What`s common between digitalizing your procurement and Moby Dick?

Did you know that the American author Herman Melville reportedly had his wife chain him to his desk while he was struggling to write Moby Dick? She knew Herman had to defeat his worst enemy – procrastination. And the result? One of the greatest works of fiction ever. And what has this got to do with digitalizing your procurement? Well, it may not happen overnight, it`s worth of it and it can`t wait for tomorrow. So, start it small, start it safe but just start it today. For example, by reading here why digitalized procurement has everything to do with your success and how to start it right.

Different companies are at different phases of digitalization and that`s OK. Digitalization is an endless road but also the only road to success. In many companies, procurement processes are still done by using Excel or even with pen and paper. This means that all of these companies have a great chance to achieve significant savings, develop better businesses and strengthen their growth. It`s just a question of who does it first.

Let me tell you another true story. One of our customers had more than a five weeks long procurement process realized by two people. They spent the first two weeks by opening the offers and the next few weeks by comparing and calculating the details. A lot of time was also spent in asking for the missing information and attachments. This process was not cheap neither inspiring. How much do you think it added to the final costs? Or how did it affect their competitiveness? Did this add people’s motivation to work? And what happened after the procurement process was digitalized? Believe it or not, the whole process now only takes five to ten minutes. Not to mention that their decisions are now based on equal, open and reliable information. And the staff is more than happy to concentrate on creative tasks that only humans can do, improving their motivation and satisfaction.

Now that you have taken the first step, by reading this article that is, it’s time to take the next one. You can ask someone to chain you to your desk, like Mr Melville did. Or if you want to have it easier, you can select among many service providers, whose responsibility is to solve your challenges. With the right partner it’s not about selling – it’s about cooperation.

 

Are Saarinen

The author is CEO at Cloudia who doesn’t admit to procrastinating but does things more efficiently last-minute.

P.S. From Cloudia, you`ll get the complimentary process evaluation for free and without any obligations. That is what we call a fair game.