Biggest Obstacles to Implementing Digital Solutions for Purchasing

Procurement professionals find themselves in a time of a digital revolution and significant changes. Whether the change is being initiated from above or self-driven, purchasing processes are being evaluated and many look to digital solutions designed to reduce costs and errors and increase efficiency, accuracy, and time to market. Once in place, these solutions, which can include APIs, EDI, or a Punchout Catalog, help drive the digital transformation for procurement departments seeking better, faster, and easier ways to address daily responsibilities. But, the transformation isn’t without obstacles.

How can procurement professionals fully embrace digital transformation and how can they overcome the challenges that arise when working with digital solutions? We break down the three biggest obstacles companies face when implementing digital solutions.

1. Willingness to adapt and adopt new processes

The reality is there’s going to be a learning curve to adoption of new processes. No system is perfect, there’s still going to be bumps along the road that will need figuring out. Where a company’s workforce falls in willingness to adopt new tech and processes (those not comfortable with the technology vs. those who are extremely comfortable) will also be a factor in adopting the new processes. The employees who say “we’ve always done it this way” because they’re used to the systems they know may need some encouragement to adapt to the new technology as well as some additional training. Patience and perseverance will go a long way in addressing and overcoming the learning curve.

2. Taking the time to do it

Unfortunately, in most cases getting the technology up and running will not be a quick process. Many companies will set up the technology and processes at least 6 months before going live. There might also be extra labor within the groups who are in charge of implementing the new technology. These employees must still do their normal day-to-day jobs while putting in the time to test the new processes and train fellow employees, among other tasks. But don’t worry, once the solutions are ready to go the time saved will more than make up for it.

3. Justifying the financial investment

There’s going to be a money need associated with any kind of system change, migration, or new resource you bring into your business. The cost is going to be different for ever company depending on needs, so make sure to calculate your ROI before deciding which solutions to implement. Many businesses have seen significant savings by implementing digital solutions that over and over again justify the investment needed to get started.

While the above challenges may seem difficult, the movement of the obstacles is not impossible. Knowing who is willing to adopt the new technology will be your advocates for a digital transformation. Get together with this team and put together a solid roadmap of when and how purchasing can execute their digital transformation, as well as demonstrate the long-term value of the short-term struggles.

Having a partner in your digital transformation can make the difference. Download our eBook “Demystifying Digital Transformation for Procurement” to explore the evolution of digital transformation in procurement; see what it looks like in real life; and learn how procurement departments can start mobilizing their digital transformations now.