“The biggest boon from this kind of application is that it removes the rules, paperwork, hidden procedures, and other obstacles that keep our employees from doing their jobs. Instead of dealing with this process, they can focus on making and selling Microsoft products.”
Clayton Fleming
Director of Technology,
Corporate Procurement
Microsoft Corporation
Putting It To Work
MS Market has been deployed in 26 countries. In the United States, Microsoft employees use it to complete almost 100 % of their requisitions.
Here is an example of how the application is typically used: An employee wants to order a book on business-management practices. First, he types the MS Market URL onto the browser address line. MS Market automatically identifies him and his location through his Microsoft domain logon I.D., which every employee needs to gain access to the corporate network. He then selects the Books and References link, which brings up an order form and the option to search for books by category or by name. He selects his book from hundreds of titles—prices have been negotiated between Microsoft and the vendor—and it is automatically entered into the order form. He continues to add books using the same process, then completes the order by entering his department number and the required delivery date. His manager’s name is dynamically displayed in the order, as is the appropriate account code for book expenses. He clicks the Submit button to complete the process. Upon submission of the order, MS Market generates an order tracking number for his reference, sends notification via e-mail to his manager, and sends the order over the Internet to the book supplier for fulfillment. The next day, the book arrives at the employee's office.
Perhaps this employee also needs a new computer. Instead of resorting to the old process of manually completing and routing a paper form, which could take 20 minutes from start to finish, he can now use MS Market to order a PC in less than five minutes. He selects the hardware section of MS Market, then the subcategory Standard Systems, which displays preconfigured, fully-loaded systems that Microsoft has selected. This preconfiguration saves time by helping people make purchases based on standard business requirements.
MS Market has similar categories for all the items employees need, such as catering, business supplies, telecommunications, business cards, software, and contract requests. The key to success has been creating an intuitive front end for users, allowing them to easily order low-cost items in a controlled fashion, without going through a complicated P.O. process.
|
