Approval workflow digitisation | Use case | Bloonde Soluciones Tecnológicas

In most SMEs, approvals for purchase orders, leave requests or expense claims follow a tortuous path: forwarded emails, papers lost in an inbox and managers who take days to sign off because they don't know something is pending.

Approval workflow digitisation eliminates this chaos by turning every request into a structured process with automatic routing to the right approver, real-time notifications and a complete history of every decision. No paper, no lost emails, no excuses.

At Bloonde we implement these workflows tailored to each company's actual structure, with consistent results: 70% reduction in approval times and total elimination of lost requests.

Digital approval workflow dashboard with real-time request tracking

The problem it solves

Manual approval processes are one of the biggest bottlenecks in mid-sized companies. Every request that needs sign-off — from a material order to a holiday — becomes a chain of emails that nobody controls, with unpredictable response times.

The result is a frustrated team that doesn't know whether their request has been received, a manager who accumulates requests without prioritising, and a management team with no visibility over how much is spent, how much is approved and how long decisions take.

Email-based approvals

Requests travel by email with no structure or tracking. They get lost in inboxes, are forwarded without context and nobody knows the status of each request.

Unpredictable response times

An approval can take 2 hours or 2 weeks, depending on whether the manager has seen the email. There are no SLAs or automatic escalation.

Lack of traceability

There is no centralised record of who approved what, when and why. In the event of an audit or dispute, reconstructing the history is virtually impossible.

Blocks due to absences

When the approver is on holiday or sick leave, requests are blocked indefinitely because there is no delegation mechanism.

Uncontrolled spending

Without a structured process, it is difficult to track how much is approved per department, detect budget deviations or enforce spending policies.

How it works

We implement the digital approval system in 4 phases, adapting to your company's organisational structure:

01

Workflow and rules mapping

We analyse existing approval processes, identify approvers, decision thresholds and business rules. We design the digital workflows respecting the company's actual hierarchy.

02

Form and workflow design

We create intuitive forms for each request type and configure approval workflows with automatic routing, time-based escalation and authority delegation.

03

Integration and notifications

We connect the system with your ERP, corporate email and communication tools. Each approver receives instant notifications and can approve or reject from their mobile.

04

Deployment and optimisation

We train the team, launch into production and monitor approval times to identify bottlenecks and progressively optimise workflows.

Key benefits

70% less time on approvals

Requests reach the right approver in seconds, with all the information needed to decide without back-and-forth emails.

Full traceability

Every request, approval and rejection is logged with date, time, responsible person and reason. Audits resolved in minutes.

Zero lost requests

The system ensures no request goes unanswered thanks to automatic routing and reminders with escalation.

Mobile approval

Managers can review and approve requests from any device, wherever they are. No need to be in the office.

Automatic delegation

If the approver is absent, the system automatically redirects the request to their designated substitute. No blocks or unnecessary delays.

Real-time budget control

See how much has been approved by department, category and period. Detect deviations before they become a problem.

Technologies we use

Laravel + PHP

Robust backend for managing workflows, business rules and permissions with a secure and scalable architecture.

Workflow engine

Configurable system of states, transitions and rules that allows defining approval workflows without modifying code.

Multi-channel notifications

Email, push and Slack/Teams to ensure pending requests reach the approver via their preferred channel.

REST API

Integration with ERP, accounting and any existing management system to synchronise purchasing, expenses and personnel data.

Reporting dashboard

Control panel with approval time metrics, volume by department and budget deviation tracking.

Case study: industrial company with email-based approvals

Scenario

An industrial company with 120 employees managed over 300 purchase requests per month via email. Department heads took an average of 4 days to approve, and 15% of requests were lost or duplicated.

Challenge

Reduce approval times to under 24 hours, eliminate lost requests and gain real-time visibility of spending by department.

Solution

We implemented a digital approval system with forms for each request type, automatic routing by amount and department, email and mobile notifications, and a real-time budget control dashboard.

< 6 h

Average approval time

0%

Lost requests

25 h/month

Admin time saved

+35 pts

Employee satisfaction

Frequently asked questions

What types of approvals can be digitised?

Virtually any process that requires sign-off: purchase orders, leave requests, expense claims, material requisitions, budget approvals, travel authorisations, etc. We tailor the workflows to your company's specific requirements.

Is it complicated for employees?

No. The forms are intuitive and approvers can manage requests from their mobile with a single tap. The learning curve is minimal — most teams are up and running on day one.

Does it integrate with our ERP?

Yes. We integrate with the most common ERPs (SAP, Sage, A3, Holded) and with any system that has an API. Approvals are automatically synchronised with accounting and procurement.

How long does implementation take?

A working system with 2–3 approval workflows can be in production in 3–4 weeks. This includes workflow design, configuration, integration with your systems and team training.

What if the approval rules change?

The system is fully configurable. You can change approvers, amount thresholds, escalation rules and delegations without touching code. Your admin team can manage it independently.