Step by step process to automate contract approvals in Qwilr

If you’re tired of chasing contract approvals by email or sticky note, you’re not alone. Legal and sales teams waste hours nudging people to click “Approve.” You’re here because you want to set up a workflow in Qwilr that takes care of the grunt work so you can get contracts out the door faster, with fewer mistakes.

This guide is for anyone who manages contracts in Qwilr: sales ops, legal, founders, or just the unofficial “contract person” at a growing company. No fluff, just a walk-through of how to set up automated contract approvals that actually work — and a look at where things might get tricky.


Why Automate Approvals in Qwilr?

Qwilr is great for building slick, interactive proposals and contracts, but the approval process is still manual unless you set it up right. Without automation, you risk:

  • Contracts stuck waiting for a manager’s green light
  • Forgetting to notify the right people
  • Human error (like sending a contract with the wrong pricing)

Automation can help by:

  • Routing the contract to the right approvers, every time
  • Sending reminders automatically
  • Logging approvals for compliance

But don’t expect a magic button — you’ll have to connect a few dots, especially if you want complex workflows.


Step 1: Map Your Approval Workflow (Don’t Skip This!)

Before you click anything in Qwilr, get clear on how approvals should work. Most teams skip this and end up automating chaos.

Ask: - Who really needs to approve each contract? (Sales manager? Legal? Finance?) - Does the approval chain change based on contract value, client, or product? - What happens if someone’s out of office? - Where should the approval record live?

Pro tip: Draw your workflow on paper or a whiteboard first. Don’t try to “figure it out as you go” in software.


Step 2: Set Up Qwilr Templates for Contracts

Qwilr’s automation features only work well if you’re using templates. If your team starts from scratch every time, you’re making life harder.

  1. Create a template for each contract type.
  2. Use Qwilr’s template feature so everyone starts from the same baseline.
  3. Add required variables (like client name, pricing, terms) up front.

  4. Lock down sensitive sections.

  5. In Qwilr, you can restrict editing on certain sections so reps can’t accidentally change legal language.
  6. This reduces the need for legal to review every deal.

  7. Set up placeholder approval steps (optional).

  8. You can add notes in the template reminding users to trigger the approval process.

What doesn’t work: Letting everyone create their own contract layouts. You’ll end up with Frankenstein documents and no way to automate.


Step 3: Choose Your Automation Tool

Here’s the thing: Qwilr doesn’t (yet) have a built-in, robust multi-step approval workflow. You’ll need to use integrations. The standard options:

  • Zapier: Easiest for most teams. Good for email notifications, Slack, or sending Qwilr contracts to another system.
  • Make (formerly Integromat): More powerful for complex workflows, but a steeper learning curve.
  • Native integrations: Qwilr connects directly with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Slack, but approval routing is still basic.

Don’t bother: With custom scripts or code unless you have unique needs and a dev who likes pain.


Step 4: Build Your Approval Automation

Let’s say you use Zapier (because it’s the path of least resistance). Here’s a practical setup for a typical approval flow:

A. Trigger: Qwilr Page Is Created or Sent

  • In Zapier, set Qwilr as the trigger app.
  • Choose the event: “New Page Created” or “Page Sent.”
  • Connect your Qwilr account.

B. Filter: Only Trigger for Contracts

  • Add a filter step to only run if the page is based on your contract template.
  • Use naming conventions or tags in Qwilr to make this reliable.

C. Action: Request Approval

  • Send an approval request (email or Slack) to the manager or legal.
  • Include a link to the Qwilr contract and a summary (client, value, key terms).
  • Ask for a simple "Approve" or "Reject." Don’t overcomplicate it.

D. Collect Approval (Two Options)

  1. Simple: The approver replies to the email/Slack message, and you manually mark it as approved.
  2. Better: Use a tool like Google Forms or Typeform, linked in the notification, so approvers can click “Approve” or “Reject.” Zapier can catch that response and move the process forward.

E. Notify the Sender

  • Once approved, trigger another action: email or Slack message back to the contract owner.
  • If rejected, send feedback.

F. Log the Approval

  • Update a Google Sheet, Airtable, or your CRM with the approval status (Zapier can handle this too).
  • This is your audit trail — don’t skip it.

Step 5: Test the Whole Flow

Run through the process as if you’re a rep, an approver, and a manager:

  • Does the approval request hit the right inbox?
  • Is the contract easy to find and review?
  • Is there a record of who approved and when?
  • What happens if someone rejects or ignores the request?

Debug before you launch: Most issues come from mismatched triggers or filters, or emails getting lost.


Step 6: Roll Out to the Team (and Stay Sane)

You’ve built your approval automation. Now, make sure people actually use it:

  • Document the process. One-pager, screenshots, whatever — make it dead simple.
  • Train once, then remind. People forget. Send a reminder the first few weeks.
  • Set up alerts for failed automations. Zapier/Make will email you if something breaks, but check in occasionally.
  • Get feedback and tweak. Approvers will tell you if something’s clunky. Listen.

What to ignore: Don’t bother with over-the-top onboarding. If your process needs a 20-slide deck, it’s too complicated.


Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)

  • Too many approvers: Every extra approver adds a day. Keep it to the minimum needed.
  • Approval by email only: Easy to lose. Always log approvals in a central place.
  • No clear fallback: What if the approver is out? Set up backups or escalation.
  • Forgetting to update templates: If your contract language changes, update your Qwilr templates and your automation filters.

When Qwilr’s Automation Isn’t Enough

Qwilr does a lot, but if you need:

  • Conditional logic: (e.g., “If contract is over $50k, add another approval step.”)
  • Dynamic routing: (e.g., send to different approvers by region or product)
  • In-app approval buttons: (approvers click directly inside Qwilr, not email)

You’ll hit limits. You might need a contract lifecycle management (CLM) tool, or to connect Qwilr to one via API. But most teams can get 80% of the way there with the steps above.


Keep It Simple — and Iterate

Automating contract approvals in Qwilr is about making your life easier, not building some Rube Goldberg machine. Start with the basics. Get your template and workflow right, automate the obvious stuff, and improve as you go.

If you find yourself drawing flowcharts with more than five branches, step back and ask: “What’s the simplest thing that could possibly work?” Usually, that’s the best place to start.

Good luck — and enjoy not chasing contract approvals by hand anymore.