Punch-out Catalogs -- How They Work & Why They Are Beneficial

Posted on Nov 14th 2019

Punch-out catalogs maximize time and operational efficiency

From procurement to invoicing to sourcing and expenses, a punch-out catalog successfully offers a singular platform for all departments to purchase and source from, empowering smarter spend and stronger management.

While many punch-out services are similar, there can be subtle differences in the systems available.  Some systems offer an opportunity for your employees to never have to leave your intranet, while others simply communicate with the website of the third party you’re sourcing from, and then pull the information from that website back into your system. 

Instead of data entry and sifting through manual catalogs to place orders, simply integrate a custom online catalog with your punch-out system.  With this, your employees have easy access to pre-determined expensable products.  Products, that you can choose ahead of time and change when needed.  The process is simple.  An employee searches through available products, places what is needed in their cart and checks out, all of which is tracked and reported on within the punch-out system.  

For instance, if you have a wireless carrier, but seek a broader depth of selection around accessories, you can use a punch-out system to provide access to your wireless carrier, as well as a separate accessories provider.  The purchasing information contained throughout both of these providers is stored in a singular portal (your punch-out system), which means your management/oversight tools are easily accessible for all purchases, even though they’re taking place between two separate vendors.

Rather than having to manage the minutia of the ordering process itself, your purchasing team can now focus on efficiently managing outcomes and retrieving actionable insights, which then allows even greater efficiency to flow throughout the entire organization.

This leads to maximizing every dollar spent and dramatically reduces waste.