Are you ready to hear from an expert on configuring approval workflow processes? Meet Ariela Duntov, a seasoned Solution Expert and Tech Lead at DealHub, who has spent years working closely on just that!
As a solution expert, Ariela’s main goal is to accompany clients through their onboarding and implementation. She also assists with the strategy and configuration of the DealHub environment. As a tech lead, Ariela also supports Solution Experts and provides advice on leveraging DealHub’s capabilities. She’s seen it all and understands approval workflows from top to bottom, making her the perfect person to break down approval workflow best practices.
Read on to learn about the common challenges faced by deal desk managers when seeking approval for deals and explore approval workflow best practices that can significantly enhance your approval workflow efficiency. Ariela’s expertise and insights will give you a better understanding of workflows and how DealHub can be leveraged to streamline your processes.
Common deal approval challenges
Approval workflows can often become bottlenecks, causing delays and frustration for deal desk managers. Several hurdles need to be addressed, from complex approval chains to missing approvals and ambiguous workflows. But fear not! Leveraging automation, consultation, and information will streamline processes. There are also specific pitfalls to avoid – and we’ll lay some out for you.
Deal Desk best practices to expedite approvals
Ariela’s best practices focus on leaning into efficiency. “I’ve always believed in the power of efficiency, especially in a business setting, and Dealhub is truly a technological manifestation of efficiency,” she says. Here are a few ways you can manifest efficiency with DealHub:
Do’s
Automate approval workflows
Ariela: “Take advantage of all the capabilities DealHub has to offer to automate your approval workflow requirements, including deal desk, financial, discount, margin, and legal approvals!”
DealHub has simple, flexible functionalities designed to automate your approval workflows. Whether it’s the deal desk, financial, discount, margin, or legal approvals, DealHub offers user-friendly features that expedite the approval process. By leveraging these automation features, you can significantly reduce manual effort and save valuable time.
Consult solution team on complex approvals
Ariela: “DealHub Customer Success Team has lots of experience with almost every type of approval workflow scenario. Allow them to help guide you on the best path for your needs.”
Facing an intricate approval workflow process? Seek guidance from DealHub’s Customer Success Managers (CSMs) and Solution Expert team. Gaining expert insights enable you to save time and get workflows up and running faster. These experts also have a wealth of experience and have encountered nearly every workflow for approval process scenario. Use their knowledge to unlock the best path to success that aligns with your organization’s unique requirements.
Leverage the solution’s knowledge base
Ariela: “Take advantage of DealHub’s Knowledge Base Center for more articles on approval workflow configuration.”
DealHub offers a vast Knowledge Base Center of informative articles on approval workflow configuration. This constantly expanding resource provides a treasure trove of information to guide you through DealHub functionalities and configurations. Use these insights to deepen your understanding of the platform and configure approval workflows more effectively.
Don’ts
Don’t forget to close the loop
Ariela: “The Number 1 mistake that most make when configuring a general workflow is that they forget to include a final approver to the bottom of the table in a general workflow.”
One common mistake of workflow configuration is forgetting to include a final approver at the bottom of the table in a general workflow. It’s essential to add one last row with a person who doesn’t have an approver above them. This ensures that the workflow for approval process functions properly and avoids potential hiccups.
Don’t use the wrong workflow for the use case
Ariela: “Don’t forget that there are multiple workflow capabilities available to you, such as: general, rule-based, and even validations! Remember to use the right one for your workflow to work best.”
Choosing the right workflow type that aligns with your specific use case is essential. Using the right one allows you to achieve what you want faster. Each capability is designed to cater to different scenarios, so selecting the appropriate one is critical to achieving optimal workflow performance. Still trying to decide which to choose? A quick call with the team at DealHub can put you on the right track.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Ariela: “Don’t be scared to experiment! DealHub offers such wide flexibility that you may even discover a new and better way to configure something!”
DealHub is incredibly agile, enabling you to explore various configuration possibilities. Be curious and experiment with different settings and approaches, especially when creating a new draft version. Experimenting reveals novel ways to enhance deal desk process flows and find more efficient configurations.
The approval process in the deal desk process flow
Here’s how the approval process fits within a typical Deal Desk process flow:
- Deal submission
Sales rep submits the deal details and proposal to the Deal Desk for review. - Initial review
Deal Desk reviews the deal for compliance with pricing, discount policies, and contract terms. - Approval process
If the deal requires sign-off (due to discount thresholds, contract exceptions, or deal size), it enters the automated approval workflow where designated approvers review and approve or reject the deal based on predefined criteria. - Negotiation and adjustments
If approved, the deal may return to sales for negotiation or adjustment if needed; if rejected, sales is notified to revise the deal. - Final review and documentation
Once approved and finalized, the Deal Desk ensures all documentation is complete and accurate. - Contract generation and execution
The approved deal is converted into a contract for signature and execution. - Deal closure and handoff
After contract execution, the deal is closed and handed off to the fulfillment or customer success teams.
How DealHub boosts approval workflow efficiency
As Ariela points out, “Approval workflow configuration can seem, at times, complex.” However, DealHub is designed to streamline workflows. With its user-friendly interface and remarkable flexibility, DealHub stands out as a platform that maximizes sales efficiency. The platform empowers deal desk managers to standardize and automate their approval workflows and achieve faster deal approvals.
DealHub can optimize and streamline sales approval workflows and the CPQ approval process through its Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solution.
By automating deal desk process flows, DealHub enables salespeople to close deals efficiently and promptly. Automated/digital approval workflows offer users:
- Improved cross-team collaboration: Automated approval workflows make the sales process more streamlined and efficient. DealHub CPQ clearly outlines the required approvals, eliminating the need for sales reps to follow up with internal stakeholders. Improved cross-team collaboration enables sales professionals to focus more on selling.
- Speed and consistency: Automated approval workflows in DealHub CPQ enable sales teams to quickly obtain necessary sign-offs through predefined standards and conditional logic. This not only accelerates deal closures but also reduces errors and bottlenecks, improves consistency, and facilitates onboarding and training.
- Enhanced organizational transparency: By reducing confusion and improving communication among departments, digital workflows increase productivity, efficiency, and trust. The workload in the Operations department is also lightened, freeing up personnel to focus on more critical tasks.
- A better customer experience: Automated approval workflows enhance the customer experience by reducing the time spent creating and validating deals. Sales teams are empowered to be responsive to customer needs and share proposals quickly.
DealHub CPQ has the power to automate various processes, including:
- The discount approval workflow automates the process of approving discounts so representatives can generate quotes with consistent and accurate pricing that aligns with discount guidelines.
- The billing approval workflow validates invoices by integrating CPQ and billing software, ensuring correct and efficient billing.
- The legal or compliance approval workflows simplify and expedite the approval of contract revisions.
Final thoughts
“Don’t be intimidated by approval workflows. With DealHub and the collaborative efforts of our clients, we can achieve remarkable results. Efficiency is within reach!” says Ariela.
Watch our webinar with Ariela and DealHub’s Head of Customer Success, Eran Gross.
DealHub’s CPQ solution for Sales is a game-changer for approval workflow efficiency. By automating approval processes, organizations can streamline their sales operations, reduce errors, and enhance collaboration among departments. With improved speed and efficiency, enhanced transparency, consistent control over processes, and a better customer experience, DealHub empowers teams to close deals faster and more effectively.
Boost your approval workflow efficiency with DealHub and witness the positive impact it can have on your deal desk operations. Get started today and experience the power of streamlined approvals like never before!
