Expense report submission and approval routing

Purpose

1. Automate the submission, routing, review, and approval of expense reports for faculty, staff, and students in an architecture program.

2. Automating document intake and digital signature collection ensures compliance with finance regulations in higher education.

3. Streamline reconciliation, reimbursement, and accounting tasks by automatedly integrating with ERP and expense tracking systems.

4. Centralize communication and automate notifications between submitters, approvers, and finance teams, reducing manual errors.

5. Automate policy verification to ensure submitted expenses align with internal compliance rules and statutory requirements.

Trigger Conditions

1. Automated trigger on web form submission of expense report by employee or student.

2. Trigger automates when a new email with relevant receipts is sent to a designated inbox.

3. Automated initiation when new files are uploaded to a specified cloud storage folder.

4. Scheduled automation trigger for periodic reconciliation cycles.

5. API webhook automation triggers on submission events from external systems.

Platform Variants

1. Microsoft Power Automate

• Feature: SharePoint List/Forms integration; configure automated approval flows for finance teams.
  

2. Google Workspace (Apps Script)

• Feature: Automate Google Forms submission; script email routing and Google Drive storage.
  

3. SAP Concur

• Feature: API endpoint “Report POST” to automate report intake and “Workflow API” to automate approvals.
  

4. DocuSign

• Feature: Envelope API; automates digital signatures and routing for expense reports.
  

5. Slack

• Feature: Workflow Builder; automates notifications and approvals via direct messages or channels.
  

6. Trello

• Feature: Automation rules (“Butler” feature); move card for each new expense report and automate assignment.
  

7. Oracle Cloud ERP

• Feature: Expense API integration; automates data entry and approval routing.
  

8. Salesforce

• Feature: Flow Builder; configure automations for expense submission and approval record creation.
  

9. QuickBooks Online

• Feature: Expense API; automates expense logging and reimbursement.
  

10. Zapier

• Feature: Automates cross-platform data movement with “Trigger: New Form Submission” and “Action: Send Email.”
  

11. Asana

• Feature: Workflow automation to create tasks and automate approval assignments.
  

12. FreshBooks

• Feature: Expense endpoint for automating receipt uploads and workflow triggers for approvals.
  

13. ServiceNow

• Feature: Flow Designer; automates finance service tickets and approval workflows.
  

14. BambooHR

• Feature: Expense module API; automates expense entry and managerial approvals.
  

15. Jira Service Management

• Feature: Automation rules for ticket generation and automated routing for approvals.
  

16. Box

• Feature: Box Relay; automates file-driven workflow and approval checklist routing.
  

17. Monday.com

• Feature: Automations Center; configure status changes and notifications for expense report tracking.
  

18. Smartsheet

• Feature: Automation workflows; auto-alerts and conditional approval routing setup.
  

19. Workday

• Feature: Business Process Framework for automated approvals and compliance checks.
  

20. AirTable

• Feature: Automations to trigger record updates, notifications, and email requests on new expense submission.
  

21. Xero

• Feature: Receipts API for automated expense intake and approval chain automation.
  

22. Approve.com

• Feature: Workflow Builder for custom approval logic and automated notifications.
  

Benefits

1. Automates approvals, reducing time and human error in processing expense reports.

2. Automated compliance enforcement with audit trails and instant recordkeeping.

3. End-to-end process automatable, boosting transparency and reducing bottlenecks.

4. Automator tools reduce manual labor and free finance staff for strategic work.

5. Automated communication notifies stakeholders at each process stage, ensuring accountability.

6. Automatedly integrates with multiple systems for holistic financial management and reporting continuity.

7. Automation ensures scalability as the architecture program grows, easily adapting for more submissions without increased overhead.