Still managing approvals with paper forms or endless email threads? An invoice sits on someone’s desk for days, or you spend hours searching through email chains to see who approved a purchase. It’s inefficient, frustrating, and slows down month-end close.
Fortunately, there’s a better way. Gravity Software’s automated approval workflows, built on the Microsoft Power Platform, modernize the process — helping finance teams save time, increase accountability, and improve visibility across every entity.
An expense approval workflow is a structured process for routing financial transactions to the appropriate people for review and approval. With workflow automation, approvals can be routed automatically based on criteria such as entity, department, vendor or transaction amount, while maintaining a record of each approval decision.
Why manual expense approvals create problems for growing businesses
Even companies using modern technology may still rely on manual approval processes. Expense reports, invoices or purchase requests may be emailed to managers, passed between departments or tracked through spreadsheets. By the time a transaction is approved, accounting teams can be left scrambling to process payments, reimburse expenses or finalize financial reports.
Manual approval processes can also slow down purchasing decisions. A buyer may request authorization, email supporting documents and wait days for responses. As approval requirements become more complex, finance teams can spend additional time following up with approvers, tracking responses and determining where a request stands.
For family offices and multi-entity organizations, the process can become even more complicated. Different entities may have different approval requirements, spending limits or decision-makers. For example, an assistant authorized to purchase artwork may need approval from several executives before accounting can process the transaction. Without an automated workflow, each additional approval step can create delays and make it harder to maintain visibility and accountability.
When basic approval workflows are no longer enough
Basic approval workflows may work when an organization has a limited number of transactions, approvers and business entities. As the organization grows, however, approval requirements often become more complex.
Finance teams may need to route transactions based on entity, department, vendor or amount, require multiple levels of approval, or give different decision-makers responsibility for specific transactions. They may also need to allocate expenses across entities, departments or other dimensions as part of the broader accounting process. Managing these requirements through email, spreadsheets or separate tools can make it difficult to see what is pending, who has approved a transaction and what still requires attention.
For multi-entity organizations, the challenge increases when each company has different approval requirements or when the same finance team and executives oversee transactions across multiple entities. As organizations grow, these requirements can become part of the broader multi-entity accounting challenges finance teams need to manage.
How automated approval workflows work with Gravity Software
Gravity Software uses Microsoft Power Automate to create flexible approval workflows that connect directly with your accounting processes. Transactions can be routed automatically to the appropriate approvers based on criteria such as entity, department, vendor or amount.
Organizations can configure approval paths to match their internal processes and give approvers different ways to review and respond. Depending on the workflow, approvals can be completed through email, within Gravity Software or through Microsoft Teams.
This flexibility helps finance teams reduce manual follow-up, maintain visibility into pending approvals and create a consistent record of approval activity across the organization.
Approval workflows can also work alongside other forms of accounting automation. Gravity Software's AP Automation uses AI-powered document processing to help capture invoice information, while automated workflows route transactions to the appropriate people for review and approval. Together, these capabilities can help reduce manual data entry and streamline the accounts payable process.
1. Email-based approvals
Email-based approvals are useful when decision-makers need to review transactions but do not work in the accounting system every day. Instead of relying on accounting staff to manually send documents, follow up with approvers and track responses, Gravity can automatically route transactions to the appropriate people.
For example, a nonprofit receives a $5,000 invoice for catering services that requires approval from the CFO, CEO and head of the finance committee.
Without workflow automation:
- Accounting enters the invoice.
- An email is sent to the required approvers.
- Supporting documents are attached for review.
- Accounting tracks responses and follows up with approvers.
- Approval information must be updated in the accounting process.
With Gravity Software:
Once the invoice is entered, the approval workflow automatically routes it to the appropriate people by email. Approvers can review the request and approve or reject it directly from their inbox without logging into Gravity.
The approval activity is captured as part of the workflow, giving the finance team greater visibility into the status of the transaction while reducing manual follow-up.
