ApproveThis manages your MakePlans Integration approvals.

When Scheduling Meets Governance

Let's be real: nothing kills momentum faster than waiting for sign-offs. Your sales team books a client demo through MakePlans, but legal needs to vet the NDA. Operations schedules a vendor maintenance window, but finance hasn't approved the budget. This is where pairing MakePlans' scheduling muscle with ApproveThis' approval rigor changes the game.

ApproveThis isn't another layer of bureaucracy - it's the missing link between action and accountability. While MakePlans handles the when and who of appointments, ApproveThis answers the "are we actually allowed to do this?" question upfront. Together via Zapier, they create closed-loop workflows where bookings trigger approvals and approvals unlock bookings automatically.

Why This Combo Works for Mid-Sized Companies

Companies between 50-5,000 employees face a specific challenge: processes are complex enough to need structure, but not so rigid that they can't move fast. This integration directly addresses three pressure points:

1. Audit trails for compliance teams: Every approved/canceled booking in MakePlans automatically generates an approval paper trail in ApproveThis. No more spreadsheets or "I thought marketing signed off on that?"

2. Cross-department coordination: ApproveThis lets you require sign-offs from multiple teams before a MakePlans booking goes live. Legal reviews contracts while facilities approves room setups - all within the same workflow.

3. External approver access: Since ApproveThis approvers don't need MakePlans licenses (or vice versa), you can involve clients or vendors in approval chains without paying for extra seats. Think: getting a client's final sign-off on a workshop agenda before locking it in MakePlans.

Real-World Use Cases That Move Needles

1. High-Stakes Event Management

Event agencies using MakePlans for client bookings often hit a snag: clients want to reschedule last minute, but contracts require change approvals. Before, this meant back-and-forth emails. Now:

When a client reschedules in MakePlans → ApproveThis automatically pings the account manager and legal → Once approved, MakePlans updates the booking and notifies all parties. The kicker? ApproveThis' calculated fields can auto-approve changes under 2 hours while flagging bigger shifts for review.

2. Regulated Healthcare Scheduling

Medical clinics using MakePlans for patient visits need HIPAA-compliant approval chains. A new patient books an MRI → ApproveThis routes the request to check insurance pre-auth status and radiologist availability → Only when both approve does MakePlans confirm the booking. Bonus: approval thresholds let nurses auto-approve routine follow-ups while flagging unusual requests.

3. Enterprise Facility Management

Imagine a corporate campus where departments book shared spaces via MakePlans. Without guardrails, you get double-booked boardrooms. The fix:

Team submits MakePlans booking → ApproveThis requires approvals from Facilities (room specs), IT (AV needs), and Security (clearance level) → All must approve within 2 hours or the request escalates. The vacation delegation feature ensures backups cover absent approvers.

Setting Up Without the Headache

If you've used Zapier before, this is a 15-minute setup. If not, here's the playbook:

Step 1: Create a Zapier account (free tier works for testing)

Step 2: Connect MakePlans and ApproveThis as Zapier apps using your existing logins

Step 3: Choose your trigger. Most teams start with "New Booking Confirmed" in MakePlans → "Create Request" in ApproveThis

Step 4: Map critical data fields:

• MakePlans booking date → ApproveThis due date
• Client email → ApproveThis approver list
• Service type → Approval workflow rules

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' conditional logic to route high-value bookings to execs while automating routine approvals. A $500 consulting session might need VP sign-off, while a $50 product demo doesn't.

Teams That Benefit Most

Operations Managers

You're juggling equipment bookings, maintenance schedules, and vendor access. Connect MakePlans to ApproveThis to:

- Auto-approve recurring bookings from trusted vendors
- Require safety certifications for specialized equipment reservations
- Get real-time dashboards showing pending vs approved resource allocations

Sales Leaders

Your team books client demos like crazy, but sometimes jumps the gun on unapproved discounts. Solution:

- Any demo booking with >10% discount in notes → Requires sales director approval
- Approved sessions auto-confirm in MakePlans with calendar invites
- Denied requests trigger Slack alerts to revise proposals

Compliance Officers

You need visibility without being a bottleneck. With this integration:

- All bookings requiring legal review are auto-flagged in ApproveThis
- Approved requests lock in MakePlans with compliance timestamps
- Denials automatically notify requestors with policy violation details

Why This Isn't Just Another Integration

Most scheduling tools bolt on basic approval features. What makes this combo different?

No blind spots: Native approval features in scheduling apps only handle internal checks. ApproveThis brings in clients, vendors, or regulators via email approvals - no new logins required.

Adapts as you grow: Start simple with one-step approvals, then layer in multi-department workflows, monetary thresholds, or location-based rules as needs evolve.

Kills shadow processes: When teams can't easily get approvals, they invent workarounds. This pairing makes compliance the path of least resistance.

When to Think Twice

This integration shines for companies where scheduling has real consequences - financial, legal, or operational. If you're booking low-stakes meetings without compliance needs, you might not need it. But if any of these apply, it's worth a look:

- You have SLAs for response times on bookings
- Multiple departments influence scheduling decisions
- Mistakes in bookings could lead to compliance issues
- You manage shared resources with competing demands

Getting Started Without the Sales Pitch

ApproveThis offers a free tier for up to 10 approval workflows - more than enough to test drive. Pair it with your existing MakePlans account via Zapier's free plan. If it sticks? Scale up. If not? No harm done.

Ready to stop playing approval whack-a-mole? Spin up an ApproveThis account, connect your MakePlans via Zapier, and automate your first approval flow in under an hour. Or if you'd rather see it live, book a 15-minute demo - we'll even use your MakePlans account data for the walkthrough.