Are you planning to establish a Purchasing Information System (IS) but uncertain about where to begin? The implementation of a Purchasing IS can encounter various obstacles, such as employee resistance to change, lack of ROI measurement, or inadequate solution selection. How can you increase your chances of success?
In this article, Lemon Learning provides a comprehensive guide to setting up your Purchasing IS in six practical steps. The topics covered include conducting an inventory, selecting the appropriate solution, change management support, deploying the Purchasing IS, software training, and measuring ROI. By following these steps, you can enhance the likelihood of a successful implementation.
The initial step in successfully establishing a Purchasing Information System (IS) is conducting an inventory. This involves assessing the current situation of your company and understanding its needs, as well as those of your employees. To gain clarity, consider the following questions:
By precisely identifying the existing needs of your company and employees, you can deploy a solution that truly aligns with your requirements. Additionally, addressing the needs of your users is a crucial aspect for successful adoption of the Purchasing IS. Therefore, this step holds utmost significance!
🍋 Lemon Learning tip: Work as a team
Are you considering implementing a Purchasing Information System (IS)? Get your team involved! To ensure a successful deployment, it is necessary to engage all individuals affected by this project. But who should be practically involved?
Are you familiar with names like SAP, Oracle, Ivalua, Synertrade, Jaggaer? While these Purchasing solutions are widely used in the market, the best Purchasing IS for your company will be the one that best aligns with your specific needs. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct an inventory before moving forward. The first step is to determine the type of Purchasing solution you desire.
After considering the questions and choosing the type of solution, it’s important to evaluate criteria that will guide you in making the best possible choice for your organization. Here are a few key criteria to consider:
In addition, your chosen solution should address software-related issues such as scalability of content during updates, customization of IT support, and improvement of data entry processes to enhance the efficiency of your Purchasing IS. To further refine your selection, you can also utilize online comparators.
What if we informed you that implementing software is not just about the technical aspects, but also about effectively managing change? The success of adopting a purchasing tool relies on addressing challenges such as low software usage, tool-related frustrations, and resistance to change. Consequently, change management and digital adoption are central to the implementation of a purchasing tool. To foster the adoption of your Purchasing tool among your employees, it is crucial to prioritize communication and provide support to address their inquiries and concerns.
These are essential questions that require clear answers to provide your employees with the visibility and understanding they need to embrace this transition confidently. However, to ensure the long-term adoption of your Purchasing tool, it is equally important to cultivate a new corporate culture that prioritizes digital transformation.
🍋 Lemon Learning tip: Embrace a digital culture
Not all employees have the same level of proficiency with tools, and their individual digital competencies may vary. It is important to provide support to each employee to enhance their digital maturity. One effective approach is to foster a digital culture within your organization. The goal is to demystify digital technology, promote digital adoption, and foster a culture of embracing change. By placing digital at the core of your corporate culture, you can minimize tool-related frustrations and provide a more positive digital transformation experience for your employees.
It’s time to proceed with the deployment of your Purchasing IS! This involves three distinct steps: configuration, testing, and deployment.
But that’s not all! To encourage the adoption of your Purchasing IS, you can also rely on integrated support within your solution.
🍋 Lemon Learning tip: switch to embedded application support
Did you know? According to Econocom – IDC, 53% of users lack support when working outside regular office hours, and 61% of them express a desire for such support.
So, why not consider an alternative solution? Introducing Lemon Learning’s embedded application support: integrated support within your Purchasing tool, available 24/7, that enables you to proactively address issues related to your Purchasing IS. From improving data entry to push notifications, Lemon Learning provides continuous assistance throughout the deployment of your Purchasing IS. The benefits? Reduced support needs and costs, enhanced adoption of the purchasing tool, improved team efficiency, and, most importantly, more time for critical tasks!
What would software adoption be without proper training? Now that your Purchasing tool is successfully deployed, it’s crucial to provide training for your employees. Training in the Purchasing IS is essential as it directly impacts the utilization of your Purchasing tool and, consequently, its ROI. From customization and content scalability to the simplicity of the learning process, software training comes with various challenges. So, how can you effectively train your employees in using your Purchasing tool?
🍋 Lemon Learning tip: Empower users with in-app training
Training employees directly from their Purchasing IS? Absolutely! Whether it’s mastering purchase invoicing functionalities, order management, or even tracking tender calls, your employees can learn by doing with our interactive guides accessible in real time. And guess what? You can also create guides for your suppliers! The result? Users retain what they learn through practical, efficient, and self-guided training.
ROI, you say? Absolutely! Measuring the return on investment (ROI) is a crucial step in the implementation of your Purchasing tool. To assess its effectiveness, you need to define performance indicators. Here are some indicators to consider:
However, ROI analysis also serves another purpose: adapting your Purchasing IS. By leveraging the data, you can make informed decisions and ensure alignment with the evolving needs of your users.
🍋 Lemon Learning tip: Evaluate your ROI with Learning Analytics
Lemon analyze is a tool designed to utilize data for enhancing training programs. How does it relate to your Purchasing IS? By collecting and analyzing data from your solution, you can customize training for the Purchasing IS based on user needs. Want to know the most accessed guides, common errors, or preferred formats? With Lemon Learning’s statistical functionality, you can uncover user journeys on your Purchasing IS (guide consultation rate, popular formats, etc.). The result? Informed decisions that align with user needs, fostering long-term adoption of your Purchasing tool. The ultimate goal: sustainability!
From inventory to deployment, including training, you now possess all the necessary tools to successfully establish your Purchasing IS! While implementing a Purchasing IS in a company can be challenging, solutions like Lemon Learning exist today to expedite the adoption of your Purchasing IS through interactive guides integrated directly into the software. The added advantage? Our solution seamlessly integrates with any online tool, whether it’s from the market or an internal system!