass before closing the loop.