Christ Church Episcopal School
“Since adopting AvidXchange, we have enjoyed easier record research, digital storage of invoices, quicker invoice approval and payment processes, and overall improved organization.”
Christ Church Episcopal School
Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES) is an independent college preparatory school for grades K-12 based on Episcopal traditions. The CCES mission is to provide an education that encourages its more than 1,200 students to think deeply, act responsibly, live vigorously, believe faithfully, lead resolutely, and create imaginatively.
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, the CCES staff has been dedicated to supporting an excellent student experience for more than 60 years. Jessica Brackett, business office assistant, joined the team 10 years ago. Her responsibilities include processing invoices and ensuring timely supplier payment.
• Industry: K-12 Schools
• Accounting System: Blackbaud
• Customer Since: 2019
Paper-Based Processes Lack Visibility, Centralization
CCES is a growing organization, committed to providing a first-rate education to students. However, its AP department was inefficient and outdated, relying on paper-based invoice processing and payments.
Brackett’s office was overwhelmed with paper clutter. It featured a wall of boxes that stored 7 years of invoices and payment receipts. The boxes occupied valuable office real estate and made locating individual records difficult. Brackett would physically hunt through the boxes when she needed to reference a past transaction, an activity she called, “a pain.”
CCES operates on a 94-acre campus with separate buildings for the Lower, Middle, and Upper schools, plus arts and athletics facilities and a chapel. With different divisions spread across the facility, Brackett often found it tough to collaborate on invoice approvals with colleagues working in other buildings.
CCES Digitizes Invoice Processing and Payments with AvidXchange
Brackett and her team sought to address their challenges by modernizing CCES’s accounts payable (AP) processes by automating with AvidXchange. Handling about 500 invoices each month, the team aimed to make the workflow as efficient as possible.
CCES adopted AvidXchange’s invoice automation solution to streamline invoice management from data entry through approval. Now, CCES can experience paperless AP, including automated data entry, electronic approval routing, and 24/7 cloud-based accessibility.
Additionally, CCES chose AvidXchange’s payment automation solution which allows businesses to pay suppliers faster and increase overall payment efficiency. It also enables self-service payment visibility, so suppliers can check on payment status and better plan for cash flow needs. Ultimately, the solution helps fortify supplier relationships for organizations like CCES.
AP Automation Improves Efficiency, Accuracy, and Remote Accessibility
Since implementing AvidXchange, CCES has begun storing invoices digitally, allowing the finance team to dismantle its wall of boxed-up invoices. In addition to saving office space, it’s now easier for Brackett to find records of past transactions. Instead of digging through paperwork, she can run a search with a few clicks to locate invoices. The CCES team appreciates the ability to add comments and notes to invoices as well, so they are armed with context when needed.
Brackett said that CCES’s invoice approval and payment process has gotten much faster with AvidXchange. “We spend less time researching invoices and processing checks,” she said. She and her team can focus that extra time on validating invoices, ensuring their accuracy before issuing payments.
The CCES team fortuitously adopted AvidXchange just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed Brackett and the AP team to remain productive while working remotely. Now, they have the flexibility to work from home when needed, since they’re no longer reliant on paper files and checks. This has also made collaborating with colleagues across the CCES campus easier since invoices can be approved and accessed digitally regardless of location or device. “It’s been a great help for us,” she said.