ApproveThis manages your GeniusReferrals Integration approvals.

When “Set It and Forget It” Actually Works

Let’s be real: referral programs should be growth engines, not administrative dumpster fires. But here’s where most companies get stuck – every new referral, payout, or program change needs eyeballs from three different departments. Marketing wants speed. Finance wants control. Legal wants paper trails. And your operations team? They just want to stop playing spreadsheet ping-pong at 11 PM.

This is why pairing ApproveThis with GeniusReferrals isn’t just another “integration” – it’s a ceasefire in the internal turf wars. We’re talking about automating the bureaucratic sludge that slows down referral programs, without losing oversight. Think of it as adding traffic lights to your approval highways – except these lights actually keep things moving.

Why This Combo Doesn’t Suck

GeniusReferrals handles the mechanics of tracking referrals and calculating rewards. ApproveThis handles the human part – getting the right people to say “yes” (or “hell no”) at the right time. Together via Zapier, they cover the full lifecycle:

• No more manual handoffs: Referral validations → automatic approval requests → payout execution without humans acting as USB drives
• Approval guardrails: Auto-escalate big payouts, require legal sign-off on new programs, block fraudulent referrals before they cost you

The kicker? Approvers don’t need GeniusReferrals logins. Your CFO’s admin can greenlight a $10K payout without learning yet another platform. That’s the kind of detail that keeps auditors happy and IT departments from plotting your demise.

Real Companies Actually Using This (Without Faking It)

1. Killing “Who Approved This?!” Moments in E-Commerce

An outdoor gear company runs a holiday referral blitz: 20% commission on any friend’s purchase. Their old process? Marketing would export GeniusReferrals data → email Finance → wait 3 days → process payments. Now:

The Zap: New GeniusReferrals payout → Auto-create ApproveThis request with referral details + calculated commission → Finance lead approves via email → Zapier triggers payout in GeniusReferrals.

Why it works: They added approval thresholds – anything over $500 auto-forwards to the CFO. Finance gets structured requests instead of “Urgent: PLZ APPROVE???” Slack messages.

2. SaaS Companies Stopping Referral Fraud Early

A project management tool noticed fake referrals from duplicate accounts. Their fix:

The Zap: New GeniusReferrals referral → ApproveThis request with IP address, account age, and referral source → Marketing ops reviews → Only approved referrals trigger rewards.

The sneaky win: Using ApproveThis’ calculated fields to flag high-risk referrals automatically. If a new user’s IP matches an existing customer? Request gets routed to Fraud team with “REVIEW NOW” priority.

3. Agencies Managing 50+ Client Referral Programs

A marketing agency handles referral setups for enterprise clients. Previously, every new GeniusReferrals program needed 4 internal sign-offs + client approval. Now:

The Zap: New GeniusReferrals account created → ApproveThis starts parallel approvals (agency team + client) → Only launches when both sides agree.

Client wins: Approval groups let clients decide – do all stakeholders vote, or does one VP decide? Either way, the agency isn’t playing mediator.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

If you can make a sandwich, you can connect these systems:

1. Zapier account: Free tier works for testing
2. Pick your trigger: New referral? Payout request? Program change in GeniusReferrals?
3. Build the approval: Map GeniusReferrals data to ApproveThis fields (amounts, contacts, dates)
4. Set rules: Approval thresholds, escalation paths, required docs
5. Test with $1 payouts: Better to fail small than explain a $10K oopsie

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ vacation delegates from day one. Because nothing kills momentum like waiting for Karen from Accounting to return from Bali.

Why Teams Stop Hating Each Other After This

Marketing Operations

No more being the messenger between Sales and Finance. Set up parallel approval paths – Sales Director approves the referral validity, Finance approves the amount. If they disagree, let them fight it out while you grab coffee.

Finance Teams

They get structured requests with all needed data (referral source, T&C compliance, historical stats). Plus, automatic audit trails that don’t require digging through 14 different tools.

External Partners

Clients or vendors can be added as approvers without giving them GeniusReferrals access. Perfect for franchise models or multi-company partnerships where you need oversight without oversharing.

Features You’ll Actually Use (No Bloatware Here)

ApproveThis isn’t trying to be your CRM. But for approvals, it’s got the goods:

• Approval thresholds: Auto-approve small payouts, escalate big ones
• Calculated fields: Automatically flag referrals that don’t meet margin targets
• Real-time tracking: See which requests are stuck and why (spoiler: it’s usually Dave)

The Bottom Line

If your referral program’s growth is limited by how fast humans can click “Approve,” you’re leaving money on the table. This integration isn’t about replacing people – it’s about removing the busywork so they can focus on stuff that actually needs brains.

Ready to stop being a approval janitor? Register for ApproveThis or grab a demo. We’ll even show you how to set up your first GeniusReferrals zap in 8 minutes flat.