There is a shortage of qualified specialists. This is also confirmed by 73 percent of 250 companies surveyed across a wide range of industries in the DACH region: the shortage will continue to worsen, according to the figures in the "Industry Report on Skilled Workers Shortage 2022" collected by Skilltree, a European manufacturer of HR software. Seventy-two percent of companies are only managing a limited number of projects because of it - and having to turn down anything beyond that. "Many employers have been misled into overlooking internal employee resources over the hunt for external talent. Instead of knowing the individual skills and also targeting them for in-house training, HR departments only focus externally," explains study editor Markus Skergeth and managing director of Skilltree. His company addresses this problem by helping employers and employees learn about skills and match them with tasks and projects. In this way, the shortage of skilled workers can be quickly alleviated - because up to 30 percent of the missing skills are already available in the company without the decision-makers being aware of it.

Previous Jobs: Unknown

For example, among current employers, only 18 percent know the full career background of their employees - while nearly 50 percent don't, or don't know it for every employee. "While work experience is still important in the application phase, it begins to blur from the start - new employees tend to be 'sorted in' during onboarding, instead of making good use of the skills they learned in previous jobs," Markus Skergeth further analyzes. A software-supported skills analysis, on the other hand, allows optimal management of resources - and often unlocks potential in employees that previously remained hidden from team leaders and managers. "Our solution closes an essential gap that we have seen in numerous projects in companies. Human resources don't just exist on the labor market - they exist primarily within their own company," explains the Skilltree CEO. Yet more than 50 percent of the 250 study participants surveyed do not use a database to record employee skills - 30 percent at least sporadically, and less than ten percent use a fully comprehensive skills management solution.

Special talents remain unused

The ignorance of some employers is even more striking when it comes to special knowledge and skills such as foreign languages: Less than 20 percent of companies motivate their employees to contribute such achievements and talents - 45 percent, on the other hand, hardly at all. "Our skill matching motivates employees and ensures greater satisfaction through greater visibility. This is already resolving part of the skills shortage," adds Markus Skergeth. The 250 company representatives from the executive floors surveyed therefore emphatically agree with the need for a skills management solution: 69 percent see the creation of a skills and competency database as an opportunity to be able to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers through internal forces. According to the "Industry Report on the Shortage of Skilled Workers 2022," this is associated with drastic savings in personnel recruitment: 30 percent of those surveyed believe that savings of up to 25 percent are possible, and another 27 percent even see savings of between 25 and 50 percent.

Source: Skilltree

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/studie-warnt-fachkraeftemangel-wird-sich-weiter-verschaerfen/

Price increases in all areas, rapidly rising energy costs, inflation: German and Swiss consumers are finding their wallets tighter. This is also evident when it comes to Christmas - both when it comes to buying presents and planning Christmas dinner. The motto here this year is: not less, but more price-conscious. This is the result of a survey among users of the apps Bring! and Profital, in which more than 7,500 users took part.

As a result, gift-givers in both countries pay attention to value for money: 60 percent of those surveyed said that promotions and offers play a significant role when buying their Christmas gifts - possibly a consequence of the rising cost of living. Gifts are still given: only 7 percent do not buy any Christmas presents at all. The most popular Christmas gifts this year are once again dominated by the classics: number one is books and games (65 percent), followed by clothing (45 percent), electronics (41 percent) and cosmetics (37 percent).

In November is bought

61 percent of respondents start buying their Christmas gifts in November at the latest. When it comes to gift-giving, there are differences between Germans and Swiss: Germans give more people presents - 8.6 on average compared with 8.0 - while the Swiss give more expensive gifts: while consumers in the Alpine country spend an average of 143 Swiss francs (144 euros) per Christmas present, the figure in Germany is significantly less than half that: 55 euros (54 Swiss francs).

Early planning is also important to many when it comes to Christmas dinner: A quarter of consumers (25 percent) have already planned their festive meal at the beginning of December, and more than half (53 percent) are ready by the middle of the Christmas month. However, the food is of course fresh: two thirds (66 percent) buy the ingredients a few days before the festivities at the earliest. Recipes are the number one source of inspiration (59 percent), but recommendations from friends and family are also trusted (34 percent).

