ApproveThis manages your freee Integration approvals.

When Accounting Meets Approval Automation

Let's cut to the chase: financial approvals suck when you're using spreadsheets, CC'ing half the company on emails, or worse - playing phone tag with department heads. That's why pairing ApproveThis's approval automation with freee's accounting platform isn't just convenient - it's a straight-up power move for any company tired of chasing signatures.

freee handles Japan's complex accounting needs better than most, but here's the kicker: 43% of financial delays come from approval bottlenecks, not the actual number crunching. That's where ApproveThis steps in - automating the "who needs to sign off" dance so your finance team can focus on actual strategy instead of herding cats.

Why This Combo Works (When Others Don't)

Most accounting tools bolt on approval features like an afterthought. freee + ApproveThis works because:

• No license Tetris: Approvers only need ApproveThis access - no extra freee seats required. Perfect for external partners or cross-department reviews.
• Real-time math that matters: Approval thresholds trigger auto-approvals or escalations based on actual transaction values in freee.

Take procurement approvals: When freee flags a ¥5M vendor payment, ApproveThis can auto-route it to the CFO while letting managers handle smaller sums. No manual triage, no "who's responsible?" guesswork.

Three Ways This Integration Actually Solves Problems

1. Killing Spreadsheet Approval Logjams

The Zap: New income in freee → Auto-create ApproveThis request → Route to correct approvers

Who needs this: Retail chains with 100+ daily transactions. Instead of weekly Excel sheets sent to accounting, each deposit triggers an immediate approval chain. CFO gets visibility, store managers get autonomy under set thresholds.

Real benefit: Cut payment verification time from 5 days to 12 hours. Bonus: ApproveThis's audit trail satisfies even Japan's strictest compliance auditors.

2. Partner Onboarding That Doesn't Embarrass You

The Zap: New partner request in ApproveThis → Auto-create freee vendor record → Sync approved contracts

Who needs this: Manufacturers dealing with 50+ suppliers. Legal approves NDAs in ApproveThis while procurement populates freee details simultaneously. No more "We approved them weeks ago - why aren't they in the system?!"

Real benefit: Slash vendor setup from 3 weeks to 48 hours. Vacation delegation ensures approvals never stall because someone's at a trade show.

3. Escalating Overdue Deals Like a Pro

The Zap: freee flags overdue invoice → ApproveThis escalates to legal/CFO → Updates freee with resolution

Who needs this: SaaS companies with recurring clients. Past-due invoices over ¥2M? Auto-flag for collections team. Over ¥10M? CFO gets pinged before it becomes a write-off.

Real benefit: Reduce 90+ day delinquencies by 67% by catching issues before they're uncollectible. Approval groups mean multiple stakeholders can weigh in without scheduling meetings.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

Connect via Zapier in 15 minutes flat:

1. Create Zapier account (free tier works)
2. Choose freee trigger (new transaction, overdue deal, etc.)
3. Set ApproveThis action (customize approval rules here)
4. Test with a ¥1 test transaction

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis's calculated fields to auto-flag transactions needing special handling. Example: "If foreign currency amount exceeds ¥1M, require treasury team approval."

What Your Teams Actually Gain

Finance Teams

Stop being the approval police. Set thresholds so routine approvals happen automatically, while complex ones route correctly the first time. Real-time tracking means no more daily status update meetings.

Procurement Teams

New vendor approved? It auto-populates in freee. Contract amendments? Legal reviews in ApproveThis while procurement updates pricing in parallel. Multi-threaded approvals cut sourcing cycles by 40%.

Executives

Get visibility without micromanaging. Custom dashboards show approval bottlenecks, while vacation delegation stops trivial tasks from hitting your inbox during board meetings.

Common Objections (And Why They're BS)

"We need custom approval chains": ApproveThis handles 7-layer approvals with conditional branching. freee integration passes all metadata needed for smart routing.

"Our auditors require paper trails": Every approval/rejection stamps user, time, and reason in both systems. Export logs with one click for annual audits.

"We have part-time accountants": Email-based approvals mean external contractors can review requests without system access. Set expiration dates to avoid limbo.

When to Avoid This Integration

This isn't magic fairy dust. If you have <5 monthly approvals, maybe stick with freee's basic tools. But once you're managing 20+ cross-department approvals monthly, the ROI becomes stupidly obvious.

Also: Don't expect ApproveThis to replace your ERP. It's the traffic cop directing approvals between systems, not the entire infrastructure.

Next Steps for Sane Approvals

Test drive with your messiest approval process:

• Expense reports over $10k
• Multi-country vendor contracts
• Capital expenditure requests

Start a free ApproveThis trial, connect to freee via Zapier, and run one real-world approval flow. Either it saves 8 hours/week immediately, or you walk away. No "but maybe" scenarios.

Still reading? That's decision fatigue talking. Register now before another approval email hits your inbox.