Lightyear

Pros

The program is easy to learn and explain to other non-finance people to use. It offers the best customer support which is very friendly and fast-reacted to any issues arise.

Cons

The best integration with XERO and BEPOZ.

Pros

Easy to integrate and setup - start to finish - 4 weeks.
Great support team, very helpful and very thorough.
Price is very competitive, especially the setup costs.
Did what it said it could do and integrated with our systems.

Cons

Duplicate invoices dont get caught until after the workflow.
Cannot bulk upload historical invoices from previous system (Dext)

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Lightyear

Switched From

Pros

Seamless integration aided by the helpful staff from Lightyear. The program itself is a big time saver.

Cons

The only thing I can think of at this stage is the way that Lightyear integrates with our POS system. There is an extra step in the exporting/importing process, but it still quite easy to use when you become familiar with it.

Pros

Nothing to like about light year it is doesn’t work simple

Cons

Slow, Unstable, inaccurate ocr of invoices causing excessive manual re-entry of invoices, customer support non existent as they can’t do anything as it is a terrible system I have waited for improvements over the last 3 months they haven’t happened stay from lightyear find something else

Pros

Smooth integration process with ERP and a user-friendly interface with a lot of functionality

Cons

No complaints. The experience during and post on-boarding was great.

Pros

Lightyear simplifies data entry of our invoices by saving us a massive amount of time and paper

Cons

When we export invoices into a csv file to upload into our accounting package, some of the invoices in the csv file do not match the value of the invoice in Lightyear. It's usually only a few cents but I need to cross check every invoice each time I export all csv files against Lightyear.

Pros

Taken a huge load in processing time of the supplier invoices, it can streamline the processes, identify duplicate invoices and eliminates any human errors.
It is also well integrated with Xero.

Cons

Getting the right mapping for some suppliers due to their invoice formats can sometimes be challenging and ongoing.

Credit notes can at times be problematic as the reference in the credit notes can cause confusion in the processing (due to formats), they can be processed as the original invoices again rather than credit notes.

Pros

“Great experience with Lightyear so far, extremely helpful software that saved me heaps of time and paper.

Very user friendly and easy to communicate with the rest of out team.

Support is very knowledgeable and quick in reply.

Highly recommended to all business.”

Cons

“There is not downside with the software. Surely there will constant updates and look forward for it”

Pros

What I like most about Lightyear is it’s easy to navigate and very user-friendly

Cons

So far, there’s nothing that I like least about Lightyear because in more than 3 years of using the platform, I didn’t encounter any issue

Pros

I love how fast it is and the interface is easy..

Cons

There's no sharing of Database, hopefully in the future..

Pros

Document Management, Approval Workflows, Integration, Data Extraction, User-Friendly Interface

Cons

Nothing ive come across i don't like yet.

Pros

Processing invoices, this also shows duplicated invoices, easy to track.

Cons

System captures the wrong information sometimes.

Pros

I love how easy it is to use and it makes processing invoices so quick.

Cons

truly i like everything about it and i am satisfied

Pros

The functionality allows automatic capture and coding of purchase invoices. This enables invoice processing and approval to be made in an efficient and effective way without the need to key in the invoice details.

Cons

It would be good to have some service or item codes under service bills which we could use to cover withholding tax

Pros

Of all the software that I use, for me Lightyear is the best. It provides automated information which made my work easier. You can also find solutions to your issues/concern through Knowledge Base or you can just simply chat lightyear Team and they will respond to you in just a snap. Would highly recommend of course.

Cons

None for me to be honest :)Because, If I wanted to know a thing or If I experienced some issues , I can just chat the support team for assistance :):):)

Pros

I like how user friendly this software is and if I am ever stuck then support is always available. I have been able to save a lot of time and train a few interns with Lightyear. Being able to access old invoices in the online archive is great too. The statement reconciliation process has finally allowed me to go completely paperless which makes my work more accurate.

Cons

At times syncing with Netsuite lags so it takes a bit longer to sync.

