Would you trust a doctor to fix your car? Would you feel comfortable for a plumber to drill your tooth? How about giving a pilot free reign to redecorate your home?
All of these people are experts in their own right. Each has the necessary education and experience to do the job they’ve been trained to do. But put them in a position to do each other’s jobs and they’ll probably falter. This doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re professionals, it simply means that they’re highly unlikely to do a good job when working outside of their wheelhouse.
Traditionally, a chief procurement officer (CPO) oversees the acquisitions of goods and services. This individual is responsible for purchasing everything the business needs, while also working to cut costs and improve profit margins. But in the days of digitalisation, CPOs have to evolve and it may be a case of, adapt or die.
The CPO and your digitalisation strategy
Every year, Deloitte conducts a Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey. This year, 75% of the CPOs who participated in the survey noted that procurement’s role in the business’ digital strategy is set to increase in the future.
For Paul Shallard, a Deloitte NZ partner, a skills gap, and a lack of understanding, across procurement may be hindering progress. “As these technologies continue to advance, CPOs must respond quickly and align the digital transformation of the procurement function with ongoing business priorities.”
A CPO no longer has a single role. They’re not just a doctor or a plumber; they might even need to be both. CPOs need to understand digital innovation and the role these tools and technologies can play in your business’ success. By being a part of digitalisation strategy conversations, the CPO is better equipped to procure the products and services to take your company needs into the future.
It’s not uncommon for CPOs to pick the wrong telecoms expense management (TEM) product. Or worse, they may see no need for TEM at all. As CPOs become key stakeholders in a company’s digitalisation strategy, they need to understand how technologies such as TEM can help their organisation stay ahead of the competition.
At Nebula, we acknowledge that if your CPO has a limited understanding of digitalisation, they may pick out a product that doesn’t suit your needs. That’s why we offer businesses a month trial to test out our telecoms expense and lifecycle management offering, OneView so they can make a more informed decision. To find out more and set up your demo, complete the form below.
Leave a Comment