Purchase-to-Pay insights help Zorggroep Sint Maarten save time

Charelle Hassing, a procurement advisor at Zorggroep Sint Maarten, has been working at the healthcare organization ever since the implementation of the Procurement module. The organization has 16 locations, more than 2,600 employees, and 1,400 volunteers. Charelle was therefore closely involved in the implementation of the procurement software in 2017. Today, Zorggroep Sint Maarten manages its entire Purchase to Pay process within Elari. How has Elari contributed to the professionalization of their procurement process?

How did Zorggroep Sint Maarten operate before Elari?

“We can hardly imagine anymore that we used to create purchase orders using spreadsheets and send them via email. Or that all our buyers used separate accounts for different suppliers,” says Charelle. “Consider, for example, the AO/IC criteria set by auditors. You have to be able to meet those. Those criteria are important so that both the procurement department and the entire organization remain in control. In Elari, we’ve been able to manage this process effectively. The software provides us with the capabilities and safeguards for segregation of duties, formalization, and direct insight into ordering authority within the organization. This also ensures that our authorization policy is properly structured and enforced. The digital transformation of our procurement process has helped us further professionalize the procurement process.”

“With Elari, we’re taking greater and greater control of the procurement process.”

Charelle Hassing, Procurement Advisor at Zorggroep Sint Maarten

Zorggroep Sint Maarten implemented Elari Invoice Processing in 2014. Procurement was next in 2017, followed by Contract Management and the analysis features. “At the time, we decided to integrate Procurement into Elari as well, because we were already using Invoice Processing and were satisfied with it. When we were looking for a procurement system, we considered how the integration between invoice processing and procurement would work. We wanted to match purchase orders to invoices. Elari now does this for us, so the authorized signatories no longer have to do it. In a sense, we’ve reversed the process. For suppliers from whom we purchase based on purchase orders, purchase orders are automatically approved based on a threshold amount. This replaces the previous process of approving an invoice after the fact. That process works very well in Elari.”

3-way matching in Elari

By also setting up the process for recording deliveries in Elari, Zorggroep Sint Maarten even uses 3-way matching. “3-way matching with Elari also works well. The process sometimes stalls when deliveries are registered, and that’s often due to human error. We’re making improvements in that area and in handling non-compliant invoices. We’ve now automated the entire process for three suppliers, and it’s working really well. We wish we’d had that level of streamlining sooner.”

How did the implementation of Purchase to Pay with Elari go?

“The collaboration with Elari is good, and quite intensive too. During the implementation and the ongoing improvement of our processes, we’ve had interesting discussions with developers and with Customer Success Manager Jasper. For example, we’ve talked about the innovative OCI integrations that are on the way. These are developments we’re excited to see and want to start working with. It’s great that Elari continues to develop the system and takes our wishes and feedback into account,” says Charelle.

Former account manager Gerjan, among others, wholeheartedly agrees. He sees Zorggroep Sint Maarten as a forward-thinking organization that’s eager to contribute ideas. “Charelle is very critical and has a drive to make the system work well. That’s great to see. It’s always a challenge to get employees to start working with software from scratch, but Zorggroep Sint Maarten has come a long way. It’s great that they’re also taking the initiative to explore new Elari features on their own.”

Contact with the Elari support department

Charelle also appreciates the contact with the Elari support department. “It’s great that the Portal is there for requests and instructions, but if you really can’t figure something out, the support department is always there for you. That’s very reassuring, and I’m happy to reach out to them. Elari is precisely tailored to our way of working, so it’s great that a support consultant can provide in-depth advice. They have a clear overview of how everything fits together. It also takes some of the burden off, which is very nice when you have to manage the Elari application alongside your other tasks.”

What’s it like to work with Elari’s Purchase to Pay solution now?

