Companies with too many tech shoppers can find themselves struggling to
make sense of their own IT structures and budgets. Each employee can visit the
local office supply store for toner, printers,
laptops and more. Each hardware purchase
will require, at some point in time, some
technical support. If every IT department
were required to support every piece of
hardware and software available on the
market, each would be tasked with a costly
and near-impossible job.
“The beauty of B2B e-commerce integration is that companies can, with the help
of IT support, control what types, brands
and models are allowed and at what price
points,” says Angela Geier, director of
e-commerce solutions with Technology
Integration Group (TIG). “Companies can
then have product lists appropriate for their
needs and approved by IT and management. This allows the IT personnel to focus
their expertise on a specialized list of hardware that they can manage and support
effectively.”
Smart Business learned more from Geier
about using B2B e-commerce integration to
create efficiencies that impact the bottom
line.
What are some advantages of having an e-commerce solution in place?
E-commerce integration addresses several pain points, allowing for better company-wide systems and processes. It becomes
easier for companies to:
- Provide timely quality support to users
- Monitor and control spending
- Reduce purchasing time
- Streamline processes
- Make online comparisons for features
and price
How can this help to monitor and control
spending?
Everyone wants the best and most expensive equipment, but that does not always
meet the needs of the employer. It’s important that someone with knowledge of what’s
available is able to select the appropriate
hardware that would make sense in that
business environment. It’s also important
that the user be able to compare these
choices for features and cost. The ability to
quickly compare various laptops, for example, makes decision-making easier and
reduces the time involved in researching
which laptop you prefer. Users no longer
need to spend hours looking for part numbers and products; it’s all done online.
A better organized process also leads to
cost savings. Organizing and consolidating
technology within an office can save thousands in service costs alone. Consolidated
purchasing allows for huge savings when
buying in large quantities rather than piecemeal. The online purchase process is fast,
efficient and follows company protocol as
designed during set-up. In the end, huge savings can be had through these efficiencies.
How is the purchasing process improved?
Streamlining the process of buying is an
important component of e-commerce integration. How often does an employee know
when to buy a warranty or what supplies are
compatible? Companies can work with IT to
select preconfigured bundles to ensure users
get everything they need when making a purchase. For example, along with a printer, you
will need certain company-approved warranties, toner, color cartridges, printer stand,
etc. Or with a laptop, a bundle may include
USB storage, a docking station, additional
memory, etc. These bundles ensure employees get all they need in a single order.
How else can e-commerce solutions provide
companies with efficiencies and cost-saving
solutions?
Just as small organizations can consolidate and organize to achieve savings, imagine how larger organizations, such as educational institutions with myriad requirements and high-volume purchasing, can
benefit from e-commerce integration. Many
organizations require product and materials
lists be created for approval prior to submission. Online purchasing makes this
process easy, allowing users to e-mail lists to
the authorized buyers once orders have
been created. As orders are automatically
distributed for approval, POs can be created
or assigned and orders can be submitted
more quickly.
Designating predefined users with privileges for buying power gives them access to
information on a certain slate of product
options, which include not only hardware
but supplies and media. These users have
authority to make select purchases at their
authorization level, which can be defined by
spending amounts or type of purchase. For
example, some managers may be authorized to make new hardware purchases,
where nonmanagers may only be authorized to purchase supplies.
Consolidated purchasing can benefit institutions enormously, especially when one
part of an organization has no insight into
the others. Reporting and management of
purchasing through buying trends amongst
the disparate groups allows managers to
develop a better idea of what the company
requirements are as a whole in terms of IT
needs, while at the same time organizing
and consolidating more purchases to save
dollars. Having these processes implemented in the supplies and media sectors alone
makes a significant difference.
ANGELA GEIER is director of e-commerce solutions with Technology Integration Group (TIG). Reach her at (858) 566-1900 x4700 or
[email protected].
