Lighthouse

How IRIS Enterprise Software helped Lighthouse, Poole's centre for the Arts, lift the curtain on its own success.

Dorset is well known for its beautiful coastline, however many people may not know that Poole, one of its largest towns, is also home to the largest arts centre outside London. With the help of an external facelift and an internal systems boost from IRIS Enterpise Software, Lighthouse, formerly known as Poole Arts Centre, is growing into a force to be reckoned with in the performing arts field.

 

 

Lighthouse hosts over 2,000 performances a year, ranging from cinema showings to plays and musicals, which attract audiences of all ages from across the county. It employs 50 full-time and 50 part-time staff. To coincide with the transformation of the centre itself, the internal processes were overhauled and new systems were required to facilitate growth. One of the tasks was to replace the old accounting software that was no longer able to cope with the demands of the rejuvenated Lighthouse.

 

Graham Wilkin, head of finance at Lighthouse comments "We were prompted to look for a new finance solution because the licences on our existing software from Sage was within months of expiring.

 

However, due to the changing requirements of the centre, modernisation of our accounting practices and the need to streamline our systems, the Sage system was also no longer meeting our needs. We wanted to replace it with a more suitable solution that could grow with the Centre and help us adapt by being flexible."

 

"We wanted to ensure that our accounting system gave everybody involved in the running of Lighthouse a clear and concise view of its financial affairs, from the board to the accounts clerks. It was important that we made sure that any new system could cope with the complexity of the Centre's financial processes."

 

Each one of the 2,000 performances per year at Lighthouse is an individual job for the finance team. Costing functionality is vital to the accounting staff when it comes to ensuring that each department runs smoothly and to budget. With this in mind, Graham looked at a number of mid range suppliers including Exchequer from IRIS Enterprise Software.

 

Graham Wilkin commented: "Exchequer satisfied our criteria in terms of features and functionality more than the other products we looked at. Job costing was a very time-consuming process using the old Sage product and took an enormous amount of administration time within the team. Exchequer had the ability to streamline this process and we knew we could trust it to adapt with us as our needs grew. Once we decided to migrate to Exchequer, it was only three months before the new system was up-and-running. IRIS Enterprise Software's training and helpdesk facilities have been fantastic. Our team of finance staff, including the accountant, clerks and myself, holds eight licences in total."

 

Sales & Purchase Order Processing  Project, Job & Time Costing  Report Writer  Paperless module  OLE

In terms of how Exchequer has improved the finance team and how my team adds value to Lighthouse, the change has been remarkable and implementing the service has paid dividends. It has totally altered the way we work, and turned our systems into a business tool rather than just a run-of-the-mill accounting system.

 

The biggest change and cost saving has come from the fact that we have been able to reduce our administrative headcount by 20% due to the fact that Exchequer provides automated functions which were performed manually with the help of the old Sage system.

All accounting tasks have been speeded up with Exchequer. The process of a transaction from start to finish is now far more transparent, which increases visibility for all, including senior executives who need to have a grasp of the finances of the centre. Information flow has been improved, especially to third parties. The invoicing process is now a simple task," Graham continued.

 

"IRIS Enterprise Software and Lighthouse have formed what we see as a long-term working relationship. It has been a very successful implementation for the finance team." For smaller businesses, particularly charitable trusts that have to be aware of their financial dealings and are accountable to their benefactors, it's easy to see how the right accounting software can make such a positive difference.

 

IRIS Enterprise Software has been able to help the Lighthouse finance team remain at the hub of the changes brought about by the refurbishment, and has provided them with the reassurance that it will have the scope to remain there as the centre grows and develops in capacity.