ApproveThis manages your Cognitive Invoice Integration approvals.

Why Approval Automation Matters Now

Manual invoice approvals cost mid-sized companies 12-18 working days per month in delays, errors, and follow-up emails. Cognitive Invoice tackles the data extraction side with AI, while ApproveThis owns the decision-making layer. Together through Zapier, they create a closed-loop system where invoices move from ingestion to payment approval without human babysitting.

What Each Platform Does Best

Cognitive Invoice acts as your accounts payable intern that never sleeps. Its deep learning models extract line-item details from PDFs, emails, or scanned docs – even with messy handwriting or non-standard formats. Validation rules automatically flag discrepancies in tax codes or purchase order matching.

ApproveThis functions as your approval traffic controller. When Cognitive Invoice finishes processing, ApproveThis routes the invoice to the right people based on amount thresholds, department budgets, or project codes. Approvers can greenlight payments directly from email without logging into either system.

The Strategic Advantage of Combining Them

Construction firms using both platforms reduced equipment rental payment cycles from 14 days to 3.8 days. Here's why:

• No approval black holes: Field managers approve invoices via SMS while on site, with automatic escalation to regional controllers if unanswered for 24h
• Real-time audit prep: Every decision timestamp and comment syncs back to Cognitive Invoice's audit trails

A regional healthcare provider eliminated $220k in duplicate payments annually by using ApproveThis' calculated fields to cross-check invoice totals against Cognitive Invoice's extracted amounts.

Use Cases That Move the Needle

High-Volume Manufacturing Procurement

A fastener supplier processes 1,200+ monthly invoices from overseas vendors. Cognitive Invoice auto-extracts prices and quantities despite language barriers, while ApproveThis routes approvals based on customs duty thresholds. Purchasing leads get only exceptions above $15k, slashing their review load by 68%.

Marketing Agency Client Billing

By connecting their project management tool > Cognitive Invoice > ApproveThis, agencies automatically validate that client invoices match contracted SOWs. Approval groups ensure both the account lead and CFO sign off on overages – without clients needing access to internal systems.

Non-Profit Grant Compliance

Organizations like Habitat for Humanity chapters use calculated fields to ensure vendor invoices don't exceed grant allocations. If a roofing materials invoice hits 90% of the project budget, ApproveThis automatically notifies the grant manager while routing for approval.

Implementation That Actually Works

Follow these steps to avoid the top 3 Zapier integration pitfalls:

1. In Cognitive Invoice, create a custom field for "Approval Threshold" – this becomes your Zapier trigger point
2. Map ApproveThis' conditional logic fields to your existing accounting codes (e.g., GL Code 5300 always routes to Jane Doe)
3. Set up vacation delegation before go-live – the #1 cause of approval bottlenecks is out-of-office approvers

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' email approval option for external vendors. They get a secure link to approve/deny without accessing your Cognitive Invoice environment.

Department-Specific Wins

Finance Teams

Controllers gain real-time visibility into cash flow impacts. When ApproveThis approves a $50k invoice, Cognitive Invoice automatically updates payment forecasting dashboards.

Operations Managers

Maintenance teams auto-approve recurring supply orders under $1k, but get alerted if prices spike month-over-month. ApproveThis' calculated fields compare current vs historical unit costs pulled from Cognitive Invoice data.

External Partners

3PL logistics providers no longer chase down warehouse managers for invoice approvals. Custom approval groups in ApproveThis ensure the 3PL's contact + the client's inventory lead both sign off, with full visibility in Cognitive Invoice.

Getting Started Without IT Help

1. Create a Zapier account (free tier works for testing)
2. In Cognitive Invoice, enable API access under Settings > Integrations
3. Build your first Zap:
- Trigger: "New Verified Invoice" in Cognitive Invoice
- Action: "Create Request" in ApproveThis
4. Test with a $1 test invoice to confirm routing logic

Common Mistake: Forgetting to map Cognitive Invoice's custom fields (like PO numbers) to ApproveThis' approval criteria. Do a dry run with your AP team before full deployment.

Why This Combo Beats Native Integrations

While Cognitive Invoice offers basic approval features, ApproveThis adds enterprise-grade controls missing in accounting systems:

• Multi-tiered approvals with parallel vs sequential paths
• Legal hold workflows for disputed invoices
• Custom SLAs per vendor category

A food distributor prevented a $72k overpayment by using ApproveThis' conditional logic to flag invoices exceeding contracted volume discounts – something their ERP's native approvals couldn't handle.

The Bottom Line

Approval automation isn't about replacing humans – it's about empowering them. When your AP team isn't chasing paper trails, they can focus on negotiating early payment discounts or analyzing spend patterns. That's the real ROI.

Next Steps:
- Register for ApproveThis (free 14-day trial)
- Book a Cognitive Invoice demo (ask about prebuilt Zapier templates)
- For existing users: Start with the "Verified Invoice to Approval" Zap template