The imposing, massive and deep red "Micarculum Primitivo" meets the distinctively spicy Emmentaler AOP Gotthelf. The fruity-sweet bouquet of the "10 Year Old Tawny Port" perfectly ensnares the gout of the velvety, full-bodied Emmentaler AOP Eidgenoss. In the collab between Emmentaler AOP and the online wine merchant Flaschenpost, enjoyable cheese-wine matches are celebrated and exclusively curated by cheese sommelier Monika Bösch and wine sommelier Hakan Cap. Always with the aim of highlighting the variety of Emmentaler AOP and the comprehensive wine assortment of Flaschenpost as well as to make it a gluschtig experience for the viewers.

For this collaboration, Zimmermann Communications designed and realized various video and image stories. These stories will be published on the Instagram channels of Emmental and Message in a bottle and supplemented with a promotion. The presence in the Flaschenpost newsletter and a specially created landing page on emmentaler.ch round off the campaign.

Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Annemarie Boos (Senior Manager Brand, Marketing & Communication, Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager), Monika Bösch (Cheese Sommelier). Responsible at Flaschenpost Services: Anouk Naegeli (Social Media Manager), Hakan Cap (Wine Sommelier). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Sonja Zimmerli (Art Direction), Florian Bieniek (Project Management), Dominik Mätzener (GF Consulting). Photography and film: Ramon Alder, Gianni Peng. Realization/implementation of social media measures and landing page: Zimmermann Communications.

On November 8, 2022, Orange Cyberdefense, subsidiary of the telecommunications service provider Orange, acquired the Swiss companies SCRT and Telsys at 100 %. The two sister companies share headquarters in Morges, near Lausanne, and employ approximately 100 people, all cybersecurity and related services experts, who are also spread across offices in Geneva and Bern. SCRT, which says it is the leader in the cybersecurity market in western Switzerland, has been accompanying its customers for 20 years with a range of complete cybersecurity solutions for managed services, consulting, pen testing and vulnerability remediation in the event of cyber attacks. Telsys, on the other hand, specializes in the management of IT solutions.  

Further development of its cybersecurity subsidiary is a strategic priority for the Orange Group, according to a statement. In a market growing at more than 10 % annually, the Orange subsidiary recorded a revenue increase of 14 % in 2021, with a target of one billion euros in 2023. With the acquisition of these companies, Orange Cyberdefense expands its expertise in the field of cyber threats, as well as its unique clout in the field of ethical hacking to 200 specialists. The latest transaction forms another step in Orange Cyberdefense's ambitious strategy of organic and inorganic growth. Already in 2019, SecureLink and SecureData were acquired. With a presence in nine countries (France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and now Switzerland), its more than 2700 experts and 8500 customers, Orange Cyberdefense aims to extend its European leadership in cybersecurity.

The existing management team and structures of SCRT and Telsys will retain their local autonomy to accelerate expansion plans, especially in the Swiss-German territory, in synergy with the already established Orange Business Services. With the help of the Orange Group's expertise and resources, SCRT and Telsys will be able to expand their service catalog and offer their customers an even broader range of round-the-clock SOC services or an extended range of managed benefits and services. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Source: www.orange.com

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/orange-cyberdefense-uebernimmt-scrt-und-telsys/

Since 2019, the IMM has been offering the "CAS Marketing Technology" and, building on this, has successively expanded its activities in this area. In addition to the CAS, since 2021 the module of the same name has also been available for students in the master's program "Master in Business Administration - Major Marketing". In addition, the study "Swiss MarTech Study 2021" was published in 2021. 

Overview missing

With the founding of the MarTech Lab, the IMM is now going one step further. The results of the study and previous experience with the participants and students had shown that companies need support in the area of MarTech. After all, marketing technologies are changing rapidly, and the number of possible tools is growing exponentially. Today, marketers can use 9,932 different tools - not counting proprietary, low-code and no-code tools - to launch marketing initiatives. Companies, on the other hand, face the challenge of increasingly dynamic and complex markets. "This and the answer to the question of whether small, specialized solutions or all-in-one solutions should be preferred is now almost impossible for companies to answer," specifies Marcel Hüttermann, head of the MarTech Lab.

Independent consultants as a success factor

On the one hand, wrong decisions in the use of marketing technologies result in a large financial outlay, but on the other hand, the tools used have a high relevance for the satisfaction of employees and consumers.

