Validated Preferred Suppliers Selected When Non-Frequent Coupa Users Selected Non-Catalog Items

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The company faced challenges with infrequent or casual buyers not selecting the appropriate source of supply for ad-hoc and non-catalog items, resulting in missed opportunities for cost savings and increased risk of fraud. By leveraging Whatfix’s in-app guidance on Coupa, the company promoted the use of preferred suppliers, reducing risks and improving purchasing efficiency.

Procurement identified preferred sources of supply for each commodity code, but infrequent or casual buyers were often unaware of this process and failed to select the right suppliers for ad-hoc and non-catalog items and services. This led to missed opportunities to leverage pre-negotiated terms and discounts from preferred suppliers, increased risk of fraud from unknown suppliers, and higher overall costs.

Whatfix integrated a sheet listing preferred suppliers for each commodity code and used an API from Coupa to prompt users with an in-app Smart Tip featuring the preferred supplier for each code. The selected supplier was validated against the commodity code, and users received a Smart Tip if a non-preferred supplier was chosen, along with a link to the preferred supplier documentation.