Does Ease-of-Use Matter in Sourcing Tech?

When my dog was sick, the vet prescribed her some medication. We were instructed to mix the pills in with her food every night. The only problem was...she'd eat around them, and we'd be left with a bowl of slobbered-on (but intact) doggy pills. The solve? Coat the pills in a healthy dollop of peanut butter. Age old trick, but it worked like magic.

Probably an unexpected analogy in a post about Procurement. But at LightSource we take this same approach to our design philosophy. So often Procurement Tech becomes "shelf-ware" simply because the user experience is mediocre. When we chat with customers, so often they tell us that in the past, they went with a legacy software provider. And after $5M and 2 years of time, they ended up with something that looked like Windows '95... and worse yet, no one wanted to use it.

In 2023, we live in a world of modern technology. Best-in-class procurement teams demand modern tools. In our mind, that means it cannot be simply a powerful backend, but also intuitive user-experience (UX) and a friendly (almost "consumer-grade") user-interface (UI). Yes, everyone wants more automation, intelligence, and tooling. But no, we're not willing to use it if the pills are too hard to swallow.

E-sourcing software is a powerful tool for businesses to streamline and optimize their procurement processes. However, for the software to be effective, it needs to be adopted and used by the organization. Based on our discussions with various companies, ‘Ease of use’ is an important factor to increase adoption of e-sourcing technologies.

Ease of use refers to how user-friendly a software is and how easy it is for users to navigate and perform tasks. A software that is easy to use can help to minimize training and onboarding costs, as well as increase user satisfaction and productivity. On the other hand, a software that is difficult to use can discourage users from utilizing it, leading to limited effectiveness. In their everyday lives, procurement professionals interact with a variety of technologies including social media platforms. Hence, they expect e-sourcing platforms to be as easy as social media platforms and/or other everyday use technologies that are easy to use.

There are several factors that contribute to ease of use in e-sourcing software. The north star for e-sourcing software is to empower users to be self-sufficient and to use the software effectively to the utmost potential.

1. Intuitive interface design is one of the most important factors that defines ease of use. The interface should be well-organized and easy to understand. Navigation should also be user-friendly. The aspirational goal is for procurement professionals to be able to navigate e-sourcing software without any training.
2. Clear instructions and guidance in another aspect which is important. E-sourcing software can be complex, and users may need help to perform certain tasks. The software should provide clear and concise instructions, as well as step-by-step guidance. This can help the users to be self-sufficient without needing extensive training from the e-sourcing company.
3. Ability to customize to the specific needs of the organization is another factor. This can include the ability to set up custom workflows, create custom reports, and integrate with other systems. Customization can help to increase efficiency and productivity, as well as improve user satisfaction.

In conclusion, ease of use is an important factor to consider when selecting e-sourcing software. A software that is easy to use can help to increase user adoption and usage, as well as improve efficiency and productivity. When evaluating e-sourcing software, be sure to consider factors such as intuitive interface design, user-friendly navigation, clear instructions and guidance, customization options and mobile-friendliness. By choosing a software that is easy to use, businesses can optimize their procurement processes and achieve greater success.

In a world where ease of use is the norm, e-sourcing software tools like LightSource empowers procurement professionals to be self-sufficient. Procurement teams can use LightSource to be more strategic, while conserving their time. LightSource solution comes with an excellent ‘white glove procurement concierge service’ that is the best combination of software and services in the market.

Reach out! We’d love to hear from you. Time that procurement professionals feel that e-sourcing software are technologies that are super easy to use and can transform their day-to-day work life and NOT technologies from the bygone era that make work difficult.

Check us out at https://lightsource.ai/