LCS Family of Companies
Based in Des Moines, Iowa, and established in 1971, LCS is a pioneer in the senior living industry. The LCS Family of Companies includes various business lines, including a development arm, a management company, group purchasing business, and a real estate private equity enterprise, as well as a nonprofit foundation. The LCS Family of Companies serve more than 40,000 seniors across 31 states.
The Search for AP Automation leads LCS to AP Express:
In 2015, LCS was hearing from many of their community leaders and community AP teams about the ongoing need to automate AP. At that time, LCS had approximately 120 communities that needed to be considered when choosing a solution. Each community had their own accounting team and business processes – and with that, came their own unique set of challenges. LCS knew they needed a highly flexible and configurable solution that was easy to implement and was user-friendly for their large user base. LCS found out quickly that AP Express could meet these requirements and then some.
Stephanie King, Director, Financial Systems recalls her early days with AP Express.
“We started with our Corporate Accounting Group – which included around eight legal entities. The following year, we rolled AP Express out to our very first community, who had expressed a big need for automation – and it just grew from there.”
King described how AP Express is now a part of LCS’s standard package when they bring on a new life plan community
“On Day 1 we are introducing AP automation via AP Express to our new family of communities that join.”
I’ve talked with many vendors who claim to know Oracle EBS inside and out – and it always leads to numerous discovery calls and countless hours of bringing the vendor up to speed on Oracle EBS in general.
Visibility gained with AP Express
Visibility was important for LCS. “I started at LCS entering AP invoices, so I knew the rush! We didn’t know where anything was. On the last day of the month, the team would get a large stack of invoices to key in by hand and invoices used to sit on a manager’s desk for up to two weeks before coding/approval and given back to the account department. Prior to AP Express, the accounting department didn’t know how many invoices were outstanding or who’s desk the invoices were on waiting for approval.” King continued by highlighting how AP Express provides complete visibility of each invoice and its journey through the AP process.
“It was the shining moment for what AP Express could provide our communities. AP Express was holding people accountable, bringing efficiencies across the board, and giving people the opportunity to improve their processes.”
“One of the things that I think has really come to light as a huge benefit with AP Express, is that it really facilitates a segregation of duties,” added Amber Schneider, Sr. System Analyst – Finance. “Before AP Express, anybody could be doing anything. Now there is a very distinct role definition – you have your AP entry folks; you have your approvers – there is no crossover. People are just more productive.”
Nivo1 Knows Oracle E-Business Suite
Schneider continued by stating that this is never the experience with Nivo1.
“I learn more about EBS from the team at Nivo1 – they are teaching me about our system, not the other way around. EBS is a beast, its complex, and then you add the unique LCS organization structure, and it just makes for a perfect storm. A storm that Nivo1 can always handle.”
More than just a vendor, a true partnership
“I’ve always been able to have an open, candid dialogue with the Nivo1 team, and that’s always been very appreciated. If our team needs anything, Nivo1 always delivers.” King continued by expressing her gratitude for not only having their needs heard but also having their needs met – “there is a strong desire from the Nivo1 team to make their solution better, that’s very important and valued with our partnership!” Schneider continued by highlighting the level of support her team receives.
“From a day to day support prospective – Nivo1 is so responsive. There is always an open channel of communication between teams.”
Schneider appreciates Nivo1’s willingness to jump on calls to troubleshoot with her community users. “When I make a request, we are often on a call in 5 minutes, The chances of that happening with most vendors, are slim to none.” She added, “we know we can always count on the Nivo1 team.”
Key Takeaway
We have a wonderful partnership at all levels,” said King.
Key Statistics
Invoice Volume
425,000 per year
Nivo1 Products
AP Express
Customer Since
2015
ERP
Oracle E-Business Suite