In the world of B2B procurement; eProcurement Systems are steadily rising to become the most popular of the available procurement systems. Simply installing an eProcurement System is not enough. There can be a number of roadblocks and hindrances that may need to be overcome. Overcoming the possible barriers might be very easy, especially when your system is accompanied with knowledgeable professionals who are available during and after the transition to eProcurement.
The eProcurement System should have within its structure the ability to “think” and “act” along the line of your corporate procurement policies. In other words it should have an intuitive interface. Such an interface allows users of the system a shortened learning curve since it will follow a progression that is somewhat familiar to them as they get started.
A system may not be able to access every SKU from every vendor a company uses. This roadblock is preventable by selecting the right system in the first place. The system should be able to access and run every SKU from every vendor, inform and update the order status and even provide all of the information and analysis of the procurement history. It should also feature an efficient and single check-out process.
Tracking the frequently bought items or services for accurate turnover and “low level” or “time to buy” alerts will make things easier helping protect companies from “out of stock’ positions especially for those companies who keep inventory levels at a minimum or have adopted a “just in time” policy.
Another hindrance could be a system that cannot provide comparisons of the prices and other features from a variety of vendors or resources. Talk with your eProcurement provider about this and determine if such a module is either part of your system or it can be adaptable.
An intuitive and unified interface may not enough to solve every possible problem. This is when a professional staff at your eProcurement provider who are willing to hear and act on your behalf is critical. Solutions could be discovered if the eProcurement system provides an effective search engine that delivers accurate and relevant content in compliance with all corporate procurement policies.
All of the possible solutions should also be categorized and the services and goods must be organized in a precise way. Reliable data analysis should also be accessible in order to gather all of the important information on how to solve a certain problem.
Solving any roadblocks can lead you to many benefits not the least of which is saving time and resources and a more efficient workflow.
Because of rapidly evolving technology eProcurement systems are becoming smartphone-enabled. Roadblocks or hindrances to implementing an eProcurement systems can be overcome. Solutions provided by professionals are flexible and can be adapted for use in any type of business.
