Meet the Client
Long Beach City College serves over 60,000 students annually across two Southern California campuses in one of the state’s most diverse communities. This community college has built its reputation on technology-rich learning environments that prepare students for careers in high-demand industries. Strong workforce development partnerships connect students directly to employers. The college offers academic transfer programs alongside career technical education, creating pathways for every student’s goals.
About our Client
CLIENT NAME:
POPULATION:
est. 60,000 students
SOLUTIONS:
Daily Detour: Paper Trails That Led Nowhere Fast
LBCC’s accounts payable team was drowning in manual processes that multiplied with every invoice. The average requisition took 49 days to become a purchase order. Budget checks alone consumed 84% of that time, creating a cascade of delays. With over 2,000 purchase orders annually, peak months in July and March turned into crisis management exercises. Faculty waited for classroom supplies. Students couldn’t access services that depended on vendor payments. Finance staff spent hours tracking down signatures instead of analyzing budgets or planning for future needs.
The admissions team faced similar friction points. More than 20,000 students per semester generated thousands of transcripts requiring manual data entry, specialist routing, and physical filing. A single transcript touched multiple hands before completion. Student forms like residency appeals and prerequisite challenges added layers of paper-based complexity. Each form meant printing, routing, filing, and hoping nothing got lost in transit. Staff members became document managers instead of student advocates. They spent more time locating files than helping students navigate their educational journeys.
“We knew our processes were slowing us down,” recalled the AP team. “But we didn’t realize how much time we were losing until we measured it.”
The Solution: Building Workflows That Work for People
LBCC implemented a Laserfiche Forms and Workflow system integrated directly with PeopleSoft. Database lookups using PO or requisition numbers happen seamlessly.
The accounts payable workflow creates a clear path for every invoice. AP receives invoices by mail or email and scans or imports them. Staff enter metadata including invoice number, date, vendor, amount, and PO details. The system checks for duplicates using vendor ID and invoice number.
AP staff select an approver from a list. The system emails the approver with a direct link to review and select the fund. Three-day reminders go out automatically. AP can reassign or cancel requests anytime.
Approved invoices route to the initiator’s folder based on status. Finance processes payments in PeopleSoft, and voucher numbers sync back to Laserfiche. The system calculates destruction dates and files documents by fiscal year and vendor.
For admissions, the college developed a two-phase transcript evaluation process. Phase one handles incoming transcripts as paper or PDF. Student information populates metadata automatically. Phase two routes transcripts to enrollment specialists for evaluation.
The team built electronic forms for residency appeals, prerequisite challenges, grade changes, and course substitutions. Students complete forms online and upload attachments. Automatic confirmations go to students while notifications alert the appropriate department. Forms and attachments index automatically.
LBCC’s environment grew from 10 users to 91 licensed users. The Forms portal supports unlimited submissions with 50 authenticated participants handling processing. Another 2,000 users access read-only views. The system manages 3.5 terabytes across multiple repositories.
The Results: Building Workflows That Work for People
Invoice processing dropped from 49 days to hours, fundamentally changing how the college operates. Budget checks that once consumed 84% of processing time became automated lookups that happen in seconds. Peak months no longer create crises or require overtime. The AP team processes 2,000+ purchase orders annually with less stress, better accuracy, and newfound capacity for strategic work.
Success in accounts payable sparked campus-wide interest. LBCC rolled out automated workflows across departments from human resources to facilities management. Each department discovered its own version of the 49-day problem. Each found solutions in customized Laserfiche workflows.
Student services improved in ways that directly impact enrollment and retention. The admissions team handles 20,000+ students per semester with faster transcript processing and better accuracy. Students submit forms online anytime, from anywhere, on any device. No more rushing to campus before office hours close. Electronic routing delivers requests to the right person instantly. Staff focus on complex cases that need human judgment instead of shuffling paper.
The Laserfiche environment evolved from a simple document repository into a strategic platform. Growth from 10 users to 91 licensed users happened organically as departments saw results. The addition of 2,000 authenticated read-only users shows how transparency and access improve collaboration. Managing 3.5 terabytes of data sounds impressive until you realize it represents eliminated file cabinets, freed office space, and documents that staff can find in seconds instead of days.
Future plans build on proven success. Quick Fields will extract data automatically from scanned documents. Repository-wide records retention policies will ensure compliance without manual tracking. Import Agent will migrate network files seamlessly. Laserfiche Connector will deepen PeopleSoft integration and connect additional systems.
What started as an accounts payable project became a blueprint for operational excellence. LBCC discovered the right Laserfiche partner makes the difference between buying software and building sustainable solutions. Partner expertise matters when workflows need to respect how people actually work.
See it in Action
Get more good days done with Laserfiche’s complete toolset for securing documents, automating repetitive tasks, and meeting compliance requirements.
Instructors now evaluate student progress through a secure online form. The system queries data from the Student Information System automatically. Fields filter based on selections. Hidden variables drive automation. Zero manual entry required. Since everyone holds a license, forms remain private and secure.
Student workers complete damage assessments on mobile devices right in the dorm rooms. Staff review and approve digitally. The system pulls student data automatically. When roommates share a space, damage calculations happen instantly. Excel reports export for analysis and billing without anyone touching a spreadsheet manually.
This hybrid signature process combines Laserfiche and DocuSign seamlessly. Watermark variables identify where DocuSign signatures belong. Form variables interact directly with the DocuSign workflow. No manual steps required. Script rules and on-site DLL files handle the complexity. Signed forms automatically return from DocuSign and replace the original in the repository. The system generates a document link and passes it back so future reviewers can access the signed version instantly.
Other Projects the University is planning include:
Event Inquiry Request
Audio/Visual Request
Housing/Meal Accommodations
Emotional Support Animal Request
Office Relocation Request
Delta Kappa Nominations/Application Process
Request for Hire (Staff/Temp/Student Worker)
Performance Evaluations (Self Eval / Staff Eval)
Payroll/Position Change Request
IT On-boarding / Supplemental Access
Classroom Issue Request
Living Well Resource Request
Music Dept Audition Request
Adjunct Hire/Contract Process
Housing Cancellation Request
Student Care & Conduct Release
Change of Address / Grade / Name
Leave of Absence Request
Withdrawal Request
