How the Lovosice Cultural Center said goodbye to Excel

The biggest change wasn’t the digitalization itself. It was that everyone started working with the same information. There’s no more searching for invoices, forwarding endless emails, or wondering who the process is waiting on.

Petr Kříž, partner Tabidoo

The heart of cultural life in Lovosice

The Lovosice Cultural Center is a municipal organization at the heart of the city’s cultural scene. It operates a theatre and café, organizes cultural and community events, and manages multiple departments and budget centers. Every incoming invoice must therefore follow a clearly defined approval process that complies with internal policies as well as public sector regulations.

When the organization teamed up with our implementation partner, Petr Kříž, they began building a solution that moved the entire approval process from paper files and Excel spreadsheets into a single digital environment.

And Excel finally clocked out for good.

When Excel becomes the busiest employee

The invoice approval process worked. Just not very efficiently.

Every invoice moved between Excel spreadsheets, emails, and paper documents. Instead of focusing on their actual work, employees often found themselves searching for answers to seemingly simple questions:

• Who has the invoice right now?
• Has it already been approved?
• Which department or cost center does it belong to?
• How much of the budget has this cost center already used?

On top of that, the organization had to comply with internal policies, meet legal requirements, and ensure that no document got lost along the way. Little by little, Excel took on a role it was never meant to have.

Where Excel ends, clarity begins

In collaboration with implementation partner Petr Kříž, a custom application built on Tabidoo was developed in just three months, digitizing the entire invoice approval process—from receiving an invoice to handing it over to the accounting department. What once relied on multiple Excel spreadsheets, emails, and paper folders now runs in a single system.

Every new invoice is uploaded to the application together with its PDF document. Based on predefined rules, projects, cost centers, and approval workflows, the system automatically assigns the right approvers. Automated email notifications keep everyone informed, so each person knows exactly when it’s their turn to take action.

The solution also integrates with ARES via Make, automatically retrieving supplier information. Once an invoice receives final approval, all supporting documents are transferred digitally to the accounting system—eliminating manual forwarding and reducing the risk of errors.

The numbers tell the story

• 3 months from project kickoff to go-live
• 100% of invoices now go through a fully digital approval workflow
• 1 application replaced multiple Excel spreadsheets, paper folders, and email-based tracking
• Automated notifications keep every approver informed at each stage of the process
• Real-time visibility into:
  • who is currently approving an invoice,
  • its current status,
  • the assigned cost center,
  • and how much of the allocated budget has already been spent
• Full compliance with internal policies and public sector regulatory requirements

This keeps the punchy, marketing-friendly style while sounding natural in English. “The numbers tell the story” is also a common headline in English case studies and fits the Tabidoo tone well.

What did the employees gain?

They used to spend time searching for information. Now they find it in seconds.

Managers can track the status of every invoice in real time. The accounting team receives approved documents automatically. Leadership has a clear overview of spending across individual cost centers, and employees no longer have to wonder who should receive a document next—the workflow takes care of it automatically.

Excel is gone. The visibility remains

Every invoice now has its assigned approver, complete approval history, and a clearly defined next step. Management has real-time insight into the approval process, budget consumption across cost centers, and compliance with both internal policies and public sector regulations. The accounting team receives all supporting documents automatically, while employees can focus on meaningful work instead of tracking down information.

What did the digital transformation deliver?

• 100% digital invoice approval
• One system replacing multiple Excel spreadsheets, emails, and paper folders
• Real-time visibility into every invoice
• Automatic delivery of approved documents to the accounting team
• Clear budget tracking across individual cost centers
• Simplified compliance with internal policies and public sector regulations

They weren’t looking for another software solution. They were looking for the right one

The Lovosice Cultural Center wasn’t searching for another complex information system. They needed a solution that would adapt to their processes – not force them to adapt to the software.

Several factors made Tabidoo the clear choice:

• Implementation completed in just 3 months
• A solution tailored to the organization’s internal approval rules
• Licensing without per-user limitations
• Excellent price-to-performance ratio for public sector organizations
• A Czech platform backed by local support

The result is more than just a new application.

It’s a process that keeps running smoothly – even when employees are on vacation, responsibilities change, or the number of incoming invoices continues to grow.