ApproveThis manages your Plumsail Forms approvals.

When Forms Meet Approvals: Why This Combo Works

Let’s cut to the chase: forms collect data, approvals move decisions. Most companies suck at connecting the two. Plumsail Forms lets you build custom forms that don’t look like they were designed in 2003. ApproveThis forces those submissions through actual processes instead of getting lost in Slack purgatory. Together? You get automated workflows where form submissions trigger approvals, approvals trigger forms, and everyone stops chasing people for signatures.

Think of it like this: Plumsail is your digital paperwork. ApproveThis is the system that ensures that paperwork gets stamped “YES” or “NO” by the right people, in the right order, with actual deadlines. No more “I thought Karen was handling this” moments.

5 Ways This Integration Beats Manual Processes

1. Approval chains that adapt to your rules. HR needs three people to sign off on a PTO request? Finance requires dollar-amount thresholds? ApproveThis handles conditional logic so approvals route intelligently. Plumsail feeds the data into those rules automatically.

2. Approvers don’t need another login. Key point: External vendors or clients can approve via email without needing a Plumsail account. Huge for contract reviews or purchase orders where you’re dealing with people outside your company.

3. Calculated fields prevent human math errors. Example: A Plumsail form calculates total project costs. ApproveThis uses that number to auto-route based on budget thresholds. No more accidental approvals because someone misadded a zero.

4. Real-time tracking > status update meetings. Know exactly where a request is stuck. Is it waiting on legal? Did the manager delegate while on vacation? The dashboard shows bottlenecks before they blow up deadlines.

5. Audit trails that don’t require forensic analysis. Every approval/rejection is logged with timestamps and comments. Crucial for compliance in industries like healthcare or finance where you need to prove who approved what.

Real-World Use Cases (Not Just Theory)

Procurement Teams: Stop Being a Human Router

Scenario: Employees submit purchase requests via Plumsail. The form captures vendor details, costs, and project codes. ApproveThis automatically routes based on amount:

• Under $1k? Auto-approved with a receipt upload requirement.
• $1k-$10k? Needs department head + finance.
• Over $10k? CFO gets the final call.

Result: No more back-and-forth emails. Finance gets clean data instead of half-filled spreadsheets.

Marketing Teams: Launch Campaigns Faster

Problem: Creative briefs stuck in endless feedback loops. Solution:

1. Plumsail form collects campaign details, budget, and assets.
2. ApproveThis routes to legal (compliance check), then to CMO.
3. Once approved, Zapier auto-creates a project in your PM tool.

Bonus: Use calculated fields to flag budgets exceeding Q4 limits before requests even reach approvers.

HR Teams: Onboarding That Doesn’t Require Nagging

New hire submits equipment requests via Plumsail. Workflow:

• IT approves laptop specs.
• Facilities approves desk setup.
• VP signs off if total cost exceeds standard packages.

Since ApproveThis shows real-time status, HR knows if they need to chase someone down before Day 1.

Client-Facing Teams: Contracts That Close Faster

External clients fill out a Plumsail scope of work form. ApproveThis routes internally:

1. Project manager confirms resources.
2. Legal checks clauses.
3. CEO approves high-value contracts.

Clients get automatic updates without being added to your internal systems. No more “Where are we on this?” calls.

How to Set This Up Without IT Involvement

Step 1: Connect Zapier to both Plumsail Forms and ApproveThis. If you can set up a Netflix account, you can do this.

Step 2: Pick your trigger. Most common: “When a Plumsail form is submitted, create an ApproveThis request.” Map form fields to approval fields. Pro tip: Use calculated fields to add markup or tax automatically.

Step 3: Configure approval rules. Add thresholds, assign groups, set escalation paths. Test with a $1 request to make sure it doesn’t route to the CEO.

Step 4: Add post-approval actions. Example: Approved requests create Jira tickets. Denied ones trigger a Plumsail feedback form.

Whole process takes about 15 minutes if you’re not overcomplicating it. Seriously.

Why This Works for Teams Over 50 People

Finance Controls Without the Bureaucracy

No more invoice surprises. Approval thresholds ensure oversight scales with risk. CFOs get visibility without micromanaging every $50 expense.

Operations Teams: Process Standardization That Doesn’t Stifle

Field offices use the same forms and approval chains as HQ. Custom fields handle regional variations without creating chaos.

HR: Policy Enforcement That’s Actually Enforced

No exceptions to approval chains. Vacation delegation ensures requests don’t pile up when managers are OOO.

IT: Less “Fix My Workflow” Tickets

Admins update approval rules in ApproveThis without needing to beg developers to tweak Plumsail forms.

The Bottom Line: Approval Processes Shouldn’t Be a Chore

Plumsail Forms and ApproveThis solve the two biggest workflow issues: collecting data and getting decisions. The integration means they actually talk to each other instead of existing in separate silos.

If you’re still doing approvals via email chains or (shudder) paper forms, you’re wasting time you don’t have. Automate the busywork so your team can focus on work that matters.

Next step: Register for ApproveThis, then check out Plumsail Forms. Connect both via Zapier and test a simple workflow. You’ll kill one manual process this week.