When Your Inbox Becomes a Black Hole for Decisions
Let's be real: customer service teams using Front are already juggling 12 tabs, 8 priority tags, and 37 unread messages that all claim to be urgent. Now add approval requests buried in comment threads or lost between Slack pings. This is where shit goes sideways.
ApproveThis plugs directly into Front's workflow to automate the "hey, can you approve this?" merry-go-round. We're talking about turning scattered requests into tracked, auditable processes that don't require approvers to learn another tool. Because nobody has time for that.
What Happens When Approval Management Grows Up
Front handles the communication chaos. ApproveThis handles the decision-making chaos. Together, they work like this:
- No more approval scavenger hunts: Requests generated from Front comments/messages automatically route to the right people
- Zero license headaches: Approvers click "Approve" in their email. No Front login required. Clients, contractors, execs - all they need is inbox access
Real example: A customer support team gets a refund request over $500. Front tags it, ApproveThis triggers a multi-level finance approval, then auto-updates the customer via Front - all before the customer finishes their coffee.
Five Ways This Combo Saves Actual Hours (Not "Productivity Hours")
1. Kill the "Did You See My Approval Request?" Follow-Ups
Use Case: New comment in Front → Auto-create approval request in ApproveThis
Customer success teams: When a high-priority request hits Front (like a enterprise client asking for custom contract terms), ApproveThis instantly fires off approvals to legal and sales ops. Approvers get email links that work on any device. Denied? The CSM gets notified in Front with specific rejection reasons.
2. Stop Playing Telephone with Decision Updates
Use Case: Approval decision in ApproveThis → Post update in Front
Marketing teams use this for campaign sign-offs: Once final assets get approved, ApproveThis automatically adds a Front comment with attached files and approval timestamps. No more "Is this the latest version?" confusion.
3. Escalate Without the Awkward Tagging
Use Case: New Front message → Approval request based on content
Operations teams handling vendor invoices: Front detects a supplier's payment terms change via email. ApproveThis routes it through legal and finance with calculated fields showing cost impact. If denied, procurement gets notified in Front to renegotiate.
4. Assign Work Based on What Matters
Use Case: New Front tag → Auto-assign conversation + approvals
Example: A support ticket tagged #fraud in Front triggers ApproveThis to assign both the conversation and a parallel approval chain to security and finance teams. All decisions are logged against the original ticket.
5. Approval Requests That Actually Get Seen
Use Case: New ApproveThis request → Front DM to approver
For time-sensitive approvals (like PR crisis responses), the system DMs approvers directly in Front with a summary and one-click buttons. If they ignore it? ApproveThis escalates after set time thresholds.
Setup That Doesn't Require a PhD in Zapier
Here's the brass tacks:
- Connect Front and ApproveThis via Zapier (takes 4 minutes)
- Pick your trigger in Front (new message, comment, tag, etc.)
- Map key data to ApproveThis fields (amounts, due dates, requesters)
- Set approval rules: Who needs to approve what, in which order, with which conditions
Pro tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-approve small requests (like under $100 expenses) while flagging bigger ones. Front tags can trigger different approval paths - #urgent skips junior approvers, #client_approval adds external reviewers.
Why This Isn't Just Another "Integration"
Most approval tools make you choose between flexibility and control. ApproveThis gives both:
- Approval thresholds: Auto-approve/deny based on rules (e.g., "All refunds over $1k need CFO review")
- Vacation coverage: Approvers out? Delegates get auto-assigned without breaking workflows
- Real-time audits: Every decision tied back to original Front message with full context
Example: A sales team using Front for deal comms. When a discount request comes in, ApproveThis calculates margin impact, routes it to the right approver, and if no reply in 2 hours, escalates to their manager. All without leaving Front's interface.
Who Actually Benefits (Besides Your Sanity)
Customer Support Teams
Reduce resolution time by eliminating approval delays. Escalate complex issues to product/engineering with all context attached. Track SLA compliance through ApproveThis' dashboard.
Finance Teams
Auto-route invoices/POs from Front emails to approvers based on amount and department. Enforce policy compliance without being the "bad cop".
Operations Teams
Standardize IT/security requests coming through Front. Ensure proper sign-offs before provisioning access or tools.
Marketing Teams
Manage content reviews and campaign approvals without endless email threads. Keep all feedback and versions tied to original requests.
No, This Doesn't Require Retraining Your Team
ApproveThis works where your team already lives:
- Approvers: Click email links → Approve/Deny → Done
- Requesters: Submit via Front comments or automated triggers
- Admins: Set rules once, tweak as needed
Example: A healthcare company handles patient data requests in Front. ApproveThis ensures HIPAA-compliant approvals with audit trails, without requiring external partners to log into yet another portal.
How to Not Screw This Up
Common mistakes we've seen:
- Overcomplicating workflows: Start with 2-3 critical approval types. Expand later.
- Ignoring auto-approval rules: Use calculated fields to bypass human reviews for routine OKs
- Forgetting time zones: Approval deadlines sync with approver locations
Pro tip: Use Front's tagging with ApproveThis' conditional logic. Tag a conversation #rush? Approval SLAs get halved. Tag #executive? Route to C-suite approvers.
Bottom Line: This Isn't About Approvals
It's about removing the 23 back-and-forth messages that happen because someone didn't approve something on time. Or at all.
ApproveThis + Front works because:
- No new tools for approvers
- No more lost requests
- No more guessing who's holding things up
Ready to stop herding cats? Get started with ApproveThis or schedule a 15-minute demo to see how it works with Front.
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