Supplier Survey Automation
The Challenge
The client faced significant inefficiencies in managing the Supplier Survey process, which was manually intensive and error-prone:
- Manual Data Compilation:
Employees manually extracted Supplier details (e.g., Name, Code, Contact Information, Part Numbers, and Descriptions) from databases or spreadsheets for further processing. - Document Preparation:
Employees manually populated multiple survey and compliance templates with Supplier data, including:- Environmental Survey
- Compliance Declarations
- Procurement Templates
- Conflict Materials Reports
Each document preparation process took 20 minutes to 30 minutes per Supplier.
- Emailing Documents:
Employees manually emailed completed documents to Suppliers. - Mailbox Monitoring:
Employees monitored mailboxes for Supplier replies, downloaded attachments, and categorized the documents based on type (e.g., Environmental Survey, Compliance Forms). - Validation and Upload:
Each document was validated to ensure mandatory fields were completed before being uploaded to a Supplier Database or file server. - Overall Issues:
- High time consumption
- Risk of human errors
- Excessive reliance on manual processes
Business Applications: Email Client, ERP System
Automation Tool: Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Our Solution
To address these challenges, we designed and implemented an RPA-driven solution to automate the entire process. The solution was divided into two main components for optimized execution:
Part 1: Document Automation and Emailing
- RPA bots automatically populated the required survey and compliance templates (e.g., Environmental Survey, Compliance Declarations, Procurement Templates, Conflict Materials Reports) with Supplier data sourced from databases or spreadsheets.
- The bots then automatically emailed the completed documents to Suppliers, eliminating manual intervention.
Part 2: Mailbox Monitoring and Document Validation
- The bots continuously monitored designated email inboxes for Supplier replies.
- Attachments were downloaded and categorized by document type.
- The bots validated the contents of the received documents using predefined business rules, ensuring all mandatory fields were completed.
- Once validated, the documents were uploaded to the Supplier Database or file repository.
Results and Benefits
-
Increased Efficiency:
Reduced processing time per Supplier from hours to minutes, enabling a faster turnaround. -
Error Reduction:
Automation ensured greater accuracy in document preparation and validation, reducing human errors. -
Cost Savings:
The reduction in manual effort allowed employees to focus on more strategic tasks, leading to cost savings. -
Scalability:
The solution was scalable, designed to handle an increasing number of Suppliers with minimal additional effort.
Benefits Realized
- 100% Operational Accuracy: Eliminated human errors in document handling.
- 30% Cost Savings: Achieved within the first six months.
- 60% Reduction in Turnaround Time (TAT): Improved service quality and customer satisfaction.
- 30% FTE Redeployment: Employees were freed up to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Scalable Solution: The bot workforce can be scaled up or down based on process volume with minimal additional costs.
- Improved Productivity: Sustainable, error-free operations ensured significant efficiency gains.
Industry Benchmarks
Our solution aligns with industry standards for RPA automation:
- Accuracy: 90–100% improvement
- Productivity: 120–250% increase
- Expense Reduction: 30–80% savings