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Case Study

Promoting Fiscal Responsibility with Tucson USD

In a recent webinar collaboration with Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), EqualLevel’s Senior Sales Manager, April Marzzacco, and TUSD’s Director of Purchasing, Diana Kerfoot, focused on the importance of enhancing fiscal responsibility within the procurement sector. The event aimed to shed light on the crucial importance of transparency, cost-efficiency, and accountability in procurement processes. Tucson USD, a prominent educational institution, shared its journey toward fiscal responsibility, highlighting its commitment to optimizing procurement operations and achieving significant cost savings.

As a renowned procurement solutions provider, EqualLevel’s platform has empowered Tucson USD to enhance its purchasing processes, save money, streamline operations, and leverage innovative technology. By showcasing our collaboration, EqualLevel and TUSD have demonstrated how technology can be a game-changer in improving procurement efficiency and bolstering fiscal responsibility.

The webinar offered valuable takeaways for organizations aiming to strengthen their fiscal responsibility in procurement. These include the pivotal role of transparency and accountability, the benefits of technological solutions like EqualLevel’s e-Procurement Marketplace, the importance of fostering strong relationships with vendors, the impact of data analytics on cost reduction, and the power of collaborative best practices. This partnership serves as an inspirational case study for institutions looking to improve fiscal responsibility and optimize resource allocation for the benefit of their communities and students.

Blog

What is cXML and Why is it Important?

What is cXML?

Commerce XML, also known as cXML, facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers’ systems. Much of cXML’s framework is influenced by EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), encompassing electronic purchase orders, invoices, and advanced ship notices. Punchout catalogs employ cXML as their primary communication standard, though alternative methods like OCI and xCBL also exist.

What is Punchout?

Examples of cXML Transactions:

  • cXML PunchOut
  • Order Message
  • cXML Order
  • Confirmation (Order Acknowledgement)
  • cXML Ship Notice (ASN)
  • cXML Invoice
  • cXML Quote Request
  • XML Quote

How does cXML work with PunchOuts?

Consider an example with:

  • A seller: Supplier Connections
  • A buyer: John Doe from Buyers Inc

Step 1: Initiation

When John at Buyers Inc. is ready to place an order for more supplies, he can log into the Buyers Inc. eProcurement system, and enter the Punchout store for Supplier Connections. Once inside the PunchOut store, John can browse the Supplier Connections products, select what he needs directly from the catalog, view real-time pricing and availability, and add items to his shopping cart.

Step 2: Checkout and Cart Transfer

When John is ready to check out, the cart’s contents are transferred back to the procurement system for Buyers Inc. This request notifies the Buyers Inc. procurement system and awaits requisition approval from the buyer’s manager or purchasing authority.

Step 3: Purchase Order

Once approved, a purchase order is generated and if Buyers Inc. supports electronic purchase orders the order is delivered to Supplier Connections by the eProcurement system via cXML.

Step 4: Order Confirmation and Shipment

Supplier Connections’ order fulfillment team will ship the order to Buyers Inc. followed by a shipment notification and an invoice. If Buyers Inc. supports advanced ship notices via cXML, the Supplier Connections system will send a direct electronic notification that the item has been shipped.

Step 5: Invoice and Purchase Generation

The final step in this process is receiving an invoice. If Buyers Inc. eProcurement platform supports electronic invoices, these can also be sent from Supplier Connections via our Punchout Catalog administration system with one quick click.

Contact us to learn more about how cXML purchase generation can help build your business.

cXML at EqualLevel

The integration of cXML facilitates seamless transactions between buyers and sellers. EqualLevel GO harnesses these capabilities to elevate procurement processes to new heights of efficiency and effectiveness. With cXML, buyers are empowered to checkout PunchOut catalogs with ease. The procurement journey, from initiation to invoice generation, is streamlined and transparent, fostering a seamless flow of information and transactions.

Through EqualLevel GO’s innovative approach, businesses can experience the transformative impact of cXML in a practical and user-friendly manner. The successful partnership between cXML and EqualLevel GO serves as a testament to the progressive evolution of eProcurement systems, exemplifying how technology can be harnessed to enhance connectivity, accuracy, and collaboration in the realm of business transactions. To unlock the full spectrum of advantages that the convergence of cXML and EqualLevel GO offers, we encourage you to reach out and explore how this dynamic duo can reshape and optimize your procurement processes.

