Proactive approach to supplier updates for critical PO’s
Automated PO Dispatch & Update solutions delivers value, savings, and efficiency and are designed for rapid deployment in a centralized or remote processing environment to support smooth running supply chains. Cloud hosted and portal based, ICG’s PO Dispatch & Update solution automates the delivery of purchase orders to your suppliers and can facilitate communication that your suppliers receive, acknowledge and respond to those purchase orders in a timely fashion to insure products and services are received on time and within the parameters stated on the purchase order. These solutions employ “timers” so that PO’s don’t get caught in a vendors email box or work queue while they are on vacation or lost in the thousands of communications we receive. Escalations are put in place based that will notify both internal and supplier contacts if there is inaction on a PO for a period of time that is set by you. In many companies, time is of the essence for suppliers to fulfill a purchase order by shipping or delivering the procured product or service in a set time frame. Failure to do so can cause down time, additional costs, delays, and other down stream consequences for your business and your customers. Having the peace of mind knowing that your suppliers have received, acknowledged and accepted/rejected your purchase order is an important first step. And if the supplier has any questions or disputes with the terms or conditions of your PO, you and your supplier and resolve those disputes in a collaborative, real time scenario so you can avoid costly delays or give you the opportunity to use alternative sources.
In many industries, especially for specific products, services, or commodities, it is critical for a smooth running supply chain operation that the supplier not only acknowledge receipt of the PO and acceptance to fulfill it, it is also critical in many scenarios to require the supplier to provide real time updates to the status of orders. Any departure from requested products, quantities, ship dates, ship times, methods, etc., that will have an impact on your operation need to be communicated as soon as possible and updated information provided. Relying solely on your suppliers to communicate this information to you can leave you in a bad spot. ICG’s PO Dispatch & Update solution is a highly configurable application that enables you to be proactive in requiring selected suppliers for specific purchase orders to provide updates for critical shipments and communicate either the status quo or any deviations in a timely manner. For any changes to the original order, specifics of the deviation and the corrective action and/or updated information will be required to be provided. By taking this proactive approach you can better manage your critical supply chains and avoid costly delays and last minute surprises. ICG’s solution even provides the capability for the buying organization to request updates on specific line items within the PO. The best news is, all of this communication and proactive approach to obtaining updates from your suppliers can be automated so that resources do not need to be used to facilitate these update requests.
There is no reason for your procurement department or field operations to be caught off guard by a late delivery, product shortage or other conditions that will negatively impact time sensitive operations. Keep your supply chains running smoothly and predictably by eliminating any uncertainty of your suppliers fulfilling purchase orders under the time frames and terms negotiated without advanced notice of any changes.
This dynamic, cloud hosted solution can be implemented as a module on a vendor portal or supplier portal or be deployed as a stand-alone application. Real time communication and transaction updates between you and your vendor 24×7. Through integration with your ERP and other Supply Chain systems, suppliers can provide up to date information that you can react to.
Contact ICG today for more information or to schedule a demo for you and your team.