Interestingly, most companies today nevertheless try their hand at developing a MarTech strategy themselves (43.9 percent), although decision-making, strategic thinking and goal focus are usually lacking among companies, according to the findings of the 2021 study mentioned above. Companies also hardly ever use independent consultants such as universities (4.2 percent).

The MarTech Lab as a solution

Scientifically sound and neutral to all tech vendors, IMM's MarTech Lab aims to help companies reach the next level in terms of MarTech. "It is obvious that the foundation comes at an opportune time, as the study reveals that 78.9 percent of experts believe that the use of marketing technologies continues to rise. In contrast, only 2.82 percent believe that Switzerland is a leader in this field," Hüttermann concludes.

For the Future Risk Report, AXA once again surveyed over 23,000 participants worldwide, consisting of risk management experts and members of the public, on their perception of future risks. For the first time in the nine-year history of the study, climate change was ranked as the greatest risk. Last year, it was cyber risks in the United States and pandemics and infectious diseases that caused the greatest concern among experts in Asia. While health risks continue to be among the biggest threats in Asia and Africa, the pandemic risk in Europe and America was pushed down the list this year by economic and geopolitical risks.

Climate change is the greatest global threat

In Switzerland, 76 percent of experts are concerned about the risks and effects of climate change (11 percent more than last year). As was the case a year ago, they thus again rated climate change as the greatest threat. For the first time since the study was carried out, experts in all regions are now of this opinion - last year, climate change only ranked first in Europe in a regional comparison. It is also worth noting that climate change is now also seen as the greatest potential threat by respondents from the US population. The only regional exceptions are the respondents from the populations in Africa and Asia - from their perspective, health risks will continue to represent the greatest potential threat in the coming years.

Confidence in public institutions to fight climate change has decreased compared to the previous year: Only 14 percent of global experts and 27 percent of people from the general public said the authorities were prepared for the coming risks. When the survey was conducted a year ago, the figure was 5 percent higher on both sides.

Economic risks increase

The current threat situation is additionally fueled by the Ukraine war and the associated geopolitical and economic problems. For the first time, three economic risks are in the top 10 of the global ranking (financial stability, macroeconomic risks, monetary and fiscal policy risks). They materialize in rising energy and food prices as well as inflation rates, and, according to experts, harbor an increasing potential for social unrest and movements. In Switzerland, too, the circumstances of the war affected the experts' forecasts: Energy supply (rank 4) and macroeconomic threats (rank 9) are now among the ten biggest risks.

At the same time, geopolitical tensions were also ranked among the top risks by 64 percent of Swiss experts - 20 percent more than in the previous year.

Switzerland sees itself less at risk when it comes to climate change

The risk management experts surveyed considered the global population to be increasingly vulnerable. 89 percent - five percent more than in the previous year - felt it was more vulnerable today than it had been over the past five years. Although the Swiss experts also perceive the majority of the global population (86 percent), the population of their continent (84 percent) and their own national population (56 percent) to be more vulnerable, they are the only experts in the global comparison to consider their urban population (42 percent) to be more resistant or at least equally resistant to risks than during the last five years.

Even though climate change is seen as a major threat, seemingly Climate risks in companies still to be undervalued, as another study recently found out.

Source: Axa

Risk perception of the Swiss population

The study also makes it clear that risks are not always assessed in the same way by the population as by the experts. The following ten risks represent the greatest future threats from the perspective of the Swiss:

1. Climate change
2. Pandemics and infectious diseases
3. Pollution
4. Energy supply
5. Cyber Risks
6. Geopolitical instability
7. Social tensions and movements
8. New security threats and terrorism
9. Natural resources and biodiversity
10. Financial Stability

Between May and June 2022, almost 4,500 risk management experts from 58 countries and 19,000 members of the public from 15 different countries took part in the Future Risk Report 2022 survey. They were asked which risks society will be most exposed to in the future. 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/klimawandel-laut-axa-studie-groesste-bedrohung/

A parasocial interaction describes a one-way relationship in which a person develops an emotional bond with another person. This is typically a celebrity, an influencer, or a popular fictional character.

This type of relationship could increase the persuasive power of influencers, according to a study by Babeș-Bolyai University.

Collaboration with Influencer

According to study leader Delia Christina Balaban, there are similarities between traditional celebrities and influencers. These are significant, she said, because social media influencers themselves are the shapers and managers of their followings. "We focused on the parasocial relationship between influencers and their followers and the role that relationship plays in advertising outcomes," the study leader said.