Further reading:

  • For more information on PunchOut, check out our blog post, or review our website punchoutcommerce.com.
  • Click here to learn more about EqualLevel solutions and how they can help you!

Our team of experts is always happy to help, contact us to get started.

Case Study

Nasco Education Case Study: Empowering Educators with Seamless Punchout Procurement

Who Is Nasco Education?

For more than 80 years, Nasco Education has made it their mission to empower teachers with hands-on solutions that prepare, engage, and inspire students and help them build a foundation for success.

Catering to PreK-12 educators and administrators seeking interactive learning solutions, they offer a wide range of materials and professional development resources in the areas of Art, Science, Math, SEL, STEM/STEAM, P.E., Health, FCS, AFNR, CTE, and Health Sciences. 

Visit their website to learn more: nascoeducation.com

Nasco Education’s Customer Relationships Go Beyond Just Products or Transactions

One of Nasco Education’s goals is to provide educators with affordable, streamlined solutions that make ordering classroom materials easier and faster so they can spend more time teaching. That’s why, when searching for an eProcurement system that would enable their customers to directly access their eCommerce site from their respective financial systems, they turned to EqualLevel GO.

eProcurement, or electronic procurement, is the process of purchasing goods and services electronically through online platforms or software systems. It simplifies the procurement cycle, from requisitioning and sourcing to ordering, receiving, and invoicing. eProcurement solutions offer educators and other businesses the ability to manage their procurement activities more efficiently, reducing paperwork, automating workflows, and enhancing visibility into spending.

PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTING EQUALLEVEL GO

When transitioning their eCommerce platform, Nasco Education wanted to find an efficient, user friendly eProcurement solution that would seamlessly integrate with their new platform. 

Enterprise Resource Planning Manager Scott Johnson explained that “Nasco Education’s challenge was finding a new solution to replace our approach of bolting on a punchout adapter to our eCommerce system, which was housed on our old platform.

Learn more: The Power of Punchout

THE KEY FACTORS DRIVING NASCO EDUCATION’S DECISION:

In their search for a new system, Nasco Education conducted thorough market research and easily identified EqualLevel GO as a strong, promising solution.
 
  • Stability: EqualLevel GO offered a reliable and robust punchout system that instilled confidence in the procurement process.
  • Smooth Transition: Switching to EqualLevel GO was straightforward, ensuring a seamless migration from their previous platform.
  • Consistency in User Experience: EqualLevel GO closely mimics the look and feel of Nasco Education’s eCommerce site, enhancing familiarity for customers.
  • Easy Onboarding: The platform facilitated hassle-free onboarding for new punchout customers.
  • Technology Backend Systems: The punchout system established bidirectional communication with both the ERP and eCommerce platforms.

ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES WITH EQUALLEVEL GO:

EqualLevel’s values and mission aligned seamlessly with Nasco Education’s commitment to providing educators with budget-friendly, optimized solutions. EqualLevel GO’s product checked the boxes we were looking for,” stated Carrie Rue, Nasco Education’s Chief Information Officer. “GO aligns with our goal to provide educators with affordable, time-saving solutions that make finding and ordering learning materials easy.

By providing an effective punchout system for placing orders, Nasco Education is able to cater to the growing demands of their customers. According to Infrastructure Manager Brandon Desrosiers, “EqualLevel GO offers a stable and robust punchout system that can be utilized by our customers to easily place orders with us. The platform will allow us to grow and expand our use of punchout.

By simplifying the procurement process and making it easy for people to get what they need,” explained Rue, “teachers are empowered to focus their time on teaching and enhancing students’ learning experience!

Future Plans for Nasco Education:

EqualLevel GO has proven to be the ideal solution for Nasco Education’s punchout procurement needs. “We are excited to maximize the use of our punchout procurement platform by both existing and new customers. This expansion will enhance the customer experience and boost efficiency and accuracy when processing orders,” asserts Johnson.

