ApproveThis manages your ChargeDesk approvals.

When Payments Meet Approvals: Why This Combo Slaps

Let’s cut through the corporate fluff: you’re here because your finance team’s drowning in payment follow-ups while managers waste hours chasing down approvals. ChargeDesk handles the money moves. ApproveThis handles the decision-making. Together? They’re like caffeine for your billing processes.

ChargeDesk automates payment requests, failed charge handling, and subscription management. ApproveThis automates who needs to sign off on what – with rules, reminders, and real-time tracking. Connect them via Zapier, and you’ve just turned “Hey, did anyone approve that refund?” into a system that works while your team sleeps.

Where ChargeDesk Ends and ApproveThis Begins (Spoiler: It’s Seamless)

ChargeDesk is your payment command center – tracking charges, managing subscriptions, sending payment reminders. But when transactions need human decisions (like approving a failed charge exception or greenlighting a subscription cancellation), things get messy. That’s where ApproveThis takes the wheel:

ApproveThis adds three things ChargeDesk can’t:

• Multi-layer approvals: Require sign-offs from finance AND legal? ApproveThis routes requests based on rules, not hope.
• External approvers: Clients or vendors can approve charges without needing a ChargeDesk login (huge for agencies).
• Auto-escalations: Stuck approvals? The system nudges the right people or pushes it up the chain.

Real-World Workflows That Actually Make Sense

Let’s talk about specific ways mid-sized companies use this integration to stop losing money on avoidable bottlenecks:

Use Case 1: Failed Charges That Don’t Fall Through Cracks

Problem: Your CS team sees a failed charge in ChargeDesk. They email the account manager, who forgets to follow up. Revenue leaks.

Fix: Zapier auto-creates an ApproveThis request when ChargeDesk detects a failed charge. Route it to the account lead + finance. If approved, ChargeDesk retries the payment or triggers a dunning email. If denied, it escalates to collections.

Who wins: SaaS companies with recurring billing. Example: A $5M ARR cybersecurity firm reduced failed charge resolution time from 14 days to 48 hours.

Use Case 2: Subscription Cancellations That Require a Second Look

Problem: Customers cancel subscriptions, but your team doesn’t know why. No chance to save the relationship.

Fix: When someone cancels in ChargeDesk, ApproveThis requires the CS manager to approve only after documenting the reason. Optionally route to retention specialists for a save offer.

Who wins: Subscription box services, membership platforms. Example: A fitness app used this to recover 22% of cancellations with targeted discounts.

Use Case 3: Payment Requests That Don’t Require Begging

Problem: Your project gets client approval, but accounting doesn’t know to send the invoice. Cue awkward check-in emails.

Fix: When a project approval hits ApproveThis, Zapier tells ChargeDesk to fire off the payment request. No human middlemen.

Who wins: Marketing agencies, consultants. Example: A 50-person dev shop eliminated 1200+ monthly “Did you send the invoice?” Slack messages.

Setup That Takes Less Time Than Your Morning Coffee

Connecting ApproveThis and ChargeDesk isn’t some IT dungeon crawl. Here’s the TLDR:

1. Log into Zapier (or create a free account).
2. Choose a ChargeDesk trigger (like “Charge Failed” or “Subscription Canceled”).
3. Pick ApproveThis as the action app (“Create Request”).
4. Map ChargeDesk data to ApproveThis fields (amount, customer email, etc.).
5. Test with a real transaction. Tweak if needed. Activate.

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’s approval thresholds to auto-approve small charges (under $500?) but require eyes on bigger amounts.

Teams That Get Their Time Back

This isn’t just about finance. Here’s how different departments benefit:

Finance Teams

Stop playing detective on failed charges. Set rules so any charge over $1K needs CFO approval, others get auto-retried. ApproveThis logs every decision for audits.

Customer Success

See why subscriptions cancel before it’s too late. Require documented reasons in ApproveThis before finalizing cancellations in ChargeDesk.

External Partners

Clients approve project milestones directly via ApproveThis (no ChargeDesk logins). Once approved, ChargeDesk invoices automatically. No more “The check’s in the mail” limbo.

Features You’ll Actually Use (No Bloat Here)

ApproveThis isn’t another tool that complicates your life. Key features that matter here:

• Email approvals: Approvers click “Approve” without logging into anything.
• Vacation coverage: Auto-reassign approvals if someone’s OOO.
• Calculated fields: Auto-add late fees in approval requests based on ChargeDesk data.

The Bottom Line: Less Chasing, More Doing

Companies between 50-5k employees don’t have time for manual approvals or payment guesswork. This integration kills two birds with one stone:

1. ChargeDesk handles the money mechanics.
2. ApproveThis handles the human decisions.

Result? Faster payments, fewer errors, and teams that focus on work that actually moves the needle.

Get Started with ApproveThis (It’s free for 14 days. No, you don’t need a credit card.)