For the study, the experts worked with an influencer from Romania who has 12,000 followers on Instagram. The participants saw a screenshot from her profile page and an Instagram story in which she showed how to use the hairstyling product of a particular brand. 190 women participated in the study. 106 of them followed the influencer. According to the study, followers did not report a stronger parasocial relationship than non-followers.

Products increase parasocial relationship

As the study shows, higher product involvement goes hand in hand with a stronger parasocial relationship with the influencer. Followers who agree with statements like "I'm very interested in hairstyling products" and "Hairstyling plays an important role in my daily routine" are also more likely to agree with statements like "If the influencer felt good in the story, then I felt good too." Thus, according to study leader Balaban, social media users who are interested in the posted topic will also build a strong parasocial relationship with the influencer.

More intense parasocial relationships with the influencer are associated with perceived greater credibility - that is, trustworthiness and competence, it is said. Greater perceived credibility, in turn, is often associated with increased intentions to buy the advertised product. Balaban says the advantage of this study is that it was conducted in conjunction with an influencer. "Research that deals with influencers should be conducted in real-life situations." (pte)

Everyone is clamoring for it, but no one wants to play the part. What was commonplace in the mid-1960s is suddenly in again. No, not the character from "Star Trek," but the "Single Point of Contact," for which the four letters actually stand and whose meaning in marketing lingo can just be described as a high flyer. In German: Single Point of Contact. And that's exactly what we're longing for in the age of the infinite number of touchpoints, digital or analog, that are available to get in touch with customers or a brand. But please only if this SPoC doesn't end in an endless loop with Muzak or someone completely incompetent but powerfully self-confident tells you anything of the long and wide, but just doesn't answer the question you asked.

Actor Leonard Nimoy, blessedly, who as Mr. Spock, first officer of the starship Enterprise in "Star Trek," has a worldwide following to this day, was more taciturn. And he would certainly be happy to see the acronym in all those meetings and PowerPoint presentations.

Live long and in peace - SPoC

How simple it used to be. When the cult series premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, there was really only one point of contact for customers of any kind in many places. A store counter, for example, a bank counter, a high shelf, a car garage or a travel agency to which everyone who wanted something had to or was allowed to physically go.

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the series, called Mr. Spock "the conscience of 'Star Trek'" and thus unintentionally, but all the more accurately described today's namesake SPoC.

Anyone who has to serve as a single point of contact today does not need to be a pointy-eared Vulcan, but must be available at all times and preferably omniscient. Every agency is familiar with the phenomenon that customers demand an SPoC, who should always know everything, and they would prefer to have one on the customer side as well. And all customers can tell you a thing or two about the fact that the person in charge is constantly changing at the agency, because staff turnover there is record-breaking and the competencies feel increasingly subterranean.

In the end, both sides complain, instead of perhaps following the Vulcans and first spreading the fingers between the ring and middle fingers to form a "V", and greeting the SPoC with a characteristic "Live long and prosper" (from the Vulcan "Dif-tor heh smusma") and looking together for solutions to the problems.

So no matter which side of the Customer Journey we're on, it helps to follow Vulcan logic of showing no emotion whatsoever when we're screaming for SPoC or Spock again, and feeling like beaming away at the long wait and lack of competence.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

A new compendium is to compile important information about batteries. Because in the eyes of many experts, they are considered a game changer for the energy transition. "The increasing spread of decentralized renewable energy sources together with battery storage systems optimally integrated into the system will turn the electricity system upside down - in the best sense! Just think of the boom in e-mobility with the enormous storage capacities of vehicle batteries," says Jonas Mühlethaler, head of the "Electrical Storage" working group of the Energy Storage Forum Switzerland.

Batteries are better than their reputation

However, the system-friendly use of battery storage systems will not happen "by itself". Homeowners will have to decide whether it makes sense for them to invest in a stationary battery today or whether they should wait and see. Grid operators and regulatory authorities are faced with even bigger questions: How can battery storage be integrated in such a way that it results in an efficient, ecological, robust and affordable energy system? What role can batteries for electric vehicles play in this and how should appropriate regulations be designed?

The debate is often dominated by excessive costs and the supposedly "catastrophic" life cycle assessment of batteries, or reservations are expressed about their safety. Other topics covered in the compendium include the real cost/benefit ratio and life cycle assessment, and how recycling and a consistent circular economy can bring improvements.

