Why Pair Approval Workflows with Process Documentation?
Let’s cut through the corporate jargon: Waybook helps you document how your company actually works, while ApproveThis ensures people actually follow those processes. Together, they stop your SOPs from becoming digital wallpaper that everyone ignores.
For companies between 50-5,000 employees, this combo solves two headaches:
- Compliance without babysitting: Auto-route approvals when training modules get updated or new docs get published
- Scale without chaos: Enforce approval chains for critical changes, even if your team’s spread across departments/regions
The kicker? Approvers don’t need Waybook licenses. Perfect for involving external partners or execs who just need to sign off, not geek out on your documentation platform.
How This Integration Actually Works
Using Zapier, we’re connecting two triggers and two actions:
From Waybook → ApproveThis: When docs get completed/published, automatically create approval requests with all context included.
From ApproveThis → Waybook: When approvals happen, trigger follow-up actions like adding reviewers or creating new training subjects.
No more “Did you email Bob about the updated policy?” or “Who approved this pricing doc?”. The system handles the busywork while your team handles actual decisions.
Real-World Use Cases (That Don’t Suck)
1. Lock Down Critical Process Changes
Scenario: Your IT team updates the cybersecurity protocol in Waybook. Instead of Slack-bombing the legal and compliance teams, ApproveThis:
- Auto-creates an approval request with the doc link
- Routes it sequentially to Legal → Compliance → CISO
- Only publishes the update after full sign-off
Who cares: Healthcare, finance, any org where unauthorized changes could mean lawsuits or fines.
2. Stop Onboarding Free-For-Alls
Problem: New sales hires skipping required training modules because “I already know this stuff”. Solution:
- Waybook triggers when someone completes onboarding docs
- ApproveThis requires their manager + HR to confirm completion
- Only then does their CRM access get activated
Bonus: Use ApproveThis’ calculated fields to auto-approve for tenured hires switching roles, but require full review for newbies.
3. Kill Zombie Documents
That outdated sales playbook from 2019? It keeps resurfacing because nobody officially retired it. Fix:
When Waybook detects a doc hasn’t been updated in X days:
- Auto-create an ApproveThis request to either renew or archive it
- Route to document owner + department head
- If no response in 7 days, escalate to their VP
Uses ApproveThis’ vacation delegation so things don’t stall if someone’s OOO.
Setup That Doesn’t Require a PhD
For the “Document Published → Approval Request” workflow:
- Zapier Trigger: New document published in Waybook
- Filter: Only for docs tagged “Compliance” or “Policy” (unless you want to approve every cat meme your team posts)
- ApproveThis Action: Create request with doc link, owner info, and change summary
- Auto-Route: Based on doc type - legal gets Legal, HR docs go to HR, etc.
Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis’ approval thresholds to auto-approve minor changes under $500 impact, but require reviews for bigger stuff.
Department-Specific Wins
HR Teams
Stop playing hide-and-seek with training acknowledgments. When employees complete Waybook modules:
- Auto-generate ApproveThis requests for managers to confirm understanding
- Attach quiz scores/completion metrics
- File approved requests as audit trail
IT & Security
Enforce change control without being the bad guys:
- Waybook documents all system access procedures
- Any deviation triggers mandatory ApproveThis workflows
- Auto-escalate to CISO if not resolved in 48hrs
External Collaborations
Agency updating your brand guidelines? Consultants drafting compliance docs?
- Give them Waybook access to submit work
- Auto-create ApproveThis requests for internal reviews
- Clients approve via email without needing logins
Why This Isn’t Just Another Integration
Most approval tools treat everything as a generic ticket. ApproveThis adds context that actually matters for documentation workflows:
- Dynamic Fields: Pull doc version numbers, last editor, update frequency from Waybook
- Approval Logic: Require more signers for docs that haven’t been updated in 12+ months
- Audit Trails: Every approval/rejection is timestamped and logged in both systems
Translation: When auditors come knocking, you’re not scrambling through email chains.
Common Objections (And Why They’re Wrong)
“We already have Waybook comments for reviews.”
Cool. Now imagine if those comments actually led to decisions instead of just sitting there. ApproveThis turns “Feedback” into “Approved/Rejected” with accountability.
“Our team will hate the extra steps.”
They’re already emailing docs around. This just makes that process trackable. Plus, 74% of approvers complete requests via email - zero login required.
Getting Started Without the BS
1. Sign up for ApproveThis - free trial covers 10 workflows
2. Pick 2-3 Waybook docs that actually need oversight (start small, like contract templates)
3. Use pre-built Zapier templates to connect them
4. Test with a single department before company-wide rollout
Pro Tip: Name your workflows something humans understand - “Q3 Sales Playbook Approval” beats “Workflow #4732” every time.
Bottom Line
If your company’s big enough to need Waybook, you’re too big to handle approvals via email chains and “Hey, did you look at that thing?”. ApproveThis adds guardrails, not red tape.
← That’s the line our customers keep stealing for their internal pitches. You’re welcome to use it too.
More It Operations Education integrations you might like
-
Thinkific
Published: March 10, 2025The all-in-one platform to create, market & sell your online courses. Deliver beautiful courses on your own site, with no technical or design experience required!
-
Teachworks
Published: March 10, 2025Teachworks is a simple, easy-to-use system that education companies use for managing teachers, students, schedules, billing and more.
-
Udemy for Business
Published: March 10, 2025Udemy for Business API Courses & Reporting APIs: https://business.udemy.com
You'll ❤️ these other ApproveThis integrations
-
Trackfront
Published: March 10, 2025The All-In-One Solution For Project Collaboration, Easy Quotes, Estimates and Custom Proposals. Keeping Clients Happy and Coming Back, Reducing Emails and Simplifying Communication.
-
Posting Automation
Published: March 10, 2025Posting Automation is a tool to organize and automate data received from content banners, streamlining your workflow and ensuring efficiency.
-
Raklet
Published: March 10, 2025Raklet is a CRM to help manage contacts, messages and payments. Schedule email and SMS, collect payments online and more.