When Phones Meet Paperwork: Why This Integration Isn’t Just Another “Workflow Solution”
Let’s cut through the noise: most companies treat approvals like a bad game of telephone. Someone makes a request. It gets lost between apps. Managers chase down details. Meanwhile, your actual work – the stuff that moves revenue – sits waiting for someone to click “approve.”
ApproveThis and Crexendo fix this by connecting what you say to what gets done. Crexendo handles your voice comms – calls, voicemails, recordings. ApproveThis handles the decisions. Together via Zapier, they turn conversations into actions without the usual bureaucratic sludge.
Real Talk: What This Combo Actually Does
ApproveThis isn’t just digital Post-It notes. It’s built for companies where approvals impact cash flow or customer experience. Custom workflows. Conditional logic. Automatic escalations. Crexendo isn’t just a dial tone – it’s how teams actually talk to clients and each other.
Merge them, and you get:
- No more “Who approved that?” Every call recording, voicemail, or status change ties directly to an audit trail in ApproveThis
- Decisions that keep pace with calls – approve/deny requests right from email so sales doesn’t miss their window
- Zero license headaches – approvers don’t need Crexendo logins (they’ll love you for not cluttering their inbox)
Use Cases That Don’t Suck: Where This Actually Matters
1. Customer Support Teams: Stop Letting Angry Voicemails Rot
Picture this: A VIP client leaves a pissed-off voicemail at 7 PM. Your support lead gets the transcription via Crexendo. Normally, it’d sit until morning. With the integration:
Crexendo triggers an ApproveThis request to escalate. The VP of Client Ops gets an email, approves overtime for after-hours support, and routes the ticket – all before the client finishes their dinner.
Why it works: ApproveThis’ thresholds auto-route based on keywords (“cancel account,” “legal action”) pulled from Crexendo’s transcriptions.
2. Sales Teams: Close Deals Before Competitors Pick Up the Phone
Your rep records a demo call where the prospect says, “We need this by Q3.” Crexendo detects that phrase, kicks an approval to Legal via ApproveThis to fast-track the contract. Legal approves with one click, triggering a Crexendo status change that alerts Sales to send docs during the call.
The kicker: Vacation delegation means if the usual legal approver’s out, it auto-routes to their backup. No stalled deals.
3. Operations: Kill Phantom Approvals That Haunt Your Budget
Facilities team requests a new phone line via Crexendo. ApproveThis checks:
- Is this location over its telecom budget?
- Does the requester have authority?
- Has Procurement already approved a similar request?
If yes, it auto-approves. If no, escalates to Finance. All without someone manually cross-referencing six spreadsheets.
Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind
No, you don’t need IT. If you can order lunch on DoorDash, you can connect these via Zapier:
- Pick your trigger: New call recording? Voicemail? Approval status change?
- Map critical data: Caller ID → Approver role. Transcription keywords → Approval thresholds.
- Test with a real request: Have someone leave a test voicemail. See if it routes correctly.
Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ calculated fields to auto-flag high-priority requests. Example: Any voicemail from “Area Code 212” gets “Urgent” status based on Crexendo data.
Teams That Win With This Combo
Customer Success: Turn Feedback Into Action, Not Tickets
Crexendo flags a client call where they mention “renewal concerns.” ApproveThis routes an approval to offer a discounted add-on. CSMs get the greenlight before the next check-in.
IT & Security: Stop Playing Whack-a-Mole With Access Requests
Employee requests phone access for a new contractor via Crexendo. ApproveThis checks:
- Is the contractor in HR’s system?
- Has their manager approved department access?
Only then does Crexendo provision the line.
Finance: Audit Trails That Don’t Require a PhD to Decode
Every approved call recording (like a vendor agreement) gets logged in ApproveThis with metadata: who approved it, when, and why. Come audit season, you’re not scrambling to match spreadsheets to call logs.
Why This Isn’t Just “Zapier Magic”
Plenty of apps connect via Zapier. What makes this different:
ApproveThis handles conditional complexity that’d break other tools. Example: A sales call needs Marketing’s approval unless the deal size exceeds $50K, then it goes to CFO. Crexendo provides the call data; ApproveThis executes the logic.
Crexendo’s call intelligence gives context most approval tools ignore. Approvers see transcript snippets, caller history, even sentiment analysis – no logging into another app.
Bottom Line: If Your Team Talks, You Need This
Approvals aren’t about control – they’re about velocity. Every minute saved on rubber-stamping is a minute your team spends closing deals, calming clients, or shipping products.
ApproveThis + Crexendo via Zapier isn’t another tool. It’s the difference between being the company that reacts and the one that decides.
Get started now or schedule a demo to see how fast approvals can actually move.
FAQ (Because We Know You’re Thinking It)
Q: Do approvers need Crexendo access?
A: Nope. They approve via email or ApproveThis’ dashboard. No new logins.
Q: What if we change our Crexendo setup?
A: ApproveThis workflows adapt. Edit conditions, approvers, thresholds anytime.
Q: How’s this different from our current process?
A: Right now, you’re probably forwarding emails or tagging people in Slack. This actually closes the loop between talk and action.
Integrate with Crexendo Integration and get 90 days of ApproveThis for free.
After you create a Zapier integration, please email us at support@approve-this.com with your account name and we'll add 3 months of ApproveThis to your account. Limit one redemption per account.
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Best Approval Workflows for Crexendo
Suggested workflows (and their Zapier components) for Crexendo
Create approval requests for new call recordings
When a new call recording is captured, this integration creates an approval request in ApproveThis to review the recording before further action. *Note: Ensure your approval thresholds are set in ApproveThis to match your business process.*
Zapier Components

Trigger
New Call Recording
Triggers when a call has been recorded.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Create approval requests for new voicemails
Triggers when a voicemail is received and automatically creates an approval request in ApproveThis for further review. *Note: Adjust filter settings if you wish to restrict requests based on voicemail details.*
Zapier Components

Trigger
New Voicemail
Triggers when a new voicemail is received.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Update phone status when approval decisions occur
When an approval request is approved or denied in ApproveThis, this integration updates the phone status in Crexendo accordingly, ensuring timely communication adjustments. *Note: Verify that phone statuses in Crexendo align with your approval outcomes.*
Zapier Components
Trigger
A Request Is Approved/Denied
Triggers when a request is approved or denied.

Action
Change Status
Changes the status of your phone.
Update phone status for new approval requests
Captures new approval requests received in ApproveThis and updates the phone status in Crexendo, streamlining communication management. *Note: Review the mapping between approval types and phone statuses for accurate updates.*
Zapier Components
Trigger
New Request
Triggers when a new approval request workflow is initiated.

Action
Change Status
Changes the status of your phone.
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