The extent to which technology can ease the pressures of businesses, is almost beyond definition. From the implementation of automation-led processes that guide the right person to do the right thing at the right time, through to the introduction of cloud-based communications that connect colleagues and their clientele irrespective of location, the power of modern tech has never been so great.
The UK is entering the fourth revolution, in which disruptive technologies and trends – such as the Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence – are changing the way we live and work. As a result, the need for organisations’ procurement function to embrace new ideas and technology within their supply chain has never been greater.
The challenges facing a procurement professional
Even if routine workplace supplies are purchased in large volumes through established frameworks, the hunt for more ad hoc or unusual products typically represents hours of lost time searching and negotiating with hundreds of suppliers — each promising varying degrees of quality customer service and price guarantees.
As a result, procurement teams can often be overrun, battling to resolve mismatched PO lines and tackling the ongoing challenges of maverick spending, all the while remaining mindful that sustainable decision making is rising rapidly on the procurement agenda.
There’s barely time to manage the day-to-day responsibilities, managing multiple invoices from assorted suppliers, let alone regain control over budgets, improve processes or think strategically about the future of the business.
But all is not lost. Digital transformation is rapidly revolutionising how businesses of all sizes operate.
The solution
Three years ago, OT Group’s online platform was created to help businesses buy smarter. Now, it’s the industry’s leading procurement engine, offering guided buying packed with intuitive features and wraparound support.
From user-defined profiles and self-service capabilities to clever repeat order functionality, market price benchmarking, and game-changing business intelligence, everything exists within an easy-to-use tool, that was purposefully created to address procurement professionals’ needs.
Designed to provide organisations with complete procurement management – wherever colleagues may be – and with budget control and transparency front-and-centre, the Business Guest Checkout also allows you to set every employee up as a home user, so they can buy pre-approved products and services from the usual business account, instantly and with minimal admin.
This not only enables you to keep a firm hold on the reins and supply chain, but remote workers also have everything they need, exactly when they need it, and delivered straight to their door.
The reality is that customers’ buying needs, habits, and expectations have changed – and the days of the paper catalogue seem a distant memory. In response, organisations need to be able to set every colleague in their company up as a home user of their chosen workplace supplier, for both efficiency, and cost-control.