The British Institute of Innkeeping streamlined its approval process with Gravity Software, helping eliminate long email chains and improve approval turnaround times.
2. Dashboard approvals
Dashboard approvals give decision-makers a centralized place to review multiple pending transactions without managing individual approval emails.
Approvers can log into Gravity Software to view transactions awaiting their review, approve multiple items or open individual transactions to review additional details before making a decision.
This approach can be especially useful for healthcare organizations, family offices, nonprofits and other multi-entity businesses with higher transaction volumes or centralized finance teams. Instead of tracking approvals across separate emails or entities, decision-makers can manage pending approvals from one place while maintaining visibility into the transactions that require their attention.
For finance teams, dashboard approvals can reduce manual follow-up and make it easier to see which transactions have been approved and which still require action.
3. Microsoft Teams approvals
For organizations already using Microsoft Teams, approval workflows can bring financial approvals into an application employees use throughout the workday.
Through Gravity Software's integration with Microsoft Teams, approvers can view pending items, review the information they need and approve or reject transactions without switching between multiple applications.
This approach can help reduce delays by making approvals more accessible to executives, department leaders and other decision-makers who may not work in Gravity every day. It also keeps financial approval workflows connected with the Microsoft 365 environment many organizations already use.
For growing and multi-entity organizations, Microsoft Teams approvals provide another way to streamline financial processes while maintaining visibility and accountability throughout the approval process.
Benefits of automated expense approval workflows
Automating expense approval workflows is one way finance teams can use accounting automation to reduce manual work, strengthen financial controls and maintain greater visibility as an organization grows. By connecting approvals directly with accounting processes, Gravity Software helps reduce the time spent routing transactions, tracking responses and following up with decision-makers.
Faster approval processes
Workflow automation reduces the manual steps required to move transactions through the approval process. Once an invoice is approved, Gravity can automatically post it to accounts payable, helping accounting teams reduce manual data entry and keep transactions moving.
Stronger controls and audit visibility
Each response and approval is logged automatically, creating an audit trail of approval activity. Approvers can also review attached PDFs or supporting documents before making a decision, helping organizations maintain greater transparency and accountability throughout the process.
Consistent approvals across multiple entities
As organizations add companies or legal entities, approval requirements can become more difficult to manage. Gravity's configurable workflows help finance teams maintain consistent approval processes across entities while accommodating different departments, decision-makers and approval requirements.
This gives growing organizations a more scalable way to manage financial approvals without relying on separate email chains, spreadsheets or disconnected processes for each entity.
Expense approval workflows for multi-entity organizations
Approval workflows can become more complex when finance teams manage multiple companies or legal entities. Different entities may have different decision-makers, spending limits or approval requirements, while executives and accounting teams may oversee transactions across the entire organization.
Gravity Software combines workflow automation with multi-entity accounting in one system, allowing organizations to manage financial processes across companies without maintaining separate accounting databases for each entity.
Approval workflows can be configured around the way an organization operates, helping finance teams apply appropriate approval requirements while maintaining visibility across entities. Because financial data and workflows are part of the same accounting platform, teams can spend less time moving information between separate systems or tracking approvals manually.
For organizations already using Microsoft technology, Gravity also connects with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Power BI and the broader Microsoft ecosystem, helping finance teams incorporate financial workflows into familiar business applications.
See Gravity's approval workflows in action
If your finance team is managing approvals through email, spreadsheets or disconnected systems, workflow automation can provide a more efficient way to route transactions, track decisions and maintain visibility throughout the approval process.
Gravity Software brings automated approval workflows directly into a cloud-based multi-entity accounting platform, helping growing organizations streamline financial processes while maintaining the flexibility needed for different entities, departments and approval requirements.
With approval options through email, Gravity Software and Microsoft Teams, decision-makers can review and respond to transactions in the way that best fits their role and workflow.
Schedule a demo to see how Gravity Software can help your organization automate expense approvals and simplify financial workflows.
Gravity Software
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Updated on September 25, 2026