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5 Ways that Purchasing Software Can Help the Transportation Industry
Today, integrating cloud-based solutions is one of the biggest current trends in the transportation industry. Business processing systems like the Software-as-a-Service solutions from NextProcess offer scalability, accessibility, and flexibility that empower transportation companies to improve essential business operations.
One of the big concerns that transportation companies face is managing purchasing, especially now with pandemic-related supply chain issues. You need a way to document purchases whether those purchases are made in an office, when working remotely, or while traveling. You also need a reliable way to keep track of paperwork associated with purchasing and suppliers.
This post on using purchasing software in the transportation industry is part of NextProcess’s Automate Your Industry blog series. Previous articles covered topics related to retail, health care, and manufacturing industries as well as “The Transportation Industry’s Guide to Using Automation to Improve Expense Reporting and Document Management.”
1) Manage Purchasing in One System, From Anywhere
NextProcess’s Purchase Order Module makes it easy for your company to manage all aspects of procurement in one place. Whether you’re ordering office supplies, buying a new truck, or negotiating major purchases with suppliers our flexible, configurable software can fit your needs. And since it’s cloud-based, employees with purchasing permissions can access the software from any location.
2) Streamline and Control Purchasing
One of the big problems that companies often face with purchasing is that employees don’t understand how to use the purchasing system. Other problems may arise if employees work around the system because it isn’t easy to use. That can result in issues such as maverick spending and duplicate orders.
Implementing a software solution like NextProcess gives you more control over the procurement process. It also makes it easier for employees to comply with company policies because you customize the software to automatically enforce your own purchasing standards.
3) Make Purchasing Convenient
Among the best features of NextProcess’s purchasing software are the item catalog and punch-out catalog. An item catalog limits employee purchases to certain items and certain suppliers. The punch-out catalog makes it simple for employees to place orders from within the purchasing software.
These features make purchasing easier on employees because they don’t have to worry about double-checking that they’re buying from approved sellers. It’s also easier for the company since you have more control over purchasing and can customize the catalogs as needed to accommodate changing needs in your company or changes in suppliers.
4) Manage Diverse Suppliers
Supply chain disruptions are always a possibility, and no one knows that better than those in the transportation industry. While you can’t always control events that may delay shipping, you can diversify your own supply chain to help ensure that if one supplier can’t ship an item another may be able to provide it.
NextProcess’s purchasing software makes it easy to manage large numbers of suppliers. That gives you the advantages of a diverse supply chain without the hassle of keeping track of all that extra paperwork.
5) Reconcile Purchases More Quickly
Purchasing goes beyond simply placing orders. Those records also play a role in reconciling goods received. If goods don’t match what’s shown on an invoice, tracking down the problem is much easier when you have purchasing software that automatically stores all records in an easy-to-search digital format. This sort of procurement software also makes it easier to implement 3-way matching and manage inventory.
Making purchases from a centralized headquarters or while working on the road has never been easier than with automated, cloud-based software solutions. If you have questions or you’d like to schedule a free demo, click here to contact NextProcess. We’ll be happy to show you first-hand how our procurement software can help your company.
