ApproveThis manages your Zahara Integration approvals.

When Approval Software Meets Purchase Management

Let's cut through the corporate jargon: approvals suck. They're the traffic jams of business operations. ApproveThis fixes this by making decisions happen faster, while Zahara handles the financial paperwork. Together? They're like a caffeine shot for your procurement and finance teams.

Here's the deal: Zahara manages invoices and purchase orders. ApproveThis manages who needs to sign off on what. Connect them via Zapier, and you've got a system where purchase requests automatically route to the right people, approvals trigger financial actions, and nobody's chasing down VPs in the parking lot.

Why Mid-Sized Companies Need This Combo

Companies between 50-5,000 employees get squeezed hardest by manual approvals. You're too big for ad-hoc processes, too lean for enterprise ERP systems. This integration handles four critical pain points:

• Speed: 3-day approval cycles become 3-hour ones
• Audit Trails: Every decision timestamped and attributable

Example: A $20M manufacturing company uses this setup to approve supplier invoices. Their AP team saved 11 hours/week by auto-routing approvals based on department budgets in ApproveThis, then auto-recording approved invoices in Zahara.

Real-World Workflows That Don't Feel Like Robot Scripts

1. Purchase Orders That Actually Stay Approved

Scenario: A construction company sends a $45K lumber order via Zahara. The integration triggers an ApproveThis workflow requiring:

• Project manager approval (sequential)
• CFO approval if >$30K (conditional threshold)

Result: Suppliers get POs faster, procurement doesn't over-order, and approvers only get pinged for what matters.

2. Invoices That Pay Themselves (Almost)

Scenario: A marketing agency approves a client campaign budget in ApproveThis. Zapier auto-creates a Zahara invoice against the approved amount. Accounting processes payment without re-entering data.

Key detail: ApproveThis' calculated fields ensure invoice amounts match approved budgets. No more 'Oops, we billed $50K instead of $15K' moments.

3. Emergency Purchases That Don't Break Policy

Scenario: A hospital's ER department needs emergency equipment. Zahara flags it as 'urgent.' ApproveThis:

• Routes to department head first (sequential)
• Skips standard 3-day SLA (conditional logic)
• Auto-approves if no response in 2 hours (escalation)

Critical point: Approvers get mobile-friendly email approvals. No app logins required – crucial for external medical contractors.

Features You'll Actually Use

ApproveThis isn't just another approval queue. When connected to Zahara:

Approval Thresholds: Auto-approve invoices under $1K. Require CEO sign-off above $25K. Zahara enforces the amounts; ApproveThis enforces the policy.

Vacation Delegation: CFO out climbing Kilimanjaro? Approvals auto-reassign to COO. No expired requests piling up.

Calculated Fields: Automatically compare purchase order totals against project budgets in Zahara. Approvers see real-time 'remaining budget' numbers.

Department-Specific Wins

Finance Teams

Kill spreadsheet tracking. When Zahara invoices get approved via ApproveThis, the integration auto-updates your GL codes. Month-end closes stop being horror shows.

Procurement Teams

Stop playing approval tag. Purchase requests in Zahara auto-route based on category:

• IT hardware > CTO
• Office supplies > Facilities manager

Approvers get context via ApproveThis – supplier history, past POs, contract terms.

Project Managers

Budget tracking that doesn't require babysitting. Approved expenses in ApproveThis auto-sync to Zahara project budgets. Go over 75%? Automatic alerts trigger.

Setting This Up Without IT Involvement

Zapier does the heavy lifting. Basic flow:

1. Create Zapier account (if missing)
2. Connect Zahara and ApproveThis
3. Pick trigger (e.g., 'New PO in Zahara')
4. Add action ('Create Approval Request' in ApproveThis)
5. Map fields (keep it simple – amount, vendor, project ID)

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis' Zahara template library for common workflows. No need to build from scratch.

The Silent Killer Feature: License Savings

Zahara seats cost money. ApproveThis approvers don't need Zahara licenses. Example: External auditors approving invoices only need email access. Same for client approvals on project budgets. That's $1,200/year saved per external user.

When to Consider This Integration

If your company:

• Has >20 monthly purchase approvals
• Uses spreadsheets for approval tracking
• Has remote approvers (clients, contractors, board members)

Bonus: ApproveThis' real-time dashboard gives leadership instant visibility – no more 'Where's that $100K wire transfer?' panics.

No-BS Next Steps

This isn't a 'digital transformation' sermon. It's practical process fixes.

Do this now:

1. Book a 15-minute ApproveThis demo
2. Check Zahara's Zapier integrations
3. Pick one process to automate (start small – expense reports work)

Or keep doing approvals manually. Your funeral.