Should Switzerland just stand by and watch?

Although battery storage is also of great importance for Switzerland as a research and business location, the storage of electricity in reservoirs is preferred in this country. Should Switzerland just sit back and watch this race for innovation while other countries are conducting intensive research into new battery technologies and promoting their use? What opportunities do the development, use and recycling of batteries offer Swiss companies? And what do you need for this? Answers to these questions can also be found in the "Battery Storage Compendium" published by the Swiss Energy Storage Forum.

The battery storage compendium will be presented at the public and free online roundtable on November 16, 2022.

Source: aeesuisse

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/batterien-game-changer-der-energiewende/

The business activities of companies impact the environment through various channels - whether in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, waste management and water consumption, or in the form of environmental aspects in the products and services offered. Accordingly, companies have a responsibility to do everything they can to reduce the impact they have on the environment. "Not all organizations in Switzerland and Germany fulfill this responsibility equally well," says Stefan Hunziker, author of the ERM Report 2022 and head of the Risk & Compliance Competence Center at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The results of the ERM Report 2022 show: The biggest hurdle to greater environmental responsibility is the cost required to become more environmentally friendly as a company. Around two-thirds of respondents perceive this as a major hurdle. SMEs in particular also see a perceived lower impact on the environment on their part, which results in lower environmental responsibility (see figure below).

Added to this is the perceived pressure on companies from internal and external stakeholders, which has an impact on corporate environmental responsibility. This means that the stronger the perception of pressure on a company, the more pronounced their environmental responsibility. Large companies in particular perceive this pressure significantly more strongly than SMEs. In all the dimensions of environmental responsibility surveyed, large companies are therefore somewhat ahead of SMEs and already have their environmental responsibility explicitly audited and evaluated by external bodies. This promotes the improvement of the companies' image with regard to their environmental responsibility, which is considered to be the strongest advantage perceived as a result of their own company's environmental responsibility.

Climate risks are only of medium importance for companies

Climate change brings with it numerous adverse effects for humans and the environment due to the complex interactions and interdependencies between a wide variety of elements in the ecosphere. All economic and social actors must adapt to this new reality. In order to better classify the topic, the subjects of the HSLU study were first asked to assess how they were affected by various risks in their company. It becomes clear that climate risks are primarily only assigned a medium significance. "Market risks and strategic risks are considered to be more important, which is surprising given the topicality of the issue," says Hunziker.

Difficult categorization within risk management

In particular, companies struggle to categorize climate risks, as the HSLU study shows. One in three companies does not categorize climate risks as a separate risk category in the corporate risk management process. "In addition, only one in two companies also assesses climate risks in an interdisciplinary manner across different functions and areas in the company," says the HSLU expert. The study author adds: "Taking into account all the indicators recorded, it can be stated that regular and equal recording of climate risks as an independent risk category would significantly increase the significance of climate risks in corporate risk management.

Companies rely on self-assessment

One in three companies does not assess climate risks at all. According to the study authors at HSLU, this is due in particular to the lack of available historical data on climate risks. "Companies assessing climate risks also rely more on their own self-assessment as a method for risk assessment," says Stefan Hunziker. Here, the lack of skills to analyze and assess climate risks seems to be the biggest challenge.

Unsatisfactory integration of climate risks

Finally, the company representatives were asked to assess their satisfaction with the current level of maturity of the integration of climate risks into risk management. A large proportion of them (around two-thirds) are dissatisfied or at most partially satisfied with the consideration of climate risks as part of enterprise risk management. Only one in thirteen companies is very satisfied with the handling and integration of climate risks into risk management. "This set of topics is still very new for many companies," Hunziker said. Many companies are just starting to deal with a possible integration into risk management. There still seems to be a great deal of uncertainty regarding the recording, analysis and evaluation of such risks. However, many of the respondents simply do not yet see the relevance of this topic for their company. Stefan Hunziker: "There should be a change in thinking here so that companies are prepared to invest more time and financial resources in building up the necessary know-how.

Source: Lucerne University

ERM Report 2022

Companies are exposed to a multitude of regulations, internal voluntary commitments and the expectations of various stakeholders. As a result, they have to think about how they want to deal with the climate risks of their business activities. The ERM Report 2022 therefore focuses on the question of how far advanced the integration of these risks into the enterprise risk management of companies in Switzerland and Germany has already been. From the results of the survey of German and Swiss companies, the study authors derived key messages for practice, which also identify further potential for improvement in dealing with climate risks. The study was written by the Institute of Financial Services IFZ at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts together with the Institute of Controlling at Kiel University of Applied Sciences.

