Customer Story: Dean Close School

Before automation, Dean Close’s finance team managed invoices, approvals, and reporting by hand. The manual process was repetitive, time-consuming, and made it difficult to track documents or manage data consistently across departments.

“We were impressed by the initial demonstration showing how we could move from our manual system to a digital version. The promise of Lightyear walking us through each stage in small steps appealed to us and any questions we had were answered in a quick and timely manner.”

— Debbie Tilley, Purchase Ledger

The finance team introduced Lightyear for Education to automate invoice processing, approval workflows, and data export. By integrating Lightyear’s API with WCBS, they were able to share accurate financial information across systems instantly, eliminating manual re-entry and reducing the risk of errors.

Automation quickly delivered measurable results. The team’s monthly manual data-entry workload dropped from 30 hours to less than 2, leading to an 85% increase in productivity.

“Processing: From 30 hours to 2 hours”

The benefits also extended to reporting and reconciliation. End-of-month reporting, which once took hours, now happens in minutes.

“Previously, end-of-month tasks were time-consuming and tedious, often taking up to four hours to generate reports and locate specific invoices. However, the process now takes just minutes thanks to automated statement reconciliation and instant 3-way matching of GRNs, documents, and receipts. Plus, with data securely stored in the cloud archive, the team can find missing invoices within seconds.”

This automation has cut time spent searching for missing invoices by 90%, resulting in reporting that’s 75% faster overall.

Before automation, the average end-to-end approval time at Dean Close was 15 days, matching the UK’s typical range of 10–16 days. Since adopting Lightyear, approvals now take just three days — an 80% reduction.

“It is not daunting to switch to Lightyear, the care is taken to work together throughout all of the implementation stages. The benefits, once Lightyear is installed far outweigh any manual system.”

These changes have improved not only internal efficiency but also the team’s ability to maintain accurate data, pay suppliers promptly, and make better-informed decisions.

A smooth transition and measurable impact

Dean Close’s move to automated processes has delivered exceptional results:

• 12 days saved per month on manual processing
• 85% boost in productivity
• 75% faster reporting
• 80% faster invoice approvals
• 30% overall time and cost savings

Automation has also given the team a full audit trail and real-time visibility over spend — foundations that support the school’s long-term operational goals.

To conclude

Dean Close has experienced a smooth and successful journey to automated processes, resulting in outstandingly efficient operations. Not only have they experienced significant time and cost savings of up to 30%, but they have also achieved remarkable accuracy.

With real-time visibility over their procure to pay functions, the Dean Close team noticed a distinct improvement in supplier relationships, as well as their ability to make better informed financial decisions. These exceptional accounting processes form part of the basic foundations for operational success, further empowering Dean Close to deliver their ‘distinctly different’ approach to education, ensuring that all students flourish.