2 Cents from six50: One Automation That Saves 12 Hours a Week

TL;DR

Automating internal approvals (quotes, discounts, invoices, POs) saves 8–15 hours/week and reduces delays by 30–50% — with minimal tech changes.

The Take

Approvals are invisible time sinks.

Every “Can you take a look at this?” email adds friction, delay, and frustration — especially when approvals live in inboxes or Slack threads.

The Numbers

Across multiple clients:

• 8–15 hours/week lost waiting on approvals
• 30–50% delay in deal or invoice cycles
• 3–5 people involved per approval
• 0 audit trail when questions arise

This is low-hanging fruit.

What This Means for Operators

Faster approvals mean:

• Faster revenue recognition
• Fewer internal bottlenecks
• Less context switching for leaders

And no — this doesn’t require complex workflow software.

Our 2 Cents

Start simple:

• Define approval thresholds
• Route decisions automatically
• Capture a timestamped decision trail

If approvals aren’t tracked, they’re broken.