ApproveThis manages your Smartsheet Integration approvals.

Why This Integration Isn't Just Another Corporate Handshake

Let's cut through the usual "synergy" bullshit. When ApproveThis hooks up with Smartsheet through Zapier, it's not about making two tools play nice - it's about fixing the shit that makes approvals take longer than your last all-hands meeting. We're talking about bridging the gap between the people asking for stuff (everyone) and the people who need to sign off on it (the busy ones).

The Nuts and Bolts That Actually Matter

Smartsheet's where work happens. ApproveThis is where decisions get made. Together? They're the workflow equivalent of finally getting that project manager who actually follows up. Here's why it clicks:

For the Process Nerds

ApproveThis handles the decision-making circus - multiple approvers, conditional logic, delegation when Karen's on vacation. Smartsheet tracks every moving part. Connect them through Zapier, and you've got approvals that automatically create paper trails, and data entries that kick off approval chains. No more chasing people through Slack threads.

License-Free Approvals (Your Finance Team Will High-Five You)

Here's the kicker: approvers don't need Smartsheet licenses. Client needs to sign off on a project spec? Vendor waiting on PO approval? They get an email, click approve/reject, done. Meanwhile, your Smartsheet automatically updates without giving external users access to your entire workspace. Security folks can stop sweating now.

Setting This Up Without Calling IT

If you can make toast, you can connect these tools:

1. Grab your ApproveThis and Smartsheet accounts
2. Open Zapier, pick a trigger (like "New Request" in ApproveThis)
3. Choose an action (like "Add Row" in Smartsheet)
4. Map the important fields - request ID to Column A, approver comments to Column B, etc.

Total setup time: Less than it takes to explain the problem in your next standup.

Real Teams Using This Without Wanting to Strangle Anyone

For Operations Teams: The Purchase Order Tango

Here's how a 200-person manufacturing company stopped losing POs:

• New row in Smartsheet's procurement sheet 2 Auto-create ApproveThis request
• CFO gets email, clicks approve 2 Smartsheet row updates status automatically
• Bonus: Their approval thresholds auto-approve orders under $5k, only escalating big spends

Marketing Teams: Campaign Approval Sprint

A 500-employee retail company's hack:

Designer finishes asset 2 Adds Smartsheet row with Google Drive link 2 ApproveThis pings legal and CMO 2 Comments in Smartsheet trigger revision requests 2 Final approval updates the campaign calendar. All without a single "Per my last email..."

IT Teams: The Access Request Shitshow Solved

Healthcare company with 1K+ employees:

HR adds new hire to Smartsheet 2 ApproveThis routes software access requests 2 Department heads approve via email 2 Approved apps auto-populate in onboarding sheet. Denied requests? They log the reason automatically for audit trails.

Features You'll Actually Use (No Fluff)

While we're here, let's call out the ApproveThis features that make this integration actually work:

Calculated Fields That Do Math So You Don't Have To

Auto-calculate budget impacts in approval requests. When combined with Smartsheet's formulas, you've got real-time financial visibility without Excel hell.

Vacation Delegation That Doesn't Require a PhD

Approver out? Requests automatically reroute to their backup. Smartsheet timeline stays green, projects keep moving, and nobody's scrambling to find someone's OOO email.

The Hidden Benefit Nobody Talks About

This integration isn't just about speed - it's about creating an approval paper trail that doesn't suck. Every Smartsheet row update ties back to:

- Who approved/rejected
- Exact time stamp
- Comments/conditions
- Version history

Auditors stop breathing down your neck. Managers can actually track decision rationale. Junior staff stops asking "Why did we approve this?" for the millionth time.

When Not to Use This (Yeah, We're Honest)

This isn't some magic fix-all. If your approval process is "The CEO nods during standup", maybe just stick to email. But if you're dealing with:

- Multiple departments needing to sign off
- Compliance/audit requirements
- External clients or vendors in the mix
- More than 20 approvals weekly

...then continuing without this integration is just willful masochism.

Your Move

Look, we both know approval processes suck less when they're not trapped in email purgatory or lost in spreadsheet tabs. The combo of ApproveThis + Smartsheet via Zapier is like giving your workflows a double shot of espresso - minus the jitters.

Either keep pasting approval links into Slack and hope for the best, or grab a demo and see how much time your teams actually waste on this stuff. Your choice. But if you're still manually updating Smartsheet rows after approvals in 2024, don't say we didn't warn you.