Business buyers and sellers have personal lives, and their experiences as consumers have set up expectations in their professional worlds. Modern technology has led to a redefining of customer experience, which has become central to business transformation and a differentiator for success. All this began with technology-based companies like Amazon setting a very high bar … How to Satisfy Expectations in Vendor Relations
Aggressive Cybercriminals Are Sophisticated; Security, IT and Finance Teams Must Be Tool People receive more than 120 emails at work per day on average. That’s a lot of emails. So, we categorize and strategize our email activity. But when we see an email from the boss, we tend to open it. And cybercriminals count on … NEW! Criminal Business Email Compromise: Are You Prepared?
Why Vendor Self-Service Is Better “The winner of worst response time to a customer phone call goes to … the Airlines!” With hold times of up to eight hours, airlines are the worst these days, as they try to rebound from the pandemic. But try a bank or a “service provider,” or any number of … Have You Called Customer Service Recently?
Significant events cause change. Sometimes they produce innovation. They can drive new legislation, which has its own effects. Many times, events boost changes already underway, particularly in terms of applying technology. The 21st century has already seen several large-scale events that have impacted business. At the start, accounting scandals were underway at Enron and WorldCom … Another Big Event Brings Change, Opportunity
In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the slow character Dogberry has no idea what “tedious” means when the governor of Messina applies the label to him. Ask your P2P staff, however, and they’ll tell you what “tedious” means: Answering “Has our invoice been paid?” for the hundredth time this month! A central challenge in providing … How to Eliminate the Tedium in Vendors’ Inquiries
Dealing with Vendor Inquiries Has your vendor master file decreased in size? Chances are, the answer to that question is no. Not only because it’s been a while since you cleansed the vendor master file, but because your organization keeps adding new vendors. With new vendors come the same problems—inquiries about getting paid. Vendor calls … One Stone, Two Birds
We may not be out of the pandemic woods, but the way forward is clear. In the upheavals of the Coronavirus, financial officers regret not having invested more in automation, AI and robotics a few years ago, according to a survey by AppZen. Within weeks of shelter-in-place orders last year, experts forecast that automation would … Pandemic Lesson: Financial Chiefs Say Automate
Unfilled expectations lead to disappointment. Smart companies and individuals work to manage expectations. You can control some expectations but not all. Where do expectations come from? Some we set ourselves. Our organizations claim or promise certain things. Sales & Marketing set expectations of customers all the time. (Then companies work to meet them!) Contracts are … Meeting Your Vendors’ Need for Speed
Someone is out to get you. Hackers are working full time. And with your team working from home now, you face greater risk. Cyber-criminals are constantly working to find soft spots or weak links in your organization to exploit. And hackers study human behavior and are good at manipulation. When everyone first started working from … Is Your Remote Team Sufficiently Cyber-Security Savvy?
When a vendor does not receive an expected payment, they contact you to find out what’s up. If payment has been late in the past, many vendors will not wait until payment is due. They’ll call to confirm that you got their invoice, or to ask when to expect payment (putting you on record). There … A Silver Lining in the Vendor-Inquiry Clouds
Disruption happens. And when it does, expectations are replaced by uncertainty. In the case of the Coronavirus, that uncertainty has no apparent endpoint. The consequence is tremendous anxiety. If you are a leader, your staff looks to you for direction. Leaders must manage the anxiety that can lead to bad decisions or behaviors, and decreased … In the Face of Uncertainty, Leaders Must Provide Clarity
Are you looking to solve a problem through technology? When shopping for IT solutions, the first step is to figure out what functionality you really need. Having identified the problem, it is often helpful to talk through solutions with colleagues in your own and other organizations. Talking to vendors also can be helpful—they have expertise … Selecting an IT Solution: 7 Things to Think About
