ApproveThis manages your FastGem Integration approvals.

When Your CRM and Approvals Actually Talk to Each Other

Let’s be real – most software integrations are like forcing two strangers to dance. ApproveThis and FastGem? They’re more like old bandmates who already know the rhythm. FastGem keeps your utility company’s customer data tight; ApproveThis makes sure decisions happen without 17 reminder emails. Together? They turn “waiting on approvals” from a bottleneck to background noise.

For companies juggling service requests, work orders, and compliance paperwork, this combo isn’t just nice-to-have. It’s the difference between your field crew showing up to install solar panels tomorrow vs. next Thursday because accounting forgot to sign off. We’re talking real-time updates syncing between systems, approvers who don’t need a PhD in your CRM, and zero “I thought YOU reviewed that” meetings.

Why This Isn’t Just Another Zapier Connection

Most Zapier integrations just shuffle data between apps. This one actually fixes broken processes. Here’s where it hits different:

• Approvals that understand dollar amounts: Auto-approve routine work orders under $5K, but escalate the $50K transformer replacement to the exec team – without manual tagging.
• External approvals that don’t cost you CRM seats: Let municipal inspectors or third-party contractors approve permits in ApproveThis without needing FastGem licenses.

Example: A mid-sized electrical utility uses approval thresholds to auto-greenlight 80% of routine maintenance requests. The remaining 20% (major outages, high-cost parts) get routed to supervisors with all necessary FastGem customer history attached. Result? They’ve cut approval delays by 62% last quarter.

Use Cases That Don’t Suck

1. New Customer? Automatic Approval Paper Trail

What happens: When FastGem gets a new client (say, a commercial building going solar), ApproveThis instantly generates an approval chain matching their contract value.

Real-world twist: A geothermal installer uses calculated fields to auto-flag accounts needing environmental permits. Approvers get the request with permit application PDFs attached – no digging through folders.

2. Work Orders That Don’t Get Stuck in Email Siberia

How it rolls: Field tech finishes inspection → logs work order in FastGem → ApproveThis pings the right manager based on repair cost and client SLA tier.

Why it matters: One water utility company slashed same-day dispatch rates from 55% to 89% by syncing approval SLAs with their FastGem priority tags.

3. Approval Decisions That Update Records Automagically

The flow: Approve a rate exception in ApproveThis → FastGem updates the customer’s billing profile and logs the exception reason.

Cool factor: Legal/compliance teams get auto-CC’d on denials via ApproveThis’ email trails. No more compliance scramble during audits.

Department-Specific Wins

Field Operations Teams

Your crew’s staring at a busted substation. Instead of waiting for a manager’s cousin (who’s on vacation) to approve the repair, ApproveThis uses vacation delegation to reroute it. The best part? FastGem automatically attaches equipment warranty docs to the approval request.

Finance & Procurement

PO approvals sync with FastGem vendor records. ApproveThis’ calculated fields flag when a request exceeds contracted rates – finance leads get context without jumping between systems. Bonus: Automatic audit trails for every approved/denied request.

Customer Success

CSRs see real-time approval statuses in FastGem. No more telling customers “I’ve emailed accounting again.” If an approval is stuck, they can nudge directly from ApproveThis without exposing internal workflows.

Setting This Up Without the Usual Zapier Headache

1. Connect the apps: In Zapier, link ApproveThis and FastGem – takes 2 minutes if you’ve got admin access to both.

2. Pick your trigger: Most teams start with “New Person in FastGem” → “Create Approval Request.” Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ conditional logic to set different approvers based on FastGem’s customer type field.

3. Test with real data: Create a test FastGem entry with a $0 value to avoid accidental approvals. Check that ApproveThis routes it correctly.

4. Add layers later: Once basic approvals work, layer in calculated fields (e.g., approval tier based on FastGem’s contract value) or automatic FastGem updates when requests are denied.

The “Why Now” Factor

Companies between 200-2000 employees hit a critical mass where manual approvals start causing actual revenue leaks. Maybe you’ve seen:

• Sales ops delaying deals because legal hasn’t reviewed terms
• Procurement paying rush fees for late POs
• Customers churning because service upgrades took 3 weeks to approve

This integration isn’t about being fancy – it’s about closing those gaps before your competitor does. And with ApproveThis’ free trial and FastGem’s developer-friendly API, there’s zero reason to keep doing approval hunts over Slack.

Bottom Line: Approval Processes Shouldn’t Be a Full-Time Job

If your team spends more than 15% of their week chasing signatures or explaining context to approvers, this integration pays for itself in days. It’s not magic – just two tools doing exactly what they’re good at, without the busywork.

Next step: Book a 12-minute demo where we’ll map your messiest approval process to this integration. No “digital transformation” jargon – just a live build of an actual workflow your team uses.