First Look Friday: ApprovalMax

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I actually heard about ApprovalMax when I attended a XeroCon several years back, I must say, I'm impressed in how it works with QBO now.

If there is one word, I hear a lot when it comes to the question of “what QuickBooks needs” it’s, ‘workflows’. And when I have asked people in the past what they really meant by that; it boils down to ‘controls.’  What they really want are ‘controlled workflows’, step-by-step processes they can set-up to make certain that their company procedures are followed.

They want these controlled workflows for things like purchase orders and vendor bills. They also want to make certain that the necessary approvals can be performed in whichever way is going to be easiest for the person who must do the approving, so that the approvals actually get done rather than the requests just sitting around being ignored.

Unfortunately, if you are using any version of QuickBooks Online other than ‘QuickBooks Online Advanced’ you simply can’t build workflows like these into the process and so most people either rely on paper and pen versions, a spreadsheet, or they just ‘do without’. But ApprovalMax is the solution folks, it’s a cloud-based App that let’s you create workflows including multi-level approval chains that sync with QuickBooks even though the App is running outside of QBO.

You can find out more about ApprovalMax by registering for the free Insightful Accountant hosted webinar, "Bill Automation Tech Stack: Establish Proper Financial Controls for Accounts Payable" on November 19, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Register for this free Insightful Accountant hosted webinar here.

Purchase Order Workflows

ApprovalMax lets you create purchase orders and approve them outside of QuickBooks Online using either their mobile app or web interface. Your company’s workflow controls are ensured along with proper approvals by a flexible multi-step, multi-role process customized to fit your business requirements.

Only when the PO has been authorized by ‘all’ the necessary approving individuals does it get synch'd to QuickBooks Online for further processing.

Vendor Bill Workflows

ApprovalMax lets you create workflow automations for vendor bills to replace paper- or email-driven approval routing and establish financial controls related to spending accounted for within QuickBooks Online.

As soon as a vendor bill is posted within ApprovalMax, it’s automatically routed through your designated multi-step, multi-role approval process based on your company’s predefined criteria, like amount, location, vendor, category, class, etc.  Once the vendor bill has been reviewed and authorized it’s pushed to QuickBooks Online ready for payment, with an audit report attached from ApprovalMax.

You have two options for posting vendor bills within Approval Max. One option is to create the vendor bill directly within ApprovalMax. The option is to use Receipt Bank to digitally capture the invoice and then push an electronic version of it directly to ApprovalMax for subsequent review and approval.

ApprovalMax offers Standard and Premium plans with monthly or annual billing. A free 30-day trial for the Premium plan is available directly via the Intuit App Center or the Approval Max - QuickBooks website.

You will find ApprovalMax in the Intuit App Center

ApprovalMax has been recognized by Intuit has a certified app for integration with QuickBooks Online and it is listed within the Intuit App Center. You can find the ApprovalMax Intuit App Center Landing Page here.  Approval Max connects with QuickBooks Online via the OAuth2 methology just like all other approved apps recognized by Intuit.

On-the-go Approvals

ApprovalMax supports both web and mobile platforms. Approvals can be made on-the-go via the App or from email notifications, and Purchase Orders can be created and submitted for approval via mobile devices.

Exception Handling

A range of exception handling capabilities are available within ApprovalMax. These include options to reject approval requests, delegate an approval or even force an approval decision. Appropriate controls can be put in force regarding these exception capabilities.

Reporting and Audit Logs

There are default and custom reports that track the complete history of transaction handling built into ApprovalMax. An Audit-report is available for each transaction showing the applicable history. Tracking of all activities related to transactions performed outside of the predefined workflow (exception reporting) is also available.

Looking out for you with Built-in Fraud Detection

ApprovalMax has a number of features that are designed to reduce fraudulent activities and detecting non-standard and potentially serious situations. For example, if a document is approved after bypassing the predefined approval process, of when changes are made to a previously approved document, automatic notifications are sent to designated administrators. Similarly, when irregularities are created around the removal or improper changes to approvers or administrators, or forced approvals, additional steps can be taken to secure transactional integrity and record the situation.

If you are ready to explore ApprovalMax, or find out more, then head over to the ApprovalMax for QuickBooks website. 

Of course, if you happen to be a Xero user, then you want to know that ApprovalMax also provides approval automation for the Xero and you can find out more about how it integrates with Xero at this website.

You can also find out more about ApprovalMax by registering for the free Insightful Accountant hosted webinar, "Bill Automation Tech Stack: Establish Proper Financial Controls for Accounts Payable" on November 19, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Register for the free webinar here.

 First Look Friday articles are editorial features, they are not sponsored content. While they may contain references or 'inserts' that refer to sponsored webinars or other sponsored content, the actual feature is intended as an informational resource for our readers.