ApproveThis manages your Dropbox Sign Integration approvals.

When Paperwork Meets Red Tape

Let’s be real – getting documents signed is only half the battle. The real fun starts when you need three people to approve that vendor contract, four departments to sign off on the new hire’s NDA, or your finance team to greenlight an invoice that’s already been stamped by a client. This is where most companies waste days chasing down approvals in Slack threads or digging through email chains.

ApproveThis and Dropbox Sign fix this by automating the handoff between getting signatures and getting internal buy-in. No more “I thought you were handling this” or “Was I supposed to approve that?” moments. Just a clean process where signed documents trigger approvals (and vice versa) automatically.

Why This Combo Works for Mid-Sized Teams

Dropbox Sign handles the “get this signed” part beautifully. ApproveThis owns the “get five people to say yes” part. Together, they’re like a relay race where the baton gets passed automatically. Here’s why that matters:

• No more license juggling: Approvers in ApproveThis don’t need Dropbox Sign access. Great when working with external partners or contractors who shouldn’t have full app access.
• Decisions stick to documents: Every approved/denied request in ApproveThis automatically updates your Dropbox Sign records (and vice versa). Audit trails stay intact.

Example: A signed sales contract in Dropbox Sign triggers an approval chain in ApproveThis for legal review → finance allocation → project kickoff. Each team does their part without ever leaving their inbox.

Three Ways This Integration Actually Gets Used

1. Contracts That Don’t Collect Dust After Signing

The Problem: Your sales team celebrates a signed contract… then realizes operations needs to approve resourcing, legal wants a final look, and finance hasn’t budgeted for it.

The Fix: Connect Dropbox Sign’s “Document Signed” trigger to ApproveThis. Now, every signed contract auto-generates an approval workflow with checklists tailored to each department.

Who Uses This: - SaaS companies handling enterprise contracts with complex service terms
- Agencies approving custom SOWs after client signature
- Healthcare providers requiring compliance checks after patient consent forms are signed

2. Procurement That Doesn’t Require a Nagging Intern

The Problem: Your team approves a purchase, but the vendor’s invoice needs signatures from three people who are never in the office at the same time.

The Fix: ApproveThis starts an approval chain for the PO → auto-sends the invoice via Dropbox Sign once approved → notifies AP when signed. All without manual handoffs.

Who Uses This: - Manufacturing companies managing supplier contracts
- Educational institutions processing facility rental agreements
- Franchises handling standardized vendor onboarding

3. Handling “No” Without the Panic

The Problem: A client declines your proposal in Dropbox Sign. Now what? Cue the emergency meetings and frantic Slack threads.

The Fix: Dropbox Sign’s “Declined” trigger starts an ApproveThis workflow to either escalate the issue, offer revised terms, or notify account managers. No more dropped balls.

Who Uses This: - Consulting firms revising SOWs after client pushback
- Legal teams handling rejected NDAs during mergers
- Property managers addressing lease negotiation stalemates

Setting This Up Without an IT Ticket

Using Zapier, you’ll create a “Zap” that connects Dropbox Sign and ApproveThis. Here’s the 30-second version:

1. Pick a trigger (e.g., “Document Signed” in Dropbox Sign)
2. Choose the resulting action in ApproveThis (“Create Approval Request”)
3. Map fields so the approval request includes the signed doc link, signer details, etc.
4. Test with a real document (pro tip: use your lunch order form first)

Most teams set this up in under 15 minutes. The real work is deciding who needs to approve what – but that’s a process question, not a tech problem.

Why Your Team Leads Will Actually Like This

For Legal Teams:

ApproveThis’ sequential approvals mean GCs review contracts after local counsel, not the other way around. Vacation delegation ensures someone’s always covering – no more “Out of Office” bottlenecks.

For Finance:

Approval thresholds auto-approve invoices under $5K but escalate bigger spends. Real-time tracking shows exactly where budgets get held up.

For HR:

New hire documents get signed in Dropbox Sign → trigger equipment approvals, Slack access requests, and onboarding schedules in ApproveThis. All before the candidate’s first day.

The Fine Print (That’s Actually Useful)

Licensing: Approvers only need ApproveThis access – no extra Dropbox Sign seats required. Huge cost saver when working with external partners.

Security: ApproveThis maintains an audit trail showing who approved what, when, and why. Combines with Dropbox Sign’s document history for compliance.

Mobile: Approvers can review docs and click approve/reject from their phone. No VPNs or clunky apps required.

When to Consider This Combo

This integration makes sense if:

- You have 5+ approval processes involving signed documents
- External partners/clients are part of your workflows
- More than 20% of approvals get delayed due to missing signatures or internal reviews

It’s overkill if you’re a 10-person team where everyone’s in the same room. But for 50-5,000 person companies? This is how you scale without adding bureaucracy.

Getting Started (Without the Sales Pitch)

1. Grab an ApproveThis trial – no credit card needed
2. Connect to Dropbox Sign via Zapier (their API plans cover this)
3. Build one workflow around your most painful approval bottleneck
4. Let the team test it for a week – adjust approvers/triggers as needed

Pro tip: Start with a low-stakes process (like content publishing approvals) before tackling financial workflows.

The Bottom Line

ApproveThis + Dropbox Sign isn’t about flashy features. It’s about fixing the 47 back-and-forth emails that happen after someone signs a document. It’s for companies that are done letting paperwork chaos slow down real work.

Either keep pasting Google Doc links into Slack and hoping for the best, or set up a 15-minute demo. At least one of these options doesn’t involve herding cats.