How are you engaging with your suppliers? Perhaps your communication occurs both online and offline through complex, manual processes that are difficult to track. Or you’ve invested in advanced systems and EDIs that still feel disconnected.
No matter your setup, lacking insight into your application’s backend processes often leads to complications and inefficiencies that might seem unavoidable, but they don’t have to be.
To streamline processes and enhance collaboration with your suppliers, you need a solution that offers comprehensive visibility into your systems: a supplier portal.
To create a highly effective portal tailored to the unique requirements of your supplier network and internal teams, you must choose a platform that offers the flexibility to integrate with existing back-end systems, customize roles and permissions, and adapt workflows to your needs.
Using Liferay DXP to Bring Supplier Functions Together
Liferay Digital Experience Platform (DXP) offers a comprehensive solution with built-in features like personalization, security, and low-code development, all within a versatile architecture. These features enhance visibility by bringing backend interactions to the forefront and effectively addressing key supplier portal needs such as onboarding, communication, and collaboration.
This guide discusses Liferay’s capabilities and shows how to leverage them to create a unified interface that streamlines supplier interactions.
Streamline Onboarding
Selecting suitable suppliers is crucial, but it is equally important to ensure they are properly trained and equipped to collaborate effectively with your organization.
Typically, the onboarding process is manual and can last up to six months for each supplier. This inefficiency can lead to increased operational costs and delays in time to market.
By digitizing the onboarding process with Liferay, you provide suppliers with the necessary information to integrate seamlessly with your business. This shift from manual vetting and training to a digital system reduces the workload for your internal teams and accelerates the time it takes for suppliers to deliver value.
With Liferay, you can create a supplier portal that:
| Relevant Functionality | Supporting Liferay Features and Capabilities |
| Validate and approve suppliers directly within the portal. | Low Code • Low-code tools empower non-technical users to streamline and digitize onboarding processes independently without IT support. • Leverage Liferay’s Form Builder to design a registration form where suppliers can easily submit their interest. • Design your workflows effortlessly with a visual Workflow Builder to: • Make sure suppliers submit essential documentation for validation and risk management, such as tax forms, bank statements, and environmental compliance agreements. • Forward the gathered information to the relevant teams for review and approval. Additionally, suppliers should be able to track and monitor the status of their applications throughout the process. • Customize onboarding journeys by applying specific rules for each segment and user role to ensure a unique experience for every individual. |
Facilitate Greater Communication and Collaboration
Managing communication and data through various channels like email, phone calls, spreadsheets, PDFs, and multiple disparate systems can lead to poor visibility, hindering your ability to negotiate pricing, close deals, and implement improvements. Additionally, fragmented information sources can cause operational inefficiencies, data errors, and security risks.
Liferay’s supplier portals offer a solution to these issues. By using Liferay, you can create a unified platform to gather supplier information, ensure data accuracy and timeliness, resolve issues efficiently, and foster innovation.
| Relevant Functionality | Supporting Liferay Features and Capabilities |
| Provide a single repository for information. | CMS • Leverage Liferay’s top-notch CMS to effortlessly create and manage your content, including web pages, blog posts, and wiki articles. DAM • Streamline and manage your assets with Liferay’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) system. Easily organize contracts, legal documents, code of conduct, product forecasts, and more all in one place. • Utilize Liferay’s native connectors and integration framework to seamlessly connect with other systems and tools, allowing you to access essential documents within the supplier portal easily. • For example, seamless integration with your current content repositories, allowing teams to manage all assets from one unified platform. |
| Create a shared workspace for collaboration and innovation. | Collaboration • Use message boards, forums, and social tools to communicate within the portal directly. • A supplier portal enables teams to collaborate on product development and negotiate sales pitches more effectively. |
| Provide personalized dashboards to display information that is most relevant to suppliers. | Personalization • Showcase relevant insights through customized dashboards. Present data and information tailored to various segments for a personalized experience. • For example, New documentation about updates to invoicing and payment processes should be prominently displayed at the top of finance teams’ dashboards. |
Digitize and Automate Processes
Without a unified interface to manage supplier interactions, you might find yourself relying on manual methods for procurement, payments, and other processes. For instance, if a purchase order is rejected, you may be left guessing the reason and have to contact suppliers via phone or email to resolve the issue.
In fact, 53% of procurement and supplier management processes still need to be digitized, causing procurement teams to waste over 22% of their time each year on paper-based or manual tasks.