Pros

running my multiple entities and division within the one program

Cons

anything that doesn't work, a simple call to support and they fix it right away or find an alternative solution

Pros

Complete visibility across supplier invoices either via the dashboard as a quick view or in detail across all stages of approvals. This is especially helpful at the end of the month to see if all invoices have been through the entire approval process and exported to our accounting system before close off.
Search functionality is helpful and shows which stage of the process each invoice is at - search results can be exported.
The audit trails and notes show full history of the life of the invoice and save a lot of external communication and queries.
Implementation was easy after the demonstrations given to us by [SENSITIVE CONTENT] who took the time to understand what we wanted (which was a little bit out of the ordinary!) and configure the settings accordingly. We gained confidence in Lightyear through the demonstration/training process and the additional webinars.

Cons

Looking forward to enhancements to the mobile app to allow more functionality while on site.

Pros

The approval options definitely is the differential of Lightyear. From a simple 2 steps approval, to up to 3 executive approval, there are many options that can suit the most complex business.
Another strong point from Lightyear is their support. You usually gets a response on the same day.

Cons

Their subscription is based on the number of transactions, so if your business manages a large quantity of bills, it might become a bit expensive.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

The functionality of Lightyear is incredible. This solution fully incorporates digitisation of all aspects of the AP function including data extraction from invoices, a full invoice depository, approval workflows via email and app, audit trails, seamless integration with our accounting system, automated supplier statement reconciliation, to name but a few. It can even verify supplier invoice line pricing to agreed pricing product price lists!

The system is user intuitive, with the process was so natural that rolling this out across the team was simplicity itself.

And pricing is scalable to usage, providing totally affordable Rolls Royce functionality to any organisation.

Cons

Have found no cons to date! Thee are certain upgrades in the pipeline for approver interface via the app and email which will further enhance the already existing superiority of this product.

Pros

Lightyear has been a critical and very beneficial piece of software for our business. The ease of use combined with the outstanding customer service has meant we were able to build and launch lightyear very quickly and start using it to assist our growing business.

Cons

Hard to pick something we dont like. If anything, search capability can be improved within purchase orders but the team are constantly working and upgrading the software.

Pros

Lightyear has completely transformed the whole business and made life so incredibly easy. From the transparency of data extraction and approval process through to the electronic filing this system is truly brilliant. I cannot recommend it enough.

Cons

I really can't think of any cons. If there is a feature that is missing, the development team appears to take on board suggestions to incorporate it into the next update and they appear to regularly update and upgrade features.

Pros

The ease of use. We have varying levels of computer literacy across the group, and I haven't had any complaints or confusion about the product.

Cons

some times the mapping/mapping requests can cause delays in processing.
though this would be a problem in any like system.

Pros

Its easy to use. Its very clear and the team and customer service are excellent. MIssing invoices are always easy to locate.

Cons

Sometimes I find it difficult to map some of the smaller businesses, but as someone who is not techno savvy this is just a small problem.

Pros

Having Lightyear enables us to do in minutes what used to take hours of manual data entry to enter suppliers bills into our accounting software.

Cons

I find it annoying that I have to set up a supplier in Xero, raise a test bill, then pull that back into Lightyear to set up a supplier in Lightyear.

Pros

The implementation of the system was easy with excellent support from the team. It is very user friendly, all approvers have started using it without additional training as it is so straightforward. Processing invoices with Lightyear is super easy and using the system finally allowed us to go totally paperless.

Cons

There is no downside of the system, I cannot mention anything negative about it.

Pros

It's ease of use and flexibility in being able to move approvals

Cons

In Dashboard, looking at the user list, it would be great if you could click on the user name and get a list of their approvals

Pros

Lightyear allows for excellent reporting and intelligence

Cons

The delay in mapping new suppliers, although there is an option to speedily approve.

Pros

Amazing support by our excellent man [sensitive content hidden].
Allows me to communicate to the staff members and more importantly to the suppliers.
It also integrates very well with our POS and most importantly within my role is how it eliminates the data entry and sign them off straight to Xero.

Pros

Time saving
Store Invoicing
Approval workflow

Cons

Bulk PO process will need improved. 3 way match is bit tedious

Pros

Mapping allows automated billing preparation which saves time.
Duplicates are traceable in high volume bill runs.
Processing times are reduced and less paperwork.

Cons

Can be a slow connection on the odd occasion.

