From Hours to Minutes: How Maroochy RSL Increased Back-Office Efficiency
Maroochy RSL has been a proud cornerstone of the Sunshine Coast community since it was established in 1932, later commencing operations as a licensed club in 1972. With a long-standing commitment to service, connection, and community, the club has grown into a vibrant hospitality venue that brings people together through dining, entertainment, and social engagement. Today, Maroochy RSL is supported by a dedicated team who help deliver exceptional member and guest experiences.
As Maroochy RSL continued to grow and expand its operations, the volume of invoices, purchase orders, and approvals increased significantly. This growth placed mounting pressure on the finance team, which was still relying on manual processes to manage POs and approvals in a fast-paced hospitality environment. These challenges impacted their efficiency and limited real-time financial visibility. To remediate these and strengthen control, Maroochy RSL integrated the Lightyear accounts payable (AP) automation solution with their accounting software, Xero.
Invoices on the Rocks
Danny Flaskas, Chief Finance Officer at Maroochy RSL, explained that, with a finance team of 4 and a high volume of invoices processed every month, their main focus was automating manual, time-consuming back-office work that was pulling staff off the floor and away from guests.
“When I arrived in mid-2023, our AP process was largely manual and paper-based. Invoices were printed and physically moved between departments for coding and approvals, which made the entire workflow very time-consuming.” says Danny.
Maroochy RSL lacked a formal PO system, and Danny explained the operational and financial risks that came with this gap.
“There was a real risk with having no purchase orders in place. For example, we once found a TV in our veterans hub and asked who had bought it. No one knew, and we couldn’t trace it back. That experience confirmed for us that we needed to move to a proper AP system.”
He further highlighted that approvals were difficult to track and were often delayed by manual processing.
“Invoices could sit unprocessed for up to a week before being printed and manually routed to the appropriate department manager for approval and coding. Depending on management availability, documents could remain with a single approver for several days. Once returned, invoices were reviewed, verified, and then sequentially approved by the CFO and CEO. This multi-layered, paper-based workflow resulted in a lengthy and inefficient approval process.”
Maroochy RSL needed a solution to expedite approvals and provide them with a proper PO system. After weighing several options, they adopted Lightyear as their AP automation system.
“We looked at a couple of other platforms, but none of them really covered everything. Lightyear was the only solution that covered all the bases. With the others, there were some good features, but also elements that simply wouldn’t work for us. From a holistic perspective, Lightyear was the best fit, especially as we wanted a proper purchase order system with matching and built-in controls.”
We were always worried that our financials didn’t include all expenses, and chasing invoices was like constantly chasing our tail.
A Better Recipe for Efficient AP
“With Lightyear, I feel much more confident because we know exactly what’s happening with every invoice. Everything follows the workflow, and with purchase order rules in place, we have clear controls and visibility throughout the process.”
Danny emphasised that approval delays had reduced from hours to minutes.
“A big part of Lightyear for our front-of-house staff and the General Managers is being able to use the mobile app on the go. As soon as we receive an invoice, it’s pushed straight to the General Manager, who gets a notification and can approve it right away. They don’t have to set aside an hour at the end of the day to approve invoices. They can do it anytime, anywhere.”
Additionally, Danny explained that Lightyear made it easy for him to delegate authority.
“We’ve now got delegations of authority set up in the system. Invoices over $10,000 go to the CEO, I approve $1,000 to $10,000 as the CFO, and anything under $1,000 is approved by the executive managers. It gives me a lot more confidence and visibility. I can see exactly where things are at any point and track how the team is managing the workflow.”
Moreover, Lightyear has improved visibility for Maroochy RSL, enabling the board and management to have clearer oversight of spending and financial commitments. This enhanced their forecasting.
“Having invoices enter the system faster naturally improves forecasting and gives us up-to-date data for cash flow, profit, and budgeting. Lightyear puts invoices at the forefront of our minds, and we can check things and address any issues as they arise.”
The biggest improvement? We can focus on value-added tasks and make sure everything is reconciled accurately.
Invoice Processing Reduced from Hours to Minutes
“It’s a huge time saver. What used to take me an hour to check and code paper invoices now takes just a couple of minutes in Lightyear. The cost savings add up quickly, it’s easily in the thousands each week.”
With manual work removed, the front-of-house team regained valuable time to focus on members and guests, while the finance team shifted from chasing paperwork to actively managing the numbers.
“Everyone was excited to move away from paper and utilise quality technology like Lightyear. It is easy to use, self-explanatory, and the team picked it up quickly. Front-of-house staff and General Managers now have more time on the floor with staff and patrons instead of being stuck in their offices.”
When asked if Danny would recommend Lightyear to other hospitality finance leaders, he said:
“I would definitely recommend Lightyear, especially for hospitality businesses using Xero. The integration is really good.”
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