ApproveThis manages your Dubsado Integration approvals.

Why This Integration Isn’t Just Another “Workflow Hack”

Let’s cut through the noise: most integrations promise efficiency but deliver complexity. This one’s different. Dubsado handles client-facing operations – contracts, invoices, project kickoffs. ApproveThis handles the internal gatekeeping – approvals, budget sign-offs, compliance checks. Together, they create a closed-loop system where client actions automatically trigger internal reviews. No chasing down signatures. No “I thought you handled that” emails. Just actual progress.

Where This Actually Matters for Growing Businesses

Companies between 50-5,000 employees hit a critical pain point: client work scales faster than internal oversight. A 12-person creative agency can wing approvals via Slack. At 75 employees? That’s how $50K projects slip through untracked. This integration targets three pressure points:

• Audit Trails That Don’t Lie: Every approved contract change or project scope update lives in both systems
• No More Approval Amnesia: Client signs a Dubsado contract → Legal automatically reviews terms in ApproveThis
• External Clients Stay in Their Lane: Approvers don’t need Dubsado logins – huge for agencies working with enterprise clients

Real Use Cases (Not Just Feature Lists)

1. Contracts That Actually Get Reviewed (Before You’re Legally Stuck)

The Problem: Your sales team uses Dubsado to send proposals. Clients sign. Then Accounting notices payment terms violate your credit policy. Oops.

The Fix: Zapier triggers an ApproveThis workflow the second a Dubsado contract is signed. Legal gets emailed terms to approve. Accounting checks payment schedules against thresholds. Only then does the project kick off.

Who Needs This:
Marketing Agencies: Stop letting clients lock in 12-month contracts with 60-day payment terms
Construction Firms: Auto-flag contracts where change order approvals aren’t codified

2. Killing “Shadow Projects” Before They Burn Cash

The Problem: New Dubsado projects get created. Teams start working. Then Finance finds out – “Wait, who approved this budget?!”

The Fix: Every new Dubsado job (via lead form or manual entry) requires ApproveThis sign-off before resources are allocated. Use conditional logic:
- Under $10K? Auto-approve if client credit is good
- Over $10K? Require CMO + CFO email approvals
- Uses subcontractors? Legal must review

Who Needs This:
Consultancies: Enforce SOW approvals before assigning billable staff
Software Developers: Prevent scope creep by tying project starts to approved feature lists

3. Project Updates That Don’t Require a Detective

The Problem: Dubsado shows a project moved to “In Review”. Who changed it? Why? Is this a billing trigger?

The Fix: Status changes in Dubsado auto-create ApproveThis tickets. Example:
- Status → “Client Review”: Notify PM to approve next phase budget
- Status → “Delayed”: Require root cause analysis from team lead
- Status → “Completed”: Trigger invoice approval in ApproveThis before Dubsado auto-sends

Who Needs This:
Event Planners: Lock down venue changes after client sign-off
Manufacturers: Require QC approval before marking items “Shipped”

Setup That Doesn’t Require an IT Degree

If you’ve used Zapier before, this takes 9 minutes. If not, maybe 20:

1. Connect Dubsado to Zapier: Zapier’s Dubsado integrations guide you
2. Choose Your Trigger: “Contract Signed”, “New Project”, or “Status Updated”
3. Link to ApproveThis: Use the “Create Request” action – map Dubsado fields to your approval template
4. Test with a $0 Contract: Better to break a test than a real client project

Team-Specific Wins (Because Silos Suck)

Operations Teams:

ApproveThis’ calculated fields auto-flag Dubsado projects exceeding labor budgets. Vacation delegation ensures sign-offs don’t stall when Bob from Legal is fishing in Montana.

Finance Teams:

Approval thresholds let you auto-approve small expenses from Dubsado invoices but escalate big spends. Real-time tracking provides audit trails for quarterly reviews.

Client-Facing Teams:

Clients stay in Dubsado. Approvers use ApproveThis. No more “Can you resend the contract?” – everything’s linked. Approval groups let you require client + internal sign-offs without messy CC emails.

Why This Beats “Just Using Dubsado Approvals”

Dubsado has basic approval features. But when you need:

• Multi-step sequences (Client → Account Manager → Legal)
• Conditional logic (Auto-approve if under $X, escalate if over)
• External participants (Clients, contractors, partners)

...that’s where ApproveThis picks up. Plus, approvers don’t need Dubsado seats – huge cost saver.

Bottom Line: This Isn’t About Tools

It’s about eliminating two types of delays:

Client Delays: They signed the contract but your team hasn’t reviewed it yet
Internal Delays: Everyone assumes someone else approved the budget

By connecting Dubsado + ApproveThis via Zapier, you force momentum. Client actions trigger immediate internal steps. No lag. No ambiguity.

Next Steps:
If you’re using Dubsado but approvals still happen in email threads? Get an ApproveThis trial – takes 2 minutes. For complex setups, book a 15-minute demo. We’ll show how other Dubsado users cut approval delays by 60%+.