Pros

As a small business owner, Lightyear has saved me hours of time processing Accounts Payable each month. By eliminating almost all the manual input I used to do, Lightyear has both significantly reduced the time I spend entering invoices into my accounting system as well as minimized data entry errors. Lightyear's customer service has been very responsive and helpful, and they seek out feedback to continuously improve their product.

Cons

Integration with Quickbooks Desktop can be clumsy at times, but that is more of an issue with the 3rd party app needed to import the transactions.

Pros

From Invoice mapping to statement reconciliation, it remains the best system I have used. Missing invoices are easily located by the auto -mailing system to Suppliers.

Cons

Any problems that I have encountered have been handled by the Support team (or just the chat service ) so I do not have any issues.

Pros

- Good software. Easy to use.
- Great support team.
- onboarding consultant was amazing.

Cons

- in some instances, the rules are too rigid.
- it will be good to have a little bit of flexibility with some of the rules which should help solve a lot of things especially for supplier who currently don't have a professional way of running their business.

Pros

After the initial set up of LightYear and suppliers, we noticed the time savings immediately. I love that I can live chat with a LightYear Staff member whenever I am having trouble with something. They give me mini lessons each time I ask a question, are helpful and have a sense of humor! We have still not implemented all the features the product has to offer, but we are off to a good start.

Cons

It was a bit slow to set up and I did require assistance to work out the best way forward for our organization's requirements, however, the assistance received was wonderful.

Pros

Great product, easy to use, good value for money, amazing customer service who have come up with a solution to any issue we had. No more filing!

Cons

There is nothing I have come across yet I don't like about Lightyear.

Pros

Invoice Processing- Easy Use Easy to understand the features.Easy invoice MappingGreat Team members Support

Cons

There is nothing that I like least about Lightyear.

Pros

Easy to use and understand one touch payables

Cons

Does not integrate to cooking the books
Would be good to have multiple accounts emails attached

Pros

Easy and intuitively designed. Knowledge base has everything you need to know, and if not then you are guaranteed to get a response within an hour if you raise a ticket. Had the most amazing helpful onboarding specialist Phil!

Cons

There is nothing I don't like about lightyear!

Pros

Very easy to use. The automatic reading and processing of invoices works almost flawlessly, unlike others I have used. Make the authorisation process so simple and streamlined. Their support, especially initial set up, is incredible. I honestly couldn't sign their praised enough!

Cons

One thing we wish it could do is have the option of having the approval workflow work based off of the nominal code, as opposed to working at a supplier level. But even that isn't really a con, just a wish!

Pros

- Invoice Processing: Significant amount of time saved for me to focus on other aspects of the business, with confidence, knowing that I have accurately captured and processed all invoices.- Security: bank fraud detection is a very powerful feature of the lightyear system as well as its ability to flag duplicate invoices.- Support: the Lightyear team are incredible. From implementation to processing/mapping support, Lightyear are unreal.

Cons

N/A: We have currently used Lightyear for < 6 months but have explored a significant amount of its functionality and capability, which has been an incredibly positive experience for myself and the business.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

The system is simple and handles the basics well such as invoice coding and linear approval workflows.Bank account detail changes, duplicate invoice flagging and statement reconciliation are also very clear and useful.The support team both for implementation and ongoing support are responsive and effective.

Cons

The approval workflow for invoices is at the individual supplier level so you can't create an approval chain for a department and attach a group of suppliers to that department. Each supplier is configured individually.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

Not much not to like! The fact that you can have a month's free trial to test it out and set everything up is brilliant. It meant we could trial the product at no cost (including excellent support from [SENSITIVE CONTENT] ). Although there was paid implementation assistance (cheap!) available I was able to set the whole thing up without having to resort to that (the customer support team is on hand 24/7 to help with any issues).

The product is not that mature - which could be seen as a downside. However, the Lightyear team is so responsive that it doesn't actually come across that way. Most of the niggles that I had at the beginning (just over 6 months ago) have already been resolved through the regular product updates, and I have confidence that the remainder will be resolved in due course.

The product is very easy to set-up and use (as evidenced by being self-implemented). We have implemented in four locations, and once you understand how things work, it only really takes a couple of hours of setup to do each new location.

Cons

Given the nature of the rapid development of the product, there is still some work to be done to rationalise all the features (e.g. 'Edit Bill' permissions were add retrospectively to the 'Task Approver' role, so they don't integrate in a completely cohesive manner with the interface). However, I understand that the team are proactively working on that aspect.

