Clnto + ApproveThis: The Approval-to-Cash Engine Your Agency Actually Needs

Why Force Your Team to Choose Between Speed and Control?

Let's cut through the BS: most agencies and B2B service companies run on two currencies - client approvals and cash flow. Clnto handles the money moves. ApproveThis handles the decision-making. Connecting them through Zapier? That's how you stop losing deals in approval purgatory and start getting paid faster.

Clnto vs. ApproveThis: What Each Does Best

Clnto's your client operations hub - proposals, invoices, lead tracking, all in one place. But let's be real: it's built to record decisions, not make them. That's where ApproveThis comes in. We're the muscle that:

• Automatically routes proposals to the right stakeholders
• Triggers payment workflows when clients drag their feet
• Gives legal/finance teams veto power without slowing down sales

Three Ways This Integration Prints Money (Seriously)

1. From Paid Invoice to Verified Payment in 60 Seconds

Problem: Your accounting team wastes hours cross-checking Clnto payments against bank deposits. Solution: Auto-create approval requests when Clnto marks invoices paid.

How it works: Zapier triggers an ApproveThis workflow the second a Clnto invoice changes to "paid." Finance gets an email with payment details + bank deposit screenshot. One click approves the match, or flags discrepancies.

Who kills it: Marketing agencies with 50+ monthly client payments. Stops "Where's my money?" calls from leadership.

2. Approved Proposal → Invoice in Clnto → Client's Inbox

Problem: Sales teams promise "24-hour invoicing" then wait 3 days for legal to bless the SOW. Solution: Approved proposals auto-convert to Clnto invoices.

How it works: Legal approves the final proposal in ApproveThis → Zapier pushes approved terms into Clnto → Invoice generates with correct dates/rates/payment terms.

Who kills it: Consulting firms with change-order happy clients. Eliminates "That's not what we agreed" invoice disputes.

3. Lead Approval → Client Onboarding Without the Papercut

Problem: New leads get stuck waiting for compliance checks while competitors poach them. Solution: Auto-convert ApproveThis-approved leads into Clnto clients.

How it works: Sales submits lead for internal approval → ApproveThis routes to compliance/finance → Once approved, Zapier creates full client profile in Clnto with all collected data.

Who kills it: SaaS companies with strict client vetting. Reduces onboarding from 5 days to 5 hours.

Why This Isn't Just Another "Integration"

Most Zapier combos just shuffle data. This one actually removes human bottlenecks:

• Approval thresholds: Auto-approve invoices under $5k unless fraud detected
• Delegation: CFO out sick? Approval automatically reroutes to VP Finance
• Client-facing approvals: Clients approve scope changes in ApproveThis → Updates auto-sync to Clnto without giving them full system access

Setup That Takes Less Time Than Your Morning Coffee

1. Create a Zapier account (if you don't have one)
2. Connect Clnto and ApproveThis as apps in Zapier
3. Pick your trigger (e.g., "Invoice Paid" in Clnto)
4. Choose resulting action (e.g., "Create Approval Request" in ApproveThis)
5. Test with real data → Activate

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-flag invoices where Clnto's payment amount ≠ expected amount.

Which Teams Get Their Lives Changed?

Finance/Accounting

Stop being the "payment police." Approval thresholds auto-approve 80% of transactions, only escalating exceptions. Real-time tracking shows exactly who's sitting on approvals.

Sales/Account Management

Close deals with "Approved upon signature" terms, knowing legal's rules are baked into workflows. Get notified the second clients approve change orders.

Operations

See approval bottlenecks in real dashboards. Automatically convert approved proposals into Clnto projects with correct billing rates.

The Big Secret? Approvers Don't Need Clnto Access

Your CFO doesn't care about Clnto. Vendors shouldn't have it. ApproveThis shows approvers just the data they need via email or dashboard. No extra licenses. No training. Just yes/no decisions that sync back to Clnto.

Cool Features You'll Actually Use

Beyond the basics, this combo lets you:

Auto-escalate stuck approvals: Client hasn't approved the invoice in 48hrs? ApproveThis pings their AP contact + your account manager.

Dynamic approval paths: $10k+ invoices require CFO approval. Under $10k? Auto-approve if gross margin ≥ 30%.

Audit trails that don't suck: Every approval decision in ApproveThis logs the exact Clnto data used at decision time. No more "The system must have changed" excuses.

Real Talk: When This Integration Isn't Magic

If your approval processes are a free-for-all, this will just automate chaos. Get basic rules documented first. Also, don't expect it to fix fundamentally broken client contracts - it just enforces terms faster.

How to Start Printing Time/Money

1. Grab an ApproveThis trial
2. Book a 15-minute setup call with our team
3. Connect to Clnto via Zapier
4. Automate one process (start with invoice approvals)
5. Watch your team actually take lunch breaks again

Serious about scaling without hiring? Schedule a live demo. We'll show how 23 agencies use this integration to save 11.7 hours/week.