Future of Sourcing - Digital Marketplace https://futureofsourcing.com/tags/digital-marketplace en Procurement with Purpose https://futureofsourcing.com/procurement-with-purpose <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/624x325%20digital%20market%20place.jpg"><a href="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/624x325%20digital%20market%20place.jpg" title="Procurement with Purpose" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-node-1032-sHPVvPD6EzA"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/styles/juicebox_medium/public/articles/624x325%20digital%20market%20place.jpg?itok=WgOuAnkY" width="624" height="325" alt="" title="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-intro field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><strong>Step up for Students creates a digital marketplace for education and associated services, fueling innovation and choice among low-income and special needs students.</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>Education is the great equalizer. Yet when it comes to capturing opportunities to learn, there is a significant divide between the &ldquo;haves&rdquo; and &ldquo;have nots.&rdquo; &nbsp;Technology is a powerful tool that can change this, and non-profit organizations across the country are beginning to leverage it to bridge the gap.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Fueling Innovation and Choice</strong></p> <p>Take Step Up for Students. The Florida nonprofit helps to manage the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which provides students who are homeless or in foster or out-of-home care with tuition assistance to the private school of their parents&rsquo; choice or financial assistance to offset the transportation cost to an out-of-district public school. The group also helps administer a program that provides funds to Florida students with certain special needs to cover the costs of private school tuition and fees, private tutoring, occupational therapy and instructional materials and other services.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;At Step Up for Students, we don&rsquo;t believe that quality education should be determined by financial means or disability, and we have made it our mission to give children from lower income families and those with special needs a chance at a brighter future through the scholarship programs we help to manage,&rdquo; said Doug Tuthill, President, Step Up for Students.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Consumerizing Education</strong></p> <p>For years, these programs were manually administered through paper forms and phone calls. It was a tedious process, and one that Step Up for Students felt could be improved. When it comes to education, most people don&rsquo;t think about shopping for it. But Step Up for Students thinks differently. As consumers, we can quickly and easily shop for the things we want and need online. And with a few clicks on our laptops and mobile devices, we can compare prices and purchase them. Why couldn&rsquo;t parents and caregivers be empowered to do the same when it comes to education? The technology was there to make to happen.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Step Up for Students decided to tap into that technology to create a digital marketplace through which education along with associated services and supplies can be purchased in a simple, consumer-like way. Using the cloud-based procurement applications and business network of <a href="http://www.ariba.com" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ff0000;">SAP Ariba</span></a>, the organization is building a one-stop shop where parents and caregivers of scholarship recipients can find, buy and pay for tuition at schools of their choice along with educational services and school supplies as easily as they might shop for clothes, books or music.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bridging the Digital Divide</strong></p> <p>&ldquo;Many of those we serve lack access to technology in their homes and it was critical that we remove this as a barrier,&rdquo; said Scott Massey, Chief Information Officer, Step Up for Students. With SAP Ariba and its partner <a href="http://www.premikati.com" target="_blank">Premikati</a>, Step Up for Students has designed a solution that can be accessed anywhere, anytime via any device, including mobile phones.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Procurement With Purpose</strong></p> <p>Technology is a powerful tool. Just like a hammer, it can be used to construct entirely new worlds. And if swung in the right direction with a purpose, it can build bridges that close the digital divide and lead the way to promising new realities. In consumerizing the process of procuring education and administering financial aid, Step Up for Students can empower parents to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children, regardless of their financial situation and help educational institutions fulfill the promise of equal opportunity. And that&rsquo;s where the real power of technology lies.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/education" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Education</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/digital-marketplace" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Digital Marketplace</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/technology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Technology</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/procurement" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Procurement</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/consumerization" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Consumerization</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-addthis field-type-addthis field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style " addthis:title="Procurement with Purpose - Future of Sourcing" addthis:url="https://futureofsourcing.com/procurement-with-purpose"><a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_linkedin"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_facebook"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_twitter"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_googleplus"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_pinterest_share"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_reddit"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_email"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_print"></a> </div> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-region field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Region:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/regions/north-america" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">North America</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/regions/global" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Global</a></div></div></div> Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:15:05 +0000 Kirsten Allegri Willams 1032 at https://futureofsourcing.com https://futureofsourcing.com/procurement-with-purpose#comments How outsourcing is enabling the digital enterprise https://futureofsourcing.com/node/897 <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/Howard-Spode-Sep-2015-1-420x215.jpg"><a href="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/Howard-Spode-Sep-2015-1-420x215.jpg" title="How outsourcing is enabling the digital enterprise" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-node-897-sHPVvPD6EzA"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/styles/juicebox_medium/public/articles/Howard-Spode-Sep-2015-1-420x215.jpg?itok=X9jhxZ7w" width="420" height="215" alt="" title="" /></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>We know that digital processes create leaner, more agile operations, not to mention financial and time savings. So why are so many businesses still unable to part with the millions of pieces of paper which are printed across the globe each year, despite the fact that the majority of this paper will be used once, then thrown or filed away?</p> <p>The latest findings from Xerox&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.xerox.com/en-us/services/managed-print-services/insights/digital-transformation-strategy" target="_blank">Digitisation at Work</a>&nbsp;report reveal that the concept of digital transformation is attractive to most but achieved by the limited few. It is here that I believe there is a real opportunity for outsourcing to bridge the paper/digital divide.</p> <p><strong>What&rsquo;s the state of play?</strong></p> <p>We spoke to 600 IT decision-makers across a range of large organisations. According to our findings, less than 50 per cent of organisations currently use processes that are mostly or fully digitised. However, we also discovered that many foresee a workplace that is both digital and automated. A significant 85 per cent can readily identify workplace processes that are candidates for automation technologies, finance and customer care being the prime candidates.</p> <p>Interesting ambitions, but these seem a long way off when you consider that 37 per cent of those surveyed work for an organisation which does not yet have a social media strategy in place, while 40 per cent have not implemented solutions for mobile working.</p> <p>So if 2015 was the year when digital working and automation became more widely adopted and understood by businesses, is 2016 the year we start seeing the impact?</p> <p>To allow this to happen, there are five key areas where outsourcing can help companies get a handle on their processes and create lasting, company-wide digital strategies:</p> <p><strong>1. Get a visual on paper workflows</strong><br />One of the biggest surprises of our report was finding that so many organisations (55%) are missing the upfront analysis of how paper processes are currently running. With assessment tools in place, we&rsquo;ll see more companies take advantage of the central configuration and monitoring of digitised workflows in coming months, much like how network operations centres currently function.</p> <p><strong>2. Analyse what&rsquo;s going on</strong><br />Processes are becoming smarter and advanced analytical tools will drive genuinely useful data about who is accessing what document, and when. We should continue to evaluate that companies have the right tools in place for the right processes on a regular basis.</p> <p><strong>3. Share updates</strong><br />Going forward, we expect to see more organisations take advantage of the real-time status updates that are delivered, using them for greater work tracking across various processes and ultimately, to change the functioning of that service altogether. For example, electronic records with &lsquo;intelligent paper recognition&rsquo; are saving time, money and space for Luton &amp; Dunstable University Hospital and leading to better patient care.</p> <p><strong>4. Scale out</strong><br />In the digital age, there are many such automation tools that businesses can scale quickly to take on additional work. At present, 45 per cent of those surveyed work for an organisation which does not currently use intelligent automation technologies. Inevitably, we&rsquo;ll see more businesses use software which can mimic humans by manipulating data, triggering responses and processing transactions.</p> <p><strong>5. Teamwork</strong><br />With greater levels of analysis and assessment now possible, businesses will be closer to making the full transition into digitised processes. Handoffs between human employees and automated bots in a given workflow will become increasingly seamless.</p> <p>Businesses will soon take the steps above to move beyond small, isolated pockets of automation and identify new opportunities to build comprehensive strategies and tools. They will be looking for partners that can ensure these tools have the potential to impact the entire business, not just part of it.</p> <p>With so much potential for positive change, outsourcing partnerships can help businesses finally make the jump into fully digitised processes, and start to make good headway on the promises of transformation.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/digital-marketplace" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Digital Marketplace</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/digital-transformation" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Digital Transformation</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/governance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Governance</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/innovation" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Innovation</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/transformation" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Transformation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-addthis field-type-addthis field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style " addthis:title="How outsourcing is enabling the digital enterprise - Future of Sourcing" addthis:url="https://futureofsourcing.com/node/897"><a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_linkedin"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_facebook"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_twitter"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_googleplus"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_pinterest_share"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_reddit"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_email"></a> <a href="https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300" class="addthis_button_print"></a> </div> </div></div></div> Thu, 24 Mar 2016 03:19:55 +0000 Andrew Morrison 897 at https://futureofsourcing.com https://futureofsourcing.com/node/897#comments