Q&A with Andrea Smith on e-procurement solutions 

To streamline your operations, moving your purchasing, accounts payable and inventory reporting onto one centralized platform is a great first step. But what about the next steps? Adopting new technology is a complex process for many teams. 

That’s where EPRO, powered by Entegra comes in. It’s a procure-to-pay solution that’s a one-stop shop for all your purchasing needs, and as a workflow automation tool, it gives you a powerful view of your procurement spend analytics. Unlike other P2P platform providers, Entegra also offers personal onboarding and seamless ongoing support, setting your team up for success. 

So, how does this powerful platform work and how does it integrate with Entegra’s proprietary ecosystem of digital solutions? We asked the expert, Entegra’s Director of Digital Solutions, Andrea Smith. 

What are some of the key benefits of having a full e-procurement system like EPRO? 

Andrea Smith: One of the top reasons people choose to move to a procure-to-pay system is the visibility into spend. 

EPRO has electronic approvals, which means you don’t have to chase someone down to ask, “Can I buy this ice maker?” Instead, you can create a requisition, and approval matrices are automatically built in. Then they are sent electronically to the approver. Reminders are sent until that approval happens, which can be a huge timesaver. 

Using EPRO also means that national suppliers, who are the critical Entegra program suppliers, are all accessible in one place. As a client, you don't have to remember which supplier to choose / what your log-ins are for each site. You just log into Entegra Purchasing IQ, open EPRO through that, and then you can do all your purchasing in one place. Of course, suppliers from our Local & Direct savings program are available within EPRO as well. 

What is EPRO, powered by Entegra? 

Smith: EPRO is an end-to-end platform that really puts you in the driver’s seat. It also manages your operations like accounts payable, POS and inventory. EPRO is part of our suite of digital solutions that includes Entegra PurchasingIQ, which is our client platform, and Entegra Shopping Assistant (ESA), which is an AI-powered browser extension that helps you save while you actually shop. 

Entegra Purchasing IQ is all about reviewing your historical spending data, while EPRO is all about tactical, day-to-day purchasing. And Entegra Shopping Assistant layers in to highlight which suppliers offer the best deals through Entegra. Having all this integrated into one place means it’s easier for operators to make smarter, faster purchasing decisions. 

Read more: EPRO end-to-end procure to pay (P2P) 

Can you talk a bit about how Entegra Shopping Assistant (ESA) works with EPRO? 

Smith: So, within EPRO, a client can punch out to a supplier website. Essentially, that means they’re bringing up a supplier site, like Sysco Shop or Gordon Food Service. Then if the client has the ESA tool, those stickers show up in real time throughout the e-store so they can easily identify which items are on an Entegra savings program and which are not. 

ESA is fully integrated with EPRO, which means no multiple logins, which customers tell us really simplifies things. And when clients use the premium version, they’re able to access the AI integration within ESA. 

What have you seen so far that's impressed you with the AI component of ESA? 

Smith: What impresses me is that this complex tool is so simple and easy to use. Clients download ESA and then they’re able to access a different view depending on whether they have a basic or premium account. 

With a premium account, they have the additional stickers to guide them to make better purchases. It’s just so easy and user-friendly. I don't understand why everybody wouldn't be using this. 

ESA has a clean interface and requires minimal setup. With the premium version, there are a couple of additional reports available. We can set up a customer admin, such as a director of procurement. They can pull in these reports and see how their different units are interacting with ESA and purchasing, and then use that data to drive purchasing conversations within their organization. It’s very impressive. 

How is the digital team incorporating AI into EPRO? 

Smith: The EPRO development team is very forward-thinking when it comes to AI. They’re meeting with a variety of customers to understand what kinds of AI integrations they’re looking for, with the next step to review that feedback and discuss what types of tools would be most beneficial to customers, and then to begin the development process. 

We’re also evaluating other e-procurement solutions to see what kind of AI capabilities they have and how that is performing for customers. We want to be intentional with the AI integrations we introduce, to incorporate this tech in a way that's useful and makes sense. We want to make sure every tool is adding value for our customers. 

As a procurement technology professional, what do you see as the next big thing? For example, are customers looking for smarter procurement spend analytics? 

Smith: Customers want smarter, more streamlined purchasing via AI to take the human guesswork out of creating orders, which will help reduce waste and extra spend. 

Read more: How AI makes F&B procurement easier for foodservice operators 

Read more: Get greater performance and unlock savings from a GPO | Entegra 

Ready to put your data to work? 

Getting a full picture of your procurement spend analytics can make a serious bottom-line impact for your organization. To learn more about how EPRO aligns with your procurement process, contact Entegra today.