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/klimarisiken-als-langfristige-herausforderung-fuer-unternehmen/

Cybersecurity software provider Hornetsecurity is making a strong case that there is a need for better protection for Microsoft Teams data in many organizations. A survey commissioned by Hornetsecurity highlights the often overlooked need for Teams backup and security. For example, the survey found that nearly half of users (45 %) frequently send confidential and critical information over the platform. Internal corporate communication via chat has now become established in many companies and is thus almost at the same level as communication via e-mail. The study was conducted by techconsult, an established German IT research and analyst firm.

Data loss in Microsoft Teams: loss of corporate information

The analysis found that 90% of respondents prefer user chats (direct messages) over group conversations (in a Teams channel). Overall, more than 41% of employees also send at least 10 user chat messages per day. Personal preference creates an uneven distribution of communication within the platform. Only slightly more than a quarter of all messages (26%) are sent in Teams channel conversations.

Almost half (45 %) of respondents also frequently share confidential and sensitive information via teams, of which 51 % frequently send business-related documents and data. 51% of users tend to send such information from privately used devices. Only 29% of users use a work device to send restricted or confidential data.

It is easy to make mistakes

The survey also showed that 48 % of all respondents sent messages about teams that they should not have sent. Notably, of this group, 88 % had already been trained in the use of collaboration solutions. In addition to improved backup, this highlights the need for better training on the use of teams as well as the risks of sending sensitive data.

Companies should consider Teams Backup for user chats as well

More than half of respondents (56 %) see employee training and awareness as the most important approach to reducing cybersecurity risks. However, with 89 % of respondents more likely to use direct user chat for communication, it is important to use a backup solution that protects all collaborative team functions.

Daniel Hofmann, CEO of Hornetsecurity, comments.: "The increasing use of chat services has changed the way people work. Unfortunately, with this change has come an increased risk of data breaches. Companies need to take appropriate security measures to protect business data. Otherwise, they risk data loss, lost productivity and financial damage. Microsoft does not provide robust protection for data shared through Teams. So businesses need to ensure that information and files shared through the platform are secured in a responsible manner."

Source: Hornetsecurity

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/security-und-backup-maengel-bei-microsoft-teams/

All costs that are associated with operational processes and can be attributed to them can be booked as process costs. So much for the theory of business administration. But in practice, process costs in companies often go unnoticed. Particularly in the procurement of C-parts, however, it is worthwhile analyzing the process costs, because in many cases these significantly exceed the value of the goods and articles required on a daily basis. A comparison of the process costs in the classic procurement process with those using a procurement platform shows the drastic contrast.

Cost trap of the classic procurement process

C-parts usually have only a low commodity value, but are essential for operational processes. Their procurement often leads to extremely high process costs. In many companies, the procurement process is still carried out in the traditional way with numerous manual activities. An example from operational practice illustrates the effort involved:

A lathe operator urgently needs square-head bolts. He does a quick search in the catalog (printed or online). But before he can order, he has to create a purchase requisition in SAP. This takes the lathe operator about 15 minutes of working time. Unfortunately, the square-head screws are more expensive than usual - due to current delivery problems. Therefore, the lathe operator's supervisor has to check and approve the purchase. This requires at least five minutes of working time. Now Controlling checks whether all the data (for example, the account assignment) is correct before triggering the requirement in SAP, which also takes five minutes. The requisition is now converted into a purchase order and checked by Purchasing for price and delivery date. In addition, Purchasing inquires with the supplier regarding availability and delivery date. The time required for these steps is at least 30 to 45 minutes, sometimes longer if the requested party is not directly available or responds promptly.

Now the supplier has to send an order confirmation. If he does not do so, the purchasing department sends him a reminder, which adds another five to ten minutes to the clock. A few days later, the goods arrive. The goods receiving department checks whether the correct screws have been delivered in the ordered quantity. The receipt of the goods is booked in SAP and the lathe operator confirms that his screws have arrived. These operations take about 15 minutes of working time. Finally, financial accounting checks the invoice and posts it. For release, discrepancies regarding the price and other factors may need to be clarified, which takes at least 10 to 15 minutes of effort.

