Author: Pete Loughlin

28 Jan

Posted at 15:39h in Purchase to Pay by
1 Like

We work with many purchase to pay solution providers and they’re quite a mixed bunch when it comes to practicing what they preach. I won’t name and shame. One business, very well-known and respected that advocates prompt payment is the worst payer of its own suppliers I have ever come across. Another, offering a very slick P2P solution has the least impressive P2P processes themselves.

This kind of corporate hypocrisy (a bit harsh, I know) is not uncommon but I don't think it makes a solution provider a bad company just because they don’t always take their own medicine. What is impressive however is a company – perhaps not best known as a P2P solution provider – that has the best reference site you could wish for – themselves.

26 Jan

Posted at 00:58h in e-Procurement by
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e-procurement only works for stationery, IT consumables and other, simple indirect categories. It's a generalisation but one that broadly reflects the truth. The cases where e-procurement has effectively penetrated further into a business than indirect categories are the exceptions rather than the rule but it is gratifying to see that this situation is changing and I've had my eyes opened in the last 12 months when visiting organisations who have successfully taken P2P to the next level

10 Dec

Posted at 19:16h in Purchase to Pay, Purchase to Pay Process by
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Everyone thinks they’re at the centre of the universe. In a business it’s the sales guys who claim all the credit for growth and profit. After all, how would the business thrive without customers? The R&D people will argue that without great products the sales guys would have nothing to sell. The CEO claims credit for leadership without which the business would have no direction. The founders want to be recognised for the bright idea they had in the first place that started the company. They are all right of course in the sense that all parts of a business play a critically important role but it is also true to say that some functions struggle more than others to gain recognition. Perhaps it's because no-one really understands what they do or maybe they do understand - it's just that it's boring. Working within a a business function that, to the outside is not really that interesting makes it very hard when it comes to securing budget or priority over other competing departments. Purchase to pay is about the least glamorous and least understood back office function that I can think of and so it's a constant challenge to position P2P as a priority but there's one tip I'd like to share that I've used to get attention and secure budget. The problem with P2P is it's boring. But it's also critical especially to large businesses. Trying to explain why something that is a little arcane and dull is more likely to send people to sleep than to get them excited enough to support you. My recommendation is not to explain it at all - instead talk about something people do understand.