Invoice Processing and Procurement are already well-organized, and Contract Management is also working better and better for Zorggroep Sint Maarten. “Elari’s invoice processing works well. XML invoices are a real lifesaver. We’ve already looked into the PEPPOL network. That might be interesting for the future. It’s also great that the Contract Management module provides an overview of all contracts and allows you to set who can view which contract. In addition, it’s very helpful that we receive an annual optimization report on how we can use Elari even more effectively. That has helped us refine our change management policy and, as a result, improve functional application management.”

What does Charelle consider one of the biggest advantages of working with Elari? “The software provides management insights and real-time information on open orders that you wouldn’t otherwise have visibility into. Elari truly gives you control over your procurement processes.”

“Working with Elari’s Purchase to Pay is going well. It’s a great product that’s constantly evolving. That’s definitely an advantage. There are still plenty of opportunities for improvement, so it’s great that I can submit feature requests in the Portal to optimize the software. They actually act on those requests, which is nice. I also see progress in how Elari has evolved.”

“Elari helps you professionalize your procurement process”

Previously, Zorggroep Sint Maarten used different accounts and login credentials for various suppliers. “Now, with Elari, the organization has complete control over who buys what and where, and we work within a single system. Among other things, we were able to professionalize our operations because we re-evaluated our procurement processes. As the procurement department, we’re responsible for a large, influenceable procurement volume that can be managed strategically. We use a coordinated procurement model. This means that we centrally manage contracts while decentralizing the ordering processes as much as possible. However, we do this through our central order processors, who focus on specific areas of responsibility at each location. This makes it possible, for example, to better focus on product knowledge, which benefits the quality of care. Our employees are in direct contact with clients and know better than anyone what their needs are. This information now reaches us more effectively because we are much closer to the order processors. It’s also convenient for them that everything can be found in a single Elari environment.”

How does Elari’s Procurement feature work for healthcare staff?

Elari is constantly working to make the software more user-friendly. Fortunately, organizations like Zorggroep Sint Maarten are happy to contribute their input. “We use our own product range when necessary, but we prefer to use OCI integrations. They work perfectly, because you no longer have to deal with application management to implement and adjust prices.” Having an OCI integration with major suppliers has therefore become a must. It’s no coincidence that Zorggroep Sint Maarten works with more than 21 OCI integrations.

What has Zorggroep Sint Maarten achieved with Purchase to Pay?

The results are evident in two areas: cost savings through error prevention and closer collaboration with suppliers.

Saving costs by preventing errors

The impetus for this case study was that Charelle, for example, noticed that costs were sometimes invoiced that were not in accordance with the agreement, such as shipping costs. Elari provides insight into this, and that information can be used to determine what additional agreements can be made with suppliers. You can also verify whether those agreements are being followed. This ensures that invoices cannot be issued unnoticed for amounts exceeding what was agreed upon in the purchase order. “Now, the chance that an incorrect invoice will slip through is much smaller,” says Charelle. “We now have much more control over whether what we’ve agreed upon is actually billed that way. Processes have become more transparent. Our price agreements aren’t always known to the person issuing the invoice, and we’ve addressed that as well. We now have all the data ourselves, rather than it being clear only to the supplier. That means we’re much less dependent. In addition, the analysis features in Elari allow us to make data-driven decisions. For example, they provide insight into your ABC suppliers.”

“You can save quite a bit if, thanks to Elari’s insights, you prevent invoices with incorrect prices from being processed without a second thought.”

Charelle Hassing, Procurement Advisor at Zorggroep Sint Maarten

More pleasant collaboration with suppliers

Indirectly, Zorggroep Sint Maarten has also begun collaborating more actively with suppliers. “We now see immediately if something is wrong with the purchase order or invoices. We have insight into the speed of order processing and delivery. With that data, we can engage in dialogue with suppliers. Thanks in part to OCI e-commerce integrations, our collaboration with suppliers has also become more intensive. We have more connections with their staff and better relationships. That’s a nice bonus.”

Curious about what Purchase to Pay can do for your organization?

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