All in all, the total processing time for all process steps is around 105 minutes - a staggering 1 hour 45 minutes per order! If you multiply this by the internal hourly rate, the process costs add up to insane amounts. These exemplary costs are - depending on the goods and the effort involved - open to an upper limit.

Procurement platform as an operational savings miracle

If the costs that companies have with a procurement platform are calculated in a direct comparison, the following picture emerges: The requesting lathe operator quickly finds the suitable square-head bolts by means of a search term in the online catalog of the procurement platform and places them in the shopping cart. This is transferred directly to the ERP together with the account assignment data. There, a BANF is automatically generated. The entire process takes less than five minutes. The square-head bolts are - due to current delivery problems - more expensive than usual. Therefore, the supervisor has to check and approve the purchase, which certainly takes five minutes. However, since the account assignment data has been transferred automatically in the system, Controlling no longer has to check it. The BANF is automatically converted into a purchase order by the system - all important data for this has already been transferred from the online catalog. Purchasing only has to check the delivery date of the order confirmation, which only takes them five minutes of working time. The goods arrive a few days later. The goods receipt check is carried out in SAP. The lathe operator is informed that his screws have arrived. We estimate the working time for this at 15 minutes. The invoice is checked automatically in ERP. This is possible because prices and conditions have been transferred from the online catalog directly into the system. This relieves the financial accounting department of the check.

Thanks to the automated process, the total processing time for all these order steps is around 30 minutes. This means that companies working with a procurement platform can save around 70 percent in time and process costs.

Identify and exploit cost optimization potential

The sample calculation makes it clear that it is worth taking a close look at internal procurement processes and reassessing them. It is not only in terms of lower costs that it can be worthwhile to use a procurement platform.

To make procurement agile and keep it as lean and cost-efficient as possible in the ordering departments, companies today use eProcurement platforms. With a sensibly implemented solution, savings can be made across the entire purchasing process:

• Demand requestConsumers should be able to order their goods quickly, independently and from selected system partners. Manual and lengthy processes - still frequently paper-based in 2022 - are a huge cost driver in procurement.
• Order processing and data managementDigital order processing is the foundation of many optimization measures in procurement. The fewer interfaces to suppliers that need to be maintained, the lower the recurring expenses associated with digital orders. Synchronized order data in the eProcurement solution and in the ERP is even more important than the pure digitization of the order path. Only if the data is identical can order data from the ERP be used meaningfully for strategic decisions and further applications and processes such as spend analytics or category management.
• Logistics: Goods receiving and the entire intralogistics benefit from the electronically available data: The orderer can be quickly determined, including the destination where the goods are to be transported. The recording of new goods inventories in warehouse management also causes less effort in the digitally networked environment. Automatic goods issue machines or scanners can be used here, for example.
• Accounting: Invoice verification, approval, and payment processing should be done with purchase order reference to minimize follow-up and research in accounting.

Valuing and retaining skilled workers

Many factors are currently contributing to the shortage of skilled workers. These include demographic change, the imminent retirement of the boomer generation, rising job requirements, more students but fewer skilled workers, and many other aspects. Skilled workers not only ensure innovation and growth, but also prosperity and quality of life, which makes them essential not only for the economy. It is therefore important that small and medium-sized businesses react and present themselves as attractive employers in order to find and retain skilled workers. Promising working conditions include not only flexible working hours or opportunities for further training, but also smart and digital work processes. In addition to reducing costs, this also leads to smoother processes and more satisfied skilled workers.

In times of a shortage of skilled workers, a procurement platform can therefore make a decisive contribution to simplifying processes and reducing processing times. Employees in the individual departments can devote themselves more precisely to their core business, as many nerve-racking redundant processes are eliminated. As a result, companies benefit not only from lower costs and a more dynamic procurement system overall, but also from more satisfied employees, as their working time and expertise are much more highly valued.

Author:

Michael Petri Since 2021, together with Sebastian Wiese, has been responsible for the operating business of simple system and, as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), heads the Commercial business unit of the indirect procurement platform of the same name. The 35-year-old's focus is on the strategic and sustainably successful further development of the company: Under Petri's leadership, simple system is to be scaled to become Europe's leading B2B procurement platform. 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/versteckte-einsparpotenziale-im-unternehmen-heben/