This Zapier workflow was designed to solve a recurring bottleneck in our company’s HR and finance process. When our HR lead left unexpectedly, our COO and team members had to manually verify and approve every contractor invoice at month-end. This was time-consuming, error-prone, and took valuable focus away from more critical work. To streamline this, I built an automated workflow called Validate Contractor Invoice, which ensures invoices are validated against employee records, routed appropriately, and handled with minimal manual intervention.

How It Works (Step by Step)

Trigger: New Invoice Email – The process begins when a contractor submits their invoice via email to the company’s finance inbox.
Initial Path Split – The workflow branches to handle different types of invoices or fallback cases.

Validation Path

• Applies filters and conditions to check invoice details.

• Runs a custom JavaScript check to verify formatting or required fields.

• Connects to PeopleForce to cross-check contractor details against employee records.

• If everything matches, the workflow proceeds automatically.

• Approval Paths

• If valid:

  • Invoice is uploaded to Google Drive.

  • Confirmation reply email is sent to the contractor.

  • Invoice email is labeled and logged.

  • Notification is posted in Slack for team visibility.

• If invalid:

  • Workflow flags the invoice and forwards it to the CEO or designated team member.

• They can review, correct, or manually approve.

  • Fallback Handling – Any edge cases that don’t fit conditions trigger a simple fallback path, ensuring no invoice goes unreviewed.

Impact

• Time Saved: Eliminated hours of manual invoice verification at month-end.

• Accuracy Improved: Reduced errors by automatically validating contractor details with PeopleForce records.

• Visibility Increased: Automated Slack updates ensure the team stays informed without digging through emails.

• Scalable: Even if HR resources are unavailable, the system ensures continuity and reliability.

Summary

In short, this Zap may look simple, but it transforms a tedious manual process into a reliable, automated system, saving significant time and effort during high-pressure periods like month-end.