Automate deal desk approvals

Automate deal desk approvals

As your sales motion scales, approval flows that once felt manageable can become a drag on every deal. Reps wait hours or days for sign‑off on standard discounts while buyers sit ready to sign.

Why manual approvals slow deals and erode margins

Without a clear, automated framework, approvals become both a bottleneck and a risk.

• Slower cycle times: Deals stall in “Pending Approval” while managers work through queues of near‑identical requests.
• Leadership distraction: VPs and finance leaders spend time rubber‑stamping small, standard quotes instead of focusing on strategic deals.
• Inconsistent decisions: Different approvers apply rules differently, leading to surprise concessions and margin erosion.

UpdateMate helps you codify your approval logic so the easy deals fly through and only true exceptions need a human.

What a healthy deal desk flow looks like

High‑performing teams design approval flows that buyers barely notice.

• Green lane for standard deals: Quotes that meet pre‑defined thresholds (discount, term, risk) are auto‑approved.
• Clear red lane for exceptions: Non‑standard terms trigger a focused review by the right stakeholders.
• Real-time feedback to reps: Approvals or questions arrive in minutes, not days, keeping momentum with the buyer.

With UpdateMate, you can describe this matrix in plain language and let an agent enforce it.

How to automate deal desk approvals with UpdateMate

You can build a “Deal Desk Assistant” agent that checks every submitted quote against your rules and routes it appropriately.

1. Define your approval matrix

Start by capturing what “standard” and “non‑standard” mean for your business.

“Connect to Salesforce. For each quote submitted for approval, check discount percentage, payment terms, contract length, and any flagged legal clauses. Use list price and margin fields where available.”

You can maintain this matrix in a simple config (for example, by segment or product line) that UpdateMate reads.

2. Create a green lane for standard quotes

Next, tell UpdateMate which deals should be auto‑approved.

“If the discount is under 15%, payment terms are Net 30 or shorter, the term is 12 months or less, and no non‑standard legal flags are present, automatically approve the quote.”

You can tailor thresholds for enterprise vs. SMB, or for specific products where you want tighter control.

3. Route red-lane deals to the right reviewers

Then, decide how to handle quotes that fall outside the standard lane.

“If any threshold is exceeded—or if legal flags are present—do not auto‑approve. Post a summary to the #deal-desk Slack channel with key details (customer, discount, ACV, term, unusual clauses) and tag the relevant approvers (Sales leadership, Finance, or Legal) based on the type of exception.”

This ensures exceptions get the attention they deserve without drowning leadership in every small deal.

4. Close the loop in CRM and with the rep

Finally, keep records clean and reps informed.

“When a quote is auto‑approved, update the Quote Status to ‘Approved’ in CRM and send an immediate Slack DM to the owner: ‘✅ Your quote for [Account] has been auto‑approved—ready to send.’ When a reviewer approves or rejects a red‑lane deal, capture their decision, rationale, and any conditions back on the quote record.”

You can generate a monthly report on approval patterns to fine‑tune thresholds and coach on discounting behavior.

When UpdateMate runs your deal desk approvals, reps close standard deals faster, leaders stay focused on truly strategic negotiations, and your margins are protected by a consistent, transparent set of rules.