With Liferay DXP, you can integrate your back-end systems to gain complete visibility into these interactions and leverage Liferay’s features to digitize and automate your standard processes.
| Relevant Functionality | Supporting Liferay Features and Capabilities |
| Build custom workflows to accelerate processes. | Low Code Create workflows using a graphical Workflow Builder to: • Monitor and manage purchase order responses and track their status seamlessly through the supplier portal. • Notify suppliers when an invoice is rejected or requires modifications. This way, they can easily view the necessary changes and update the invoice directly within the supplier portal. • Streamline your process by automatically dividing orders among various suppliers, eliminating the need for separate submissions. |
| Leverage the portal as the entry point for multiple subsidiary systems. | Security • Bring together all your sites and systems into a single, unified login experience. Implement Single Sign-On (SSO) to streamline access and save time, eliminating the need for multiple logins to view relevant data. • Liferay offers a range of integration options, from SSO-based solutions to more advanced service-based integrations. Through straightforward configuration, you can achieve seamless SSO integration. |
Reduce Costs and Time-to-Serve with Self-Service
Boost your suppliers’ autonomy with self-service solutions, which allow them to handle more tasks independently without contacting your team.
Leverage Liferay’s self-service features to enhance supplier efficiency, reducing the time and costs required for your team to oversee their activities.
| Relevant Functionality | Supporting Liferay Features and Capabilities |
| Edit and control their own accounts. | Security • Enable suppliers to manage their accounts independently by allowing them to update addresses, change email addresses, and adjust preferences without contacting support. • Delegate roles to suppliers and let them handle permissions. For instance, an admin role can oversee all user accounts and passwords, add new members, and assign them to onboarding workflows tailored to their specific roles. |
Monitor and Improve Supplier Performance
Collaborating with suppliers or any external partners involves certain risks. A recent survey revealed that 89% of companies faced a supplier risk event in the last five years.
So, how can you reduce these risks, which might lead to faulty products or supply chain delays? Notably, 69% of businesses lack the visibility to identify risks within their supply chains.
Liferay offers a solution by integrating data from various systems into a single platform. This unified view provides crucial insights into your supplier relationships, such as tracking metrics on acknowledgment and fulfillment rates. With Liferay, you can easily see which suppliers meet your delivery requirements and manage your supply chain more effectively.
| Relevant Functionality | Supporting Liferay Features and Capabilities |
| Integrate information across systems to gather and display real-time data on personalized dashboards. | Integration • Use Liferay’s native connectors and integration framework to pull in relevant information to evaluate your suppliers’ performance. You can also integrate Liferay with BI tools to derive deeper insights. Personalization • Showcase and present real-time data on customized dashboards. |
With Liferay, you can empower your business with the perfect tools to build a supplier portal that meets the intricate needs of your teams and suppliers.
Choose Nirvana Lab for Liferay DXP
At Nirvana Lab, we’re proud to be a Liferay Gold Partner, offering expert solutions for Liferay DXP. Our team delivers tailored, high-performance digital experiences that drive engagement and efficiency. With our deep expertise in Liferay’s advanced features, we ensure seamless integration and optimized performance for your business.
Trust Nirvana Lab to leverage Liferay DXP’s full potential, enhancing your digital presence with innovative, scalable solutions designed to meet your unique needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main benefits of using Liferay DXP for supplier portals?
Liferay DXP enhances supplier portals by providing a unified onboarding, communication, and collaboration platform. It features low-code tools for streamlined workflows, a robust CMS for managing content, and advanced security measures. These capabilities help reduce manual processes, improve data accuracy, and foster better supplier relationships.
How does Liferay DXP streamline the supplier onboarding process?
Liferay DXP simplifies supplier onboarding with its low-code tools and visual Workflow Builder. It allows for creating customized registration forms, automated validation processes, and real-time tracking of application statuses. This digital approach accelerates onboarding and reduces operational costs.
Can Liferay DXP improve communication and collaboration with suppliers?
Yes, Liferay DXP centralizes communication through its CMS and collaboration tools, such as message boards and forums. It provides a single repository for information and enables shared workspaces for effective collaboration.
How does Liferay DXP automate and digitize supplier management processes?
Liferay DXP supports automation by allowing the creation of custom workflows for managing purchase orders and invoices. It integrates with existing systems and offers Single Sign-On (SSO) to streamline access, reducing manual tasks and enhancing overall efficiency.
Why should businesses choose Nirvana Lab to implement Liferay DXP?
Nirvana Lab, as a Liferay Gold Partner, offers expert solutions for Liferay DXP. We provide tailored, high-performance digital experiences with seamless integration and optimized performance. Our expertise ensures your supplier portal is customized to meet your needs, driving engagement and efficiency.
