ApproveThis manages your WIP Integration approvals.

Let's be real: approval processes suck. They're where productivity goes to die in a pile of "waiting on stakeholder" Slack messages. But what if completed tasks in WIP could automatically trigger approvals in ApproveThis - without chasing people down? That's the combo we're talking about today. No fluff, just how mid-sized companies fix their broken approval chains.

Why This Integration Isn't Just Another Zap

WIP tracks what's done. ApproveThis decides what happens next. Connect them, and you've got a system where finished work automatically moves to approval - no manual handoffs. For teams juggling 20+ approval workflows monthly, this is like finding an extra week per quarter.

WIP's Limits (And Why That's Okay)

WIP's great at tracking tasks. But approvals? Not so much. Ever tried getting legal to log into yet another tool to review a contract? Exactly. ApproveThis handles the messy part: routing, reminders, conditional approvals. WIP stays the source of truth for work done.

Where ApproveThis Takes Over

While WIP shows a task is complete, ApproveThis answers: "Who needs to sign off? What if they're OOO? Does this need CFO review over $50k?". It's the difference between checking a box and actually getting decisions made.

Real Use Cases (Not Just Theory)

Let's get specific. These aren't "maybe someday" scenarios - they're what actual teams automate:

Marketing Teams: No More Campaign Launch Bottlenecks

Your WIP shows the landing page is built. ApproveThis automatically pings the compliance lead + CMO for review. If compliance approves but CMO rejects, the task automatically re-opens in WIP with their notes. No status meetings needed.

Operations: Vendor Onboarding That Doesn't Drag

New supplier setup marked complete in WIP? ApproveThis routes the contract to procurement, then legal, then the department head - in order. Legal gets notified only after procurement signs off. No more "Who's supposed to look at this?" emails.

Finance: Invoice Approvals That Don't Require Mind Reading

AP clerk marks invoice as ready in WIP. ApproveThis checks the amount: under $5k? Auto-approves. Over? Goes to the controller. Over $50k? Adds CFO to the chain. All without the clerk needing to know approval thresholds by heart.

Client-Facing Teams: External Approvals That Don't Embarrass You

Agency marks a client deliverable as done in WIP. ApproveThis emails the client contact for approval - no client logins required. If they don't respond in 48h, it nudges their manager. All tracked so you're not that vendor who "forgot" to follow up.

Setting This Up Without IT Involvement

If you can build a basic Zap, you're good. Here's the gist:

1. Trigger: "New Completed Todo" in WIP
2. Action: "Create Request" in ApproveThis

Map WIP task details to ApproveThis fields. Set approval rules once, reuse forever. Takes about 15 minutes. Zapier handles the glue work.

Why Teams Actually Stick With This Combo

It's not about the tech - it's about fixing daily irritants:

For Managers:

Finally see where approvals get stuck. That one VP who takes 4 days to approve anything? Now you've got data, not just complaints.

For Doers:

Stop playing approval tag. Submit in WIP, done. Get notified when it's fully approved or if revisions are needed.

For Approvers:

Decide via email if they want. No new logins. Set vacation delegates so things don't pile up.

For Finance:

Auto-archive approved requests with WIP task IDs. Audit trail done.

The Nuts and Bolts You Care About

Key features that make this actually work in the real world:

Approval Thresholds

Auto-approve small expenses, escalate big ones. Set it once based on WIP task types or custom fields.

Email Approvals

External partners approve without another damn portal login. They reply "Approved" or ask questions right from the email thread.

Vacation Coverage

Sales director out? Requests auto-reassign to their deputy. No more "Waiting on Jim (returns next Thursday)" holds.

Real-Time Dashboards

See all pending approvals across every integrated WIP task. Filter by team, project, or urgency level.

What You Don't Have to Deal With

Let's manage expectations:

• No complex setups - if your WIP task has basic info, you're golden
• No extra licenses for approvers - clients/partners approve free
• No manual status updates - approved? WIP task auto-moves to "Done-Revenue"

Who This Actually Works For

Not every company needs this. But if these sound familiar...

You Have Multiple "Approval Layers"

If tasks routinely need legal + department head + finance sign-off, you're the target audience.

External Clients/Collaborators

Contractors, agencies, partners who shouldn't have full WIP access but need to approve things.

Compliance-Heavy Industries

Healthcare, finance, or anywhere approvals need an audit trail that "Jim said OK in Slack" doesn't cut it.

Getting Started (Without the Usual Hassle)

Try this path if you're skeptical:

1. Pick one approval process that's currently a pain
2. Map how it should work in an ideal world
3. Build the Zap in 15 mins (seriously, it's that simple)
4. Run it for a week with 2-3 people

Either it works and you scale it, or you learn what's missing. Low risk, high reward.

Bottom Line

ApproveThis + WIP via Zapier isn't magic. It's just removing the crap that makes approvals take 3x longer than the actual work. For teams doing 50+ approvals/month, that's 10-20 hours saved. Multiply by your hourly rate. Yeah, that math works.

Next step: Grab a free ApproveThis trial, connect your WIP account via Zapier, and automate your most annoying approval flow. Demo takes 12 minutes if you're nervous.