“Instead of taking an inward look at your sourcing and procurement models, consider the easiest, simplest experience that you can provide to your internal customers.” – Ryan Bradford

Procurement is in the midst of a transformative period, but at the heart of all this change is one thing that is always relevant: the customer experience. 

Procurement has traditionally done itself a disservice by approaching the source-to-pay process with their own goals, needs, or processes in mind. But, by taking a more customer-centric approach and prioritizing their internal stakeholders, they can actually drive more value for the entire organization.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with experienced procurement leader and seasoned executive Ryan Bradford about how procurement can refine their approach to customer engagement. In many cases, this creates an opportunity to challenge conventional thinking about how procurement should interact with their customers to achieve the best outcomes. 

As Ryan says, it starts by putting the customer experience first. 

Ryan also discusses: 

• How to create a customer-centric S2P model by engaging with stakeholders, understanding their needs, and pushing back in constructive ways
• The role technology and AI play in enabling simple, and seamless procurement experiences while still maintaining compliance and governance
• How to build on strong internal relationships and also win over the skeptics and resistors 

Links:

• Ryan Bradford on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
• Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube