The choice of a purchasing software for SMEs

Managing purchasing is not always easy. It often involves numerous tasks. As a result, doing it yourself often generates stress. That’s where purchasing software comes in. It’s the tool you need to make your company’s purchasing easier. However, there are many different models on the market. To avoid unpleasant surprises, you need to take into account a few selection criteria.

Why is it important for an SME to use purchasing software?

For an SME, using a purchasing software is far from just a trend. This management tool is essential for all businesses, whatever their size, to manage purchasing efficiently. Before looking at the different criteria you need to take into account when choosing the purchasing management software that’s right for you, it’s important to understand its main advantages.

Purchasing strategy requires a well thought-out protocol to satisfy the needs of the company and its internal customers. That’s why this process involves a large number of tasks and is sometimes time-consuming. The use of purchasing software is therefore essential. It is essential for optimising your purchasing process and guaranteeing its performance. The main advantage is theautomation of redundant and administrative tasks. From now on, it’s up to the software to take care of all the requests your company may issue.

In addition, purchasing software saves time for the purchasing team. It considerably reduces the time spent researching suppliers, product information and managing contracts. It easily targets the best supplier, so you can makeexcellent savings. This tool can even minimise the time wasted putting together invitations to tender or carrying out various administrative tasks. Finally, you can save time tracking and managing orders. In short, purchasing software is a productivity booster.

Take your company’s needs into account

You shouldn’t choose your purchasing software willy-nilly, because your company’s productivity is at stake. It’s important that the tool matches your company’s needs. Whatever your field of activity, you need to take into account the software’s basic functions. The best way to find the right software for your SME is to define your objectives. Define what you really want to delegate to the tool. The market offers a wide range of choices, from the simplest to the most sophisticated.

By pinpointing your company’s specific needs, you will undoubtedly be better able to choose your purchasing management software on the basis of its main functions. If you know what your company needs, then you know what your teams expect. In principle, IT solutions offer a wide range of functions, such as :

• Dashboards,
• Order management (from purchase order to supplier invoice),
• Receiving management
• Requisition management (purchase requisitions, calls for tenders, etc.),
• Supplier management,
• Contract management,
• Approval workflows with validation circuits,
• Viewing purchasing costs,
• Etc.

Finally, when choosing your purchasing software, it is also advisable to think about your employees’ mobility. Is there a mobile application or a mobile version that can be used on different devices?

Choose software that’s easy to use

To ensure that you make the right choice among the best purchasing management software that will benefit your business, it is strongly recommended that it is easy to use. There should be no impediments to its use. To achieve this, you need to keep an eye on theergonomics of the management solution and be aware of your staff’s level of digital maturity. In most cases, the complexity of using the tool depends on the extent of its functionality.

It is important that this purchasing software offers you the possibility of working with complete simplicity. The most important thing is that the information flows smoothly and is easily accessible.

Above all, it needs to be secure. Your data must not be accessible to unauthorised persons. It must be capable ofprotecting sensitive data.

Other criteria to consider

To choose the right software for your SME, you need to take into account criteria other than those mentioned above. Firstly, you need to consider your budget. There are many different types of software, so there’s something for every budget. In addition, it is important to ensure that it is compatible with all your management tools and accounting software, with the obvious aim of making your work easier.

There are other essential criteria to take into account, such as the updates included in the product’s subscription price at no extra cost. Other essential criteria to consider include the upgrades included in the subscription price of the product at no extra cost, the proposed deployment times and the roadmap for the development of the purchasing management software so that it matches the interests of your company.

As you can see, purchasing software plays a major role in managing your business. But with so many models to choose from, it’s not easy to make the right choice. With Weproc, you don’t have to look anywhere else. It will help you manage your purchases simply and effectively.

Want to learn more about our procurement management software Weproc? Contact us or request your free 15-minutes demo below!

Team Weproc

Weproc is a SaaS software specialized in digitizing the procurement process of companies. From purchase requests to supplier invoicing, through the validation process, Weproc is designed to simplify the purchase management of SMEs and mid-sized companies by centralizing all purchase-related activities.