Pros

Easy to setup and maintain. Excellent support from staff at all levels of Lightyear.

Cons

The export into our POS can be a little clunky. This may be from the POS end but it does still provide a level of efficiency with stock management in POS.

Pros

There are so many things I love about Lightyear. The new statement reconciliation feature though is a game changer! Lightyear tells you what invoices are missing and allows you to contact the supplier to request missing invoices direct from the software. Amazing!!!

Cons

There's not much I don't like about the software, and the things that I would like are already in the works.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Lightyear

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

The invoice approval function was the reason for initially coming across to Lightyear but the statement reconciliation process was a hidden surprise that has enabled my last remaining paper based clients to take the leap to being completely paperless. The integrity of the data being exported to the accounting software is much better than other programs.

Cons

My clients who use purchase orders are currently needing to batch together the PO pdf & supplier invoice images before sending to Lightyear which would be amazing if we could either match them up within the app, or issue PO's direct from the app which are then able to be viewed with the supplier invoice.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Lightyear

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

Lightyear is visually pleasing-it's quite simple to use and understand. From the user perspective who inputs data on invoices and approves them, it's straightforward and the layout of the software does not show you more than what you need to see, however, underneath the simple processes there is complexity. Lightyear makes supplier creation, GL code settings linked to export files such as Excel, and GST codes etc are somehow made simple to set up. One thing I find particularly great is whenever I input an ABN number during the Supplier Creation process, it autofills the Supplier Name field. Additionally, this is a drop down menu, so i am able to choose ANY of the Business Names linked to this ABN.

Cons

Sometimes, there have been system bugs and I'm unable to export data for a brief amount of time, or when we top up credits to use the system, the old credits are not rolled over their expiry date. It would be great if there was a notification in place to let us know that our credits are expiring soon or we are running low. Also, there are some things which cannot be customised. For example, the Export to File which is a function that exports invoice data into a spreadsheet, cannot be modified from my end. Lightyear do add features from time to time, but I'm not sure if consumer recommendations are actually involved in the process.

Pros

What I like most about Lightyear is how easy and versatile it is to use. It saves so much time! Invoices come into Lightyear and are identifiable immediately. Important information from the invoice is automatically read and displayed. Invoice details are easily updated, added and authorised in the one program. The beauty of this is that it happens before it reaches our accounting software which makes the process much more flexible and accurate.

All our invoices and statements are stored electronically in this clever filing cabinet and any one granted access can see the actual invoice PDF anytime and quickly. Much easier and more secure than within accounting programs or Outlook.

If a supplier has sent an invoice to lightyear, it doesn't go missing. It can't be lost. if it can't be read by Lightyear, it bounces out to your appointed email.

Lightyear provides a thorough audit trail. Every time an invoices is read, edited, sent, authorised or declined, etc it is recorded.

Cons

As we use SAP accounting software, which is not cloud based, our software integration took a bit longer. The team at Lightyear (then Invitbox) worked with our SAP provider helping them write and produce the integration document.

Pros

We love how this product enables our clients to check & approve their invoices before the invoices land in Xero. We know that anything in Xero is checked & ready to be paid. Easy for multiple people to have access & sign off. All AP is in one place & finding historical invoices is a breeze.

Cons

Reading OCR receipts has been a bit behind other competitors but improvement is coming through really quickly.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Lightyear

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Lightyear

Pros

Every step of the process has been excellent and the ongoing support has continued to be excellent.
The initial contact was responsive and guided through the set up to allow us start processing quickly.
The product is logical to follow and easy to view and provides options every step of the way.
The data extraction is very accurate and adaptable to different supplier invoices and the mapping team is very quick. This is more accurate than our previous software.
To email queries from within Lightyear saves so much time and hassle looking for emails and provides great transparency.
Separation of users to their department only
Choosing where we export to Xero has been essential to facilitate approval levels
Lightyear continues to improve their
Service to queries has been responsive and solutions are specific to our company using information and not a regurgitating the help function.

Cons

There is a lot of functionality and detail so can be a little overwhelming.
Support videos and notes focus on administrators but could find information on guiding from the other user roles perceptive after initial guide when first login