The only way for businesses to thrive is to spend Money and earn it back. Expenses are necessary. What matters is that you’re spending wisely, and keeping track of where the money goes is all part of the game. One way to be better at it is to have a reliable spend management system. 

Nowadays, procurement managers are looking to improve their skills as the digital marketplace develops in supply chain management, strategic sourcing, and contract management. 

Integrating more efficient processes is the key to achieving genuine digital transformation and changing procurement from just being about cost savings to being a source of value for the business. This is where spend management comes in.

Before we dive into why you need it (or need to upgrade your current system), let’s first look at what a spend management system is all about. 

What Is a Spend Management System? 

A good spend management strategy gets the most out of every dollar a business spends while maintaining complete visibility and control over activities such as supplier management, category management, product development, and inventory management. 

Efficient spend management includes a thorough spend analysis, assists businesses in maintaining control over their purchases, improves supplier Relationships, and maximizes return on investment (ROI) on every dollar spent.

Although procurement is frequently in charge of spend management, it impacts a company’s numerous internal and external stakeholders, who are also concerned about budgeting and predicting future profitability.

It’s a lot of work, with tons of reports involved. So it’s a good thing there are spend management systems to make the entire process easier and more bearable by automating everything at every step.

If your company doesn’t have its own system yet, now’s the time to learn more about it. It will help you streamline your operations and protect you from payment fraud. On the other hand, if you already have systems and procedures in place, make sure you’re upgrading them every so often to be as structured and organized as possible. 

Why Should I Have An Upgraded Spend Management Solution? 

Investing in a spend management system is crucial if you want to grow your online business or scale your startup. Here’s why: 

Provides Spend Visibility 

Unseen spending can’t be accounted for in the data analysis used for forecasting and reporting. This hurt your bottom line through maverick spending and missed opportunities to save via economies of scale and direct discounts. By implementing a comprehensive spend management solution, all direct and indirect business spending becomes completely transparent.

With accurate and up-to-date data, you and your team can enjoy insights that will help make informed procurement decisions. 

Not only that—you can also expect improved indirect spend management! This is thanks to automation handling every step of the approval process, from request and approval to purchase and payment. All of this means faster, more efficient, and more accurate processes that save both time and money. 

Offers Continuous Process Improvement 

Process improvement in spend management comes from real-time awareness of internal performance throughout the entire procurement process. 

With more transparent and cooperative relationships with suppliers, Accounts Payable can take advantage of early or on-time payment discounts. This effectively frees up cash flow. 

Automated invoicing reduces exceptions, ensures everyone is adhering to contractual obligations, and offers instant, triple-checked verification for purchase orders, invoices, and shipping documents.

Additionally, process improvement lessens the need for additional staff while relieving current employees of time-consuming, low-level duties. Because of this, your team members will have more time to concentrate on strategy and high-level tasks rather than chasing after errors and other headaches.

Allows For Better Risk Management 

The best strategy for managing risks is to be flexible and proactive. 

Automation naturally reduces risk by taking human errors out of the equation. Spend management solutions also give you the capacity to enhance risk management by identifying areas of vulnerability—and opportunity—through extensive, data-driven analysis of contracts, vendor performance, and current market trends. 

Furthermore, the accurate data that centralized spend management delivers lowers your financial risk by giving more accurate data for financial forecasting and reporting, as well as an easily traceable audit trail.

Because most spend management solutions are now cloud-based, keep your data secure! Say no to data breaches and their repercussions by: 

• Encrypting your sensitive data

• Use anti-malware software 

• Invest in robust Cybersecurity infrastructure and insurance 

Makes Data Available For Leaders & Team Members 

Leaders nowadays need real-time and complete access to procurement data via their mobile devices, especially if they’re working remotely. 

Spend management software can even make device management easy. These solutions use a centralized data repository to make raw data and advanced, analytics-driven reporting accessible 24/7 on tablets, phones, and other devices. Because of this flexibility, decisions are made more quickly, plans are made more quickly, and procurement timelines are cut shorter overall.

The mobile-friendliness of these systems also supports your business’s broader IT priorities. Because users are trained on a single interface rather than several programs, a centralized system makes training easier and less expensive. Plus, intelligent processes and mobile access lessen the strain on hardware and eliminate the need for multiple costly setups for staff. 

Achieve Better & Smarter Spending With A Spend Management System 

Successful spend management is critical to the success of any business. No matter what industry you’re in, a cloud-based spend management solution can offer several advantages to you, your employees, your leaders, and your company as a whole.

It’s time to move away from manual, paper-based methods and outdated systems. Let’s take a leap into the future of cloud-based spend management! 

Check out Breakfast Leadership’s blog for more insightful articles about leadership and business!

Originally Published on https://www.breakfastleadership.com/

Michael Levitt Chief Burnout Officer

Michael D. Levitt is the founder & Chief Burnout Officer of The Breakfast Leadership Network, a San Diego and Toronto-based burnout consulting firm. He is a Keynote speaker on The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and Burnout. He is the host of the Breakfast Leadership show, a Certified NLP and CBT Therapist, a Fortune 500 consultant, and author of his latest book BURNOUT PROOF.