ApproveThis manages your Submittable approvals.

When Submissions Meet Approvals: No More Black Holes

Let's cut to the chase: if your team uses Submittable, you're drowning in applications, content pitches, or grant requests. And if you're here, your current approval process probably looks like this:

1. Submission comes in
2. Someone forwards it to "the right person"
3. It gets lost in Slack/email purgatory
4. Follow-up meetings happen to discuss why things are late

ApproveThis doesn't just "integrate" with Submittable - it surgically removes the bottleneck between collecting submissions and actually deciding what to do with them. We're talking about turning weeks of back-and-forth into a process that actually finishes before your next coffee break.

How This Duo Works (Without the Corporate Jargon)

Submittable's great at gathering stuff. ApproveThis is great at getting people to say "yes" or "no" without 17 reminder emails. Connect them through Zapier, and here's what changes:

• No more manual handoffs: New Submittable entry = automatic approval workflow
• Zero license headaches: Approvers only need email - no extra logins

Real example: A regional theater company uses this combo to process 300+ play submissions annually. Their literary manager told us: "Before, we'd miss deadlines because scripts sat in someone's inbox. Now? The system pokes people until they decide."

Three Ways This Saves Actual Time (Not Theoretical "Efficiency")

1. Auto-Create Approval Chains from Submissions

Scenario: You're a publisher getting 50 manuscript submissions weekly through Submittable.

Old way: Editorial assistant downloads PDFs, emails acquisitions team, tracks replies in spreadsheet

New way: Each submission auto-generates an ApproveThis request with:

- Genre-based routing (romance goes to Sarah, thrillers to Mark)
- Auto-reject if word count exceeds thresholds
- Escalation if no response in 72hrs

Why it matters: Acquiring editors report 40% faster response times. Authors don't ghost you for competitors.

2. Status Changes That Actually Do Something

Submittable shows when a submission moves from "Under Review" to "Shortlisted." But then what?

Connect that status change to ApproveThis for:

- Automatic contract drafting approvals
- Budget sign-offs for next steps
- Vendor onboarding triggers (e.g., illustrators for accepted manuscripts)

Real impact: A municipal grants department cut their award disbursement time from 6 weeks to 9 days using this method.

3. Approval Paper Trails That Don't Suck

Ever had an approved request, but the submission file has zero record of it?

When ApproveThis finalizes a decision, it auto-adds notes to the Submittable entry with:

- Who approved/rejected
- Timestamps
- Any conditional notes ("Approved if budget under $20k")

Compliance win: Auditors love this during grant reviews. Less love for your legal team's ulcer medication.

Setup That Doesn't Require an IT Degree

If you can make a sandwich, you can connect these tools:

1. Create a Zapier account (free tier works)
2. Pick your Submittable trigger (new submission, status change, etc.)
3. Choose ApproveThis as the action app
4. Map submission fields to approval criteria
5. Test with live data

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-flag submissions that need extra scrutiny. Example: Grant requests exceeding $50k get routed to CFO-level approval automatically.

Department-Specific Wins (No Fluff)

For Marketing Teams

Content submissions (guest posts, influencer collabs) get stuck between agencies and legal. Fix it by:

- Auto-routing to compliance if certain keywords exist
- Adding brand manager approval step for high-profile partners
- Syncing approved content directly to CMS publication queues

For Nonprofits & Foundations

Grant management isn't just about saying "yes" - it's audit-proof documentation. Combine both tools to:

- Require dual approvals for restricted funds
- Auto-generate grant agreements upon approval
- Track reviewer response times to identify bottlenecks

For HR & Talent Teams

Job applications need quick screening without bias. Set up:

- Blind resume approvals (names/ages hidden)
- Interview panel consensus workflows
- Auto-reject if required certifications are missing

Why This Beats "Just Using Submittable's Tools"

Submittable's built-in review features are... fine. For small teams. But when you need:

- Multi-department input: Legal + Finance + Operations all in one chain
- External approvers: Clients, board members, or partners without logins
- Conditional logic: "If X, do Y" approval paths

That's where ApproveThis adds teeth. Plus, the vacation delegate feature alone prevents 73% of "But I was OOO!" excuses (real stat from our customer data).

Objections We've Heard (And Shot Down)

"We already have Slack approvals."
Cool. Now find that approval from three months ago. Oh wait, it's buried under cat memes.

"Our process is too complex."
We handle 11-step approvals with parallel paths. Your complexity is our Tuesday.

"We don't want another tool."
Approvers don't need another tool. They get emails. Click approve. Done.

How to Start Actually Using This

1. Grab an ApproveThis trial (no CC required)
2. Make a Zapier account if you don't have one
3. Pick one process to automate first - say, content approvals
4. Set up your first Zap in 15 minutes
5. Watch how much less people complain in meetings

Or, if you'd rather have someone walk you through real-world examples, book a 15-minute demo. We'll show how other teams in your industry use this combo to stop drowning in pending requests.

The Bottom Line (No Motivational Poster BS)

Submittable collects the data. ApproveThis forces decisions to happen. Together, they remove the "human delay" factor from your processes. Which means you can either:

- Keep doing manual follow-ups and missed deadlines
- Connect two tools and actually hit those Q3 goals

Your call. But if you've read this far, you know which option doesn't suck.