IN ASSOCIATION WITH
KEEPING ON TRACK OF PROCUREMENT ACROSS MULTIPLE SITES
For Scott Hospitality Services managing director Andrew Scott, managing multiple outlets means thousands of products are being ordered every week. Keeping track of what is coming in and going out plus which products need to be re-ordered and, importantly, the related finances, was a massive and laborious task before he employed a procurement system. “When I was given a demonstration
of Pelican’s award-wining system Pi, I was blown away by its simplicity and effectiveness,” Scott says. “By presenting data in user-friendly graphs and tables – which update automatically – the system’s smart technology provides us with real time budgets, purchasing trends, supplier invoices, credits and stock levels. Our volumes, product varieties and timescales are such that just being able to view and analyse buying data in clear and concise detail is a godsend.” Pelican currently manage around 70%
of Scott’s buying, but he still has a few local suppliers he works with directly. “However, Pelican is fine with that and
are still able to load these smaller suppliers into their system for price comparison purposes and so on,” he adds. “Such flexibility is part of the attraction of using Pi.” The latest function of Pi Scott Hospitality Services has started using is Piranha, a menu costing module which calculates the cost and profit of individual meals, events and functions, while advising us of any allergen-related complications which may arise. “I reckon we save around two hours each day because of Pi,”
Scott adds.
of an order is over an agreed budget. In some cases, alerts can even be sent to mobile phones as text messages.
Prime says some operators have even integrated their electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) systems into the procurement process, so that sales data taken from the tills updates the stock system, which in turn drives the pro- curement system. When operators log onto the procurement system, there is a suggested list waiting for them, which they can tweak and validate before sending off. Further integration can enable a two-way interface with the back-office system. This allows head office to inform customer-facing staff of which dishes to promote to customers, while things like wastage – a spilt pint of lager, a dropped meal – can be rung up and captured. “The trend is towards having the EPoS
provided by one supplier, and the back office – such as purchase to pay, inventory and staff management – supplied by another because revenue capture, and payment/cost management are two different disciplines,” says England.
www.thecaterer.com The easy option
While all this technology may sound extremely clever, the real trick is keeping the system straightforward to use. Most of the major e-procurement suppliers have released or are working on applications that can be used via tablets and smartphones. “The technology has to be easy, so users can
log on from any device and place their order,” says Walters. “Traditionally, the telephone has always been convenient, and if the tech- nology makes things less convenient, people will push away from it.” This point is picked up by Paul Connelly, managing director at consultancy Beacon Purchasing. He says it is important that oper- ators fully understand what they are looking to achieve with e-procurement before they start thinking about which technology to sign up to. Fail to do so and you could end up mak- ing more work for yourself. “We have spoken to operators who are using their system without understand- ing what the system can truly do for them,” says Connelly. “The result is they start to use
a system that can lead to expense incurred without generating sufficient value for their business, or actually creates additional plan- ning. If used well, these systems should lead to greater efficiency, but some operators end up duplicating work.” It’s also vital that the adoption of new tech- nology goes hand in hand with training for employees, so they understand not only how to use the system but also what the advantages of e-procurement are. “Businesses need to invest time winning the hearts and minds of the people who will actually be using the technology,” Connelly says. “The chefs, housekeeping, food and beverage – these are the groups of people who need to understand what the benefits are to them, so you get buy-in. “Forming new habits can require a deter- mined approach by senior management. People can be reluctant to change and, if not obliged to do otherwise, could soon go back to placing orders by phone unless they understand and experience the benefits of online ordering.”
Technology Prospectus 2016 | 37
“I reckon we
save around two hours each day because of Pi”
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