Maintaining positive relationships with vendors is crucial for the smooth operation of your organization. A critical aspect of vendor relationships is how you handle inquiries about invoices and payments. Timely and effective communication ensures a smooth financial process and helps nurture trust and goodwill between your company and your suppliers.
Vendors want an easy process with a prompt response when they have a question. They are often simply anxious to know where their invoice or payment stands. That’s what they want. They’re no more interested than you are in interruptions and phone- or email-tag.
Yet, handling supplier inquiries is time-consuming and error-prone. However, the advent of automated vendor inquiry systems has improved how many companies interact with their suppliers. Implementing a web-based self-service vendor inquiry system can transform your vendor relationship management.
Advantages of Automated Vendor Inquiry
The advantages of vendor inquiry automation include the following.
- Enhanced Efficiency
The primary benefit of adopting an automated vendor inquiry system is efficiency. Manual handling of vendor inquiries is labor intensive and time consuming. A self-service inquiry system streamlines the process, reducing the administrative burden on your team. It makes it much easier and faster for vendors to get answers while enabling your organization to allocate resources to greater-value work.
- Self-service Real-time Access to Information
An automated vendor inquiry system offers self-service, real-time access to crucial information. Vendors can check the status of their invoices and payments and confirm billing statements themselves on their schedule. The self-service of automated vendor inquiry allows vendors to find the answers to questions quickly, without waiting and spares you from interruption. Everyone benefits.
- Cost Savings
By automating the vendor inquiry process, you reduce the burden on your staff of managing and responding to inquiries. The reduction can result in significant cost savings for your organization. Moreover, your team can better utilize the time for tasks that add more value to your organization.
- Faster Response Times
With an automated system in place, the ready availability of answers to inquiries demonstrates your commitment to customer service and can make your organization more appealing to vendors. Faster resolution of issues contributes to the overall satisfaction of your suppliers.
- Reduction in Disputes
Automated systems can help reduce disputes and conflicts with vendors. The transparency and accuracy of the system minimize the potential for confusion, misunderstandings and discrepancies. As a result, you can enjoy smoother, more harmonious vendor relationships.
- Eliminate Duplication of Effort
Further, your organization can use an automated self-service vendor-inquiry portal internally. In addition to reducing calls from vendors, you also reduce internal emails and calls from co-workers wanting to learn the invoice payment status. Thus, you save time and effort and boost efficiency and productivity across the organization.
Forty percent of AP customer service calls come from internal customers. Many of these are from requisitioners who have received calls or emails from the vendor asking about payment status. These calls are more expensive than a direct vendor call because the internal staff member has already taken a call or received an email from the supplier, contacted AP for the payment status and then must return the call or email the supplier.
When the vendor has a convenient and credible online option to get the answers it needs regarding payment status, you eliminate multiple calls and emails between the vendor, requisitioner and accounts payable, saving your organization time and money.
- Enhanced Vendor Experience
Ultimately, an automated vendor inquiry system enhances the overall vendor experience. It simplifies the process for your suppliers and makes your organization more attractive to work with. Studies show that confidence in data increases when suppliers can access invoice and payment information. By improving the experience for your vendors, you are more likely to retain them as long-term partners and even attract new ones through positive word of mouth.
- Improved Team Morale
An automated vendor inquiry system reduces invoice payment inquiries that your staff must handle. So, you can reassign your vendor service team to more satisfying and profit-producing tasks. By sharply reducing calls and emails that your AP staff must take individually, your staff can focus on more productive activities, learn new skills and feel more confident and satisfied.
According to a recent American Express survey on customer service, more than one-third of consumers have lost their temper with a customer service professional in the past year. Of those who lost their temper, three in ten “hung up the phone.” Automated self-service spares your staff. They don’t have to deal with demanding collectors who can be upsetting and disruptive. Your team will feel that their time and talents are being put to better use and will feel better about themselves, their jobs and their organization. Reducing these calls can be a real productivity and morale booster for your AP department.
Conclusion
An automated vendor inquiry system is an asset where efficiency, accuracy and transparency are crucial. Self-service, automated vendor inquiry solutions not only streamline the vendor inquiry process but also contribute to more positive vendor relationships. By reducing administrative overhead, improving accuracy and providing real-time access to information, these systems enable your organization to manage vendor inquiries efficiently and cost effectively while fostering trust and goodwill essential for long-term vendor relationships. The advantages of automation are clear, and organizations that embrace these systems are better positioned for success.
To find out how InvoiceInfo can help you with vendor inquiries, contact us.
