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Power Platform streamlines form completion for Vanderlande
Optimizing purchase order requests and forms for new vendors.
The goal for Vanderlande was to optimize purchase order requests and forms for new vendors. The market leader in internal logistics transport systems has now discovered the convenience of the Power Platform. HSO provided user-friendly and well-organized forms that can be filled in with ease. Joris Pijnenborg (Vanderlande), Carin van der Aa (Vanderlande), and Thim Derks (HSO) proudly share their insights on this innovation.
More user-friendly and stable
Filling out purchase order requests and forms for new vendors used to be a monumental task for Vanderlande, with a real risk of errors. Employees manually entered purchase order requests, and even a small typo or missing information would result in extra work for both the user and the buyer. Moreover, these errors could have far-reaching consequences, such as incorrect purchase prices, delivery addresses, or terms and conditions. "Furthermore, the system wasn't stable enough," Joris and Carin explain.
Time for a change. Vanderlande's internal IT department referred Joris to HSO. "We found them to be a reliable and knowledgeable partner." Carin oversaw the project from Vanderlande's side and served as the main contact for HSO. "We wanted a clear and user-friendly platform that eliminates manual work for our employees," Carin explains. Joris adds, "It should be very simple. The Power Platform is based on master data from our ERP system, which automatically fills in information instead of requiring manual entry. This not only enhances user-friendliness but also ensures accurate data input."
"HSO has the knowledge and expertise."
"The data expertise that we lacked before is now present in the company. HSO possesses this knowledge and expertise, which greatly assists us during the development of the new data platform. Additionally, we feel understood. The HSO team understands perfectly what our company needs. People don't like to read lengthy instructions. Therefore, a new system must be simple for the user. Thanks to the Power Platform, we now have an intuitive application that provides reliable information input, resulting in less manual work in the procurement process."
A purchase order request or a form for a new vendor may seem like "just a piece of paper," but it's much more than that. It's a form that will be used by over 7,000 employees worldwide. "This requires a design approach that considers users who are unfamiliar with the application, the procurement process, and the form," Joris explains.
Two companies, one team
"We successfully addressed the challenges through clear and honest communication with each other," Thim adds. "Both parties knew what to expect. Working with Vanderlande didn't feel like two separate groups, as a customer and a supplier. We were one team, where nobody pointed fingers but instead worked together to find solutions," says Thim.
Joris also praises HSO's flexibility. "When HSO informed us that there might be uncertainty about completing the application on time, they continued working just as hard until it was achieved. HSO resolved issues and collaborated regardless of the cause or owner of the problem. We greatly appreciate HSO's dedication. Additionally, HSO speaks the same language. Thim was able to translate our user requirements into a robust IT design. That worked really well."
What happens after this pilot
According to Carin, there have been positive responses to the Power Platform within Vanderlande from the very beginning. "The company's processes are much more streamlined, and our employees find it much more user-friendly than the old system."
The implementation of the Power Platform served as a sort of pilot, and it passed with flying colors. In the future, Vanderlande aims to expand the application for additional purposes, centralizing and structuring all information storage.
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