Expense claim submission and approval workflow

Expense Claim Submission and Approval Workflow Automation

1.1. Purpose
- Automates the end-to-end expense claim capture, validation, routing for approval, and recording in ERP, reducing manual errors and administrative overhead.
- Automates notifications, tracks multi-level approvals, automates policy compliance checks, and automates reimbursement disbursement for car factory employees and departments, increasing process speed and visibility.

1.2. Trigger Conditions
- Automated triggering on employee form submission via web, mobile, or email.
- Initiates automation on new receipt uploads, ERP entry, or expense management tool action.
- Starts automation process on scheduled payroll cycles, or upon manager-initiated batch processing.

1.3. Platform Variants
1.3.1. Microsoft Power Automate
• API/Setting: "When a form is submitted", "Start an approval" — automates collection, routing, and digital sign-off.
1.3.2. SAP Concur
• Endpoint: POST /expense/v4/claims — automates claim record creation and status updates.
1.3.3. Workday
• Function: "Create Expense Report" action — automates submission with in-built policy check.
1.3.4. Oracle Cloud ERP
• Feature: "Expense Entry API" — automates claim import and ledger posting.
1.3.5. ServiceNow
• Flow: "Expense Request Catalog Item" — automates approval routing and tracking.
1.3.6. Salesforce
• API: Expense__c Object + Approval Processes — automates entry, review, and audit trail.
1.3.7. Google Workspace (Apps Script)
• Trigger: onFormSubmit(), GmailApp — automates claim intake from Sheets/Forms, and notifications.
1.3.8. Zoho Expense
• API: expense/add, reports/submit — automates claim creation, approval, and export.
1.3.9. BambooHR
• Endpoint: "/api/gateway.php/expense_reports" — automates employee-driven reporting and export to payroll.
1.3.10. Freshservice
• Workflow: Orchestration "Expense Approval" — automates ticket workflow for expense handling.
1.3.11. Slack
• Feature: Workflow Builder + incoming webhooks — automates claim submission and approval request alerts.
1.3.12. Trello
• Power-Up: "Card Buttons" + API — automates movement through claim stages with audit labeling.
1.3.13. DocuSign
• Feature: "eSignature API" — automates digital approvals and policy-compliant signature capture.
1.3.14. QuickBooks Online
• API: "CreateExpense" — automates expense record entry, categorization, and bank feed sync.
1.3.15. Xero
• Endpoint: POST /expenses — automates claim import, account coding, and board approval.
1.3.16. Jira
• Automation: Issue creation and custom workflows — automates claim task assignment for finance review.
1.3.17. Notion
• API: database.create() — automates entry, status change, and communication logs.
1.3.18. Airtable
• Automation: Scripts & Webhooks — automates claim status updates and validation against policy fields.
1.3.19. Asana
• Feature: Rules and Tasks — automates assignment and multi-approver notifications in sequence.
1.3.20. Monday.com
• Automation: "When new item, assign"/"status to approval" — automates claim workflow step-by-step.
1.3.21. Smartsheet
• Feature: Automated approval requests — automates stakeholder alerts and summary sheet update.
1.3.22. HubSpot
• Workflow: "Deal pipeline for Expenses" — automates movement, audit, and reporting.
1.3.23. Box
• Integration: "File Upload Event Trigger" — automates document intake for expense reconciliation.

1.4. Benefits
- Automates reduction of manual entry, ensuring claim policy compliance and eliminating common errors.
- Automates faster approval cycles via instant multi-level routing and reminders.
- Automated audit trail and reporting for compliance, finance analytics, and improved operation insight.
- Automates integration with payroll and ERP, providing real-time update, reconciliation, and transparency.
- Enables automators to optimize resource allocation, increase process accountability, and automate monitoring of process SLAs.