How Chattahoochee Hills Charter School Reduced Invoice Approval Time from Days to Hours with ProcureDesk
Chattahoochee Hills Charter School is dedicated to inspiring children to the highest levels of academic achievement through a rigorous curriculum that integrates the wonders of the natural world. With 17 years in the charter school sector, Charles Patterson-Ellis, Chief Financial Officer, brings extensive experience from teaching to school leadership to financial management.
“The manual approval process was tedious and time-consuming. By the time I received an invoice, processed it, scheduled approval meetings, and finally entered it into QuickBooks, we were often past our net terms. Now with ProcureDesk, our vendors don’t have to wait.”
– Chaz Patterson-Ellis, CFO at Chattahoochee Hills Charter School
Chattahoochee Hills Charter School faced significant operational inefficiencies in its procurement and invoice processing systems. The manual, paper-based processes were causing delays in payments, a lack of transparency, and consuming valuable staff time.
Key challenges included:
- Manual Approval Processes: Paper-based approvals required physical meetings and signatures, often causing delays of 4-15 days, depending on approver availability
- Limited Transparency: Board members and school leadership lacked real-time visibility into spending and approval status
- Segregation of Duties Concerns: Manual processes made it difficult to maintain proper financial controls
- Time-Consuming Budget Allocation: Staff had to manually write budget codes on invoices before processing
Delayed Vendor Payments: Lengthy approval cycles frequently pushed payments beyond vendor terms
“We were experiencing late payments and potential missed invoices that didn’t get processed in the stack of papers. When board members wanted to review certain expenses, we had to physically scan documents. It just wasn’t a truly transparent process,”
Chaz Patterson-Ellis
CFO at Chattahoochee Hills Charter SchoolThe easiest way To implement tighter Spend controls
“The implementation process was very easy. I don’t think I had a headache throughout any part of it. Everything was upfront about what we needed to connect, and the team was always there if I had any questions,”
Chaz Patterson-Ellis
CFO at Chattahoochee Hills Charter SchoolAfter evaluating four different procurement solutions, Chattahoochee Hills Charter School selected ProcureDesk based on its user-friendly interface, direct QuickBooks integration, and comprehensive features aligned with their specific needs.
Implementation highlights:
- Swift Implementation Process: The ProcureDesk team provided clear guidance on necessary preparations and delivered a quick setup
- QuickBooks Integration: Seamless connection with their existing accounting system, streamlined financial workflows
- Amazon Punchout Integration: Simplified ordering process for frequent Amazon Business purchases
- Multi-Level Approval Workflows: Configured approval thresholds matching board policies (under $5,000 to head of school, over $5,000 to board treasurer)
Automated Invoice Capture: Set up email-based invoice receiving to automatically upload documents into the system
After a year of using ProcureDesk, Chattahoochee Hills Charter School has transformed their procurement and invoice management processes, gaining significant time savings and improved financial oversight.
Key benefits realized:
- Reduced Approval Time: Invoice approval cycles decreased from 4-15 days to less than 24 hours
- Increased Productivity: CFO regained approximately 40% of daily time previously spent on manual processes
- Enhanced Transparency: Board members now have immediate visibility into expenses requiring their approval
- Stronger Financial Controls: System enforces approval thresholds and prevents unapproved payments
- Improved Audit Readiness: Complete digital trail of all financial transactions simplifies audit preparation
The implementation has delivered significant value to the school’s operations, with Patterson-Ellis estimating he’s gained approximately 40% of his daily time back to focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual processing. From an accountability standpoint, the enhanced transparency has transformed the school’s financial oversight, audit preparation, and board governance processes.
When asked about which schools would benefit from a similar solution, Patterson-Ellis believes the system is valuable for all charter schools, particularly those with limited administrative resources. With typically fewer staff than traditional public schools, charter schools often have just one or two individuals managing all financial operations, making efficiency tools like ProcureDesk especially impactful.
“Before implementing ProcureDesk, the CFO often found himself taking work home or processing invoices while traveling to keep up with the paperwork. Now, he can be fully present for staff during work hours as the system handles the tedious, mundane processing automatically.”
Chaz Patterson-Ellis
CFO at Chattahoochee Hills Charter SchoolIf you would like to experience a struggle-free purchasing & invoicing process, click on the link below to schedule a demo with one of our product specialists.
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