Approval Workflow Management
Intelligent routing of quotes through approval chains with policy-based auto-approval, SLA enforcement, and bottleneck identification.
Why This Matters
What It Is
Intelligent routing of quotes through approval chains with policy-based auto-approval, SLA enforcement, and bottleneck identification.
Current State vs Future State Comparison
Current State
(Traditional)1. Rep emails quote to sales manager for approval. 2. Manager forwards to pricing analyst if discount >10%. 3. Pricing analyst forwards to finance if margin <30%. 4. Finance forwards to VP if deal >$500K. 5. Each approver takes 1-3 days to respond. 6. No tracking or SLA enforcement. 7. Quotes get lost or forgotten requiring chase emails.
Characteristics
- • Oracle NetSuite
- • SAP
- • Microsoft Dynamics
- • PandaDoc
- • Microsoft Power Automate
- • Excel
Pain Points
- ⚠ Manual and fragmented processes causing delays and lost approvals.
- ⚠ Lack of real-time tracking leading to difficulties in monitoring approval status.
- ⚠ Complex approval hierarchies that are cumbersome to manage.
- ⚠ Delays due to unclear responsibilities or missing documentation.
- ⚠ Scalability issues with high volume or complex deals.
- ⚠ Dependence on email and spreadsheets can lead to inefficiencies.
- ⚠ Manual processes are prone to errors and can slow down sales cycles.
Future State
(Agentic)1. Workflow engine routes based on rules: deal size, discount %, margin, customer risk, strategic importance. 2. Agent auto-approves within policy (e.g., <$50K, >30% margin, standard terms). 3. Agent escalates exceptions: requires sales manager approval >15% discount, VP approval >$500K. 4. Agent enforces SLAs: auto-escalates if approver doesn't respond in 24 hours. 5. Agent tracks bottlenecks: identifies approvers causing delays. 6. Agent provides mobile approval interface for quick decisions.
Characteristics
- • Approval policy rules and thresholds
- • User directory with approval hierarchies
- • Quote risk scoring data
- • Historical approval patterns
- • Approver availability calendars
Benefits
- ✓ 80% faster approvals (2-8 hours vs 5-15 days)
- ✓ 50-70% auto-approval rate for low-risk quotes
- ✓ 100% approval tracking and visibility
- ✓ Zero lost quotes with automated escalation
- ✓ SLA enforcement improves approver responsiveness
- ✓ Bottleneck identification enables process optimization
Is This Right for You?
This score is based on general applicability (industry fit, implementation complexity, and ROI potential). Use the Preferences button above to set your industry, role, and company profile for personalized matching.
Why this score:
- • Applicable across multiple industries
- • Moderate expected business value
- • Time to value: 3-6 months
- • (Score based on general applicability - set preferences for personalized matching)
You might benefit from Approval Workflow Management if:
- You're experiencing: Manual and fragmented processes causing delays and lost approvals.
- You're experiencing: Lack of real-time tracking leading to difficulties in monitoring approval status.
- You're experiencing: Complex approval hierarchies that are cumbersome to manage.
This may not be right for you if:
- Requires human oversight for critical decision points - not fully autonomous
Parent Capability
Tax Management
Automates tax compliance, provision calculations, and optimization across income tax, sales tax, and transfer pricing with AI-powered tax planning.
What to Do Next
Related Functions
Metadata
- Function ID
- function-approval-workflow-management