ApproveThis manages your ServiceM8 Integration approvals.

When Field Service Meets Approval Automation

Let's cut to the chase: ServiceM8 already runs your field operations. ApproveThis runs your approvals. Together? They crush the 47 emails, 3 spreadsheet updates, and "Hey, did you see my Slack?" messages that happen between completing a job and getting paid for it.

Here's the dirty secret of field service businesses - completing the work is only half the battle. The real friction happens in back-office approvals that delay invoices, create client disputes, and leave your team chasing signatures instead of doing billable work.

This integration isn't about "streamlining workflows" (though it does that). It's about eliminating the approval tax that's eating into your margins. We're talking about:

• Job completions automatically triggering approval requests
• Client onboarding that doesn't require 4 people to CC each other
• Approved jobs instantly converting into scheduled work orders

How This Works for Real Businesses

Take an HVAC company we work with. Before integrating ServiceM8 and ApproveThis:

- Completed jobs sat in limbo until the office manager chased down the operations director

- New client approvals took 2-3 days while sales waited for legal review

- 12% of jobs required rework because someone approved the wrong specs

After connecting the two systems through Zapier:

- Field crews trigger approvals from ServiceM8 before leaving the job site

- Legal automatically gets complex client contracts, sales gets simple ones

- Any job requiring $500+ in parts gets auto-escalated to the CFO

The Three Killer Use Cases

1. "We Did the Work - Why Aren't We Paid?" Prevention

When a ServiceM8 job status flips to completed:

→ ApproveThis automatically creates an approval request with job details

→ Project managers get email/Slack approvals (no app login needed)

→ Once approved, QuickBooks receives the invoice details

Who cares? Landscape companies using ServiceM8. Their field teams complete 20+ jobs/day. Without automated approvals, accounting would need 3 extra staff just to verify completed work before invoicing.

2. Client Onboarding That Doesn't Embarrass You

New client in ServiceM8?

→ ApproveThis routes contracts based on deal size:

- Under $5k: Sales manager approval

- Over $5k: Legal + CFO review

→ Approved clients get automatically added to your CRM

→ Denied clients trigger a follow-up task in ServiceM8

Real impact: Plumbing companies use this to stop $150k clients from getting stuck because someone forgot to check the contract's insurance requirements.

3. From "Approved" to "Assigned" in 60 Seconds

When ApproveThis gets a green light:

→ ServiceM8 automatically creates a job

→ Assigns it to the next available tech

→ Updates the client portal

Why it matters: Restoration companies can't afford delays after insurance approvals. This automation cuts 2-3 days from water damage response times.

Setup That Won't Make You Hate Technology

1. Connect ServiceM8 to Zapier (takes 2 minutes - ServiceM8's docs are surprisingly decent)

2. Choose your trigger (new job, new client, etc.)

3. Map the key data points to ApproveThis fields

4. Set approval rules:

- Who needs to approve what

- Auto-approval thresholds

- Escalation paths

Pro tip: Start with your most painful approval process. Usually that's either job completion signoffs or change orders.

Why Your Teams Will Actually Use This

Field Teams

Stop playing phone tag with the office. Submit jobs for approval directly from the ServiceM8 mobile app. Get notified when accounting processes the invoice.

Operations Managers

See every pending approval in one dashboard. Set rules like "All jobs over 8 hours need PM review" or "Weekend work requires director approval."

Finance Teams

Finally get context with approval requests. Instead of a vague "Plumbing job approval," see materials used, client PO number, and change order history.

Executives

Get visibility without micromanaging. Set thresholds where you want involvement ($10k+ jobs, new client categories, etc.) and stay out of the weeds.

The Nerd Stuff You Actually Care About

Approval thresholds that auto-approve small jobs but flag outliers? Done. Vacation coverage so approvals don't get stuck? Built in. Conditional fields that show different data based on job type? Yep.

Key detail: Approvers don't need ServiceM8 licenses. Huge for:

- Client approvals (contractors approving homeowner work)

- Cross-department reviews (legal approving without needing field service software access)

- External partners (insurance adjusters, property managers)

When to Stay Old School

This integration isn't magic pixie dust. Don't use it for:

- Emergency jobs requiring immediate dispatch (use ServiceM8's native features)

- Sub-$500 approvals that don't need documentation

- Situations requiring physical signatures (stick to your current DocuSign flow)

How to Not Screw This Up

Common mistakes we see:

1. Automating broken processes (fix the approval logic first)

2. Not setting $$ thresholds (approval fatigue is real)

3. Forgetting mobile users (test the email/Slack approval experience)

What's Next

If you're using ServiceM8 for more than just basic scheduling, you need this. Not because we say so, but because:

- Clients expect real-time updates

- Margins are too thin for approval delays

- Field teams resent doing paperwork

Ready to stop losing money to approval bottlenecks? Get started with ApproveThis or schedule a 15-minute demo showing exactly how this works for ServiceM8 shops.