With EqualLevel GO’s best-in-breed integration, we have empowered Nasco Education to achieve their mission of providing top-notch educational resources to educators, helping them prepare students for success. With the continued partnership between Nasco Education and EqualLevel, the future looks bright for streamlined and efficient procurement processes in the education sector.

Further reading:

  • For more information on PunchOut, check out our blog post, or review our website punchoutcommerce.com.
  • Click here to learn more about EqualLevel solutions and how they can help you!

Our team of experts is always happy to help, contact us to get started.

Blog

The Power of PunchOut: Enhancing Your Sales Strategy with a PunchOut Store

As more companies embrace eProcurement, it is important to utilize and understand how implementing a PunchOut store can help you drive sales, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline your supplier business strategy. 

What is PunchOut?

PunchOut catalogs are eCommerce storefronts that allow institutions, government agencies, and corporate buyers to access and purchase a supplier’s products directly from their procurement systems. Similar to an online catalog where you would shop for clothing, PunchOut speeds the ordering and approval processes for issuing purchase orders.

PunchOut catalogs have specific requirements that make purchasing simple 

Traditional B2B or B2G purchasing methods can get time consuming and difficult to manage, requiring buyers to visit multiple supplier websites independently. By creating an integrated experience between buyers and suppliers, PunchOut ensures cost-efficient, error-free transactions and strengthens vendor relationships. 

Benefits of PunchOut

The PunchOut process brings numerous benefits to both buyers and suppliers. For buyers, having a unified storefront offers a user-friendly, streamlined shopping experience, reducing manual data entry and the risk of errors. Additionally, it ensures compliance with procurement policies and budget controls. For suppliers, PunchOut fosters closer relationships with buyers, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. It also simplifies the process of managing product catalogs and pricing, as updates are reflected in real-time on the buyer’s procurement system.

Step-by-Step PunchOut Process

Though it may seem complicated, the PunchOut process is actually very simple. Here’s the breakdown on how it works: 

1. Initiation:

The PunchOut process begins when a buyer logs in to their eProcurement system (e.g., an eProcurement platform like EqualLevel Marketplace, Ariba, Coupa, etc). From their dashboard, they initiate the punch out process by selecting the preferred supplier they wish to connect with. This session allows real-time interaction and data exchange between the two platforms. 

2. Shopping:

In order to shop, a buyer is “punched out” to their supplier’s website, seamlessly navigating to the catalog within the eProcurement system. With EqualLevel GO, supplier’s eCommerce websites become built-in extensions of their buyer’s procurement system.

Within the PunchOut catalog, the buyer can browse through the supplier’s products, view detailed descriptions, compare prices, and add items to their cart. All product information, including pricing and availability, is retrieved in real-time from the supplier’s database. 

3. Cart Transfer:

After the buyer has finished shopping, they add selected items to a cart within the PunchOut catalog. When they are finished, the buyer’s cart will be transferred back to their eProcurement system to await approval. 

4. Approval:

Back in the buyer’s eProcurement system, the cart content is reconciled, allowing their organization’s purchasing authority to review the order. 

5. Purchase Generation:

Once the cart is approved, the buyer’s eProcurement system automatically generates a purchase order using cXML coding language containing the information from the PunchOut session. This order is sent to the supplier to fulfill, completing the purchase process.

PunchOut with EqualLevel

PunchOut is a transformative technology that revolutionizes the procurement process for all businesses. By integrating a buyer’s procurement system with their supplier’s catalog, PunchOut enhances user experience, improves operational efficiency, and empowers organizations with valuable data insights to make informed decisions.

With EqualLevel GO, we ensure a seamless and user-friendly PunchOut shopping experience, enabling your buyers to easily access, purchase, and checkout from your catalogs within our system. Our platform has full PunchOut capabilities and empowers clients with unparalleled cost efficiency. Get set up with a personalized PunchOut store toexpand your connections with unlimited access to EqualLevel clients, automate andsimplify the purchasing process, eliminate manual errors, and reduce administrative overhead. Choose EqualLevel to promote your business’ eCommerce excellence.

Further reading:

  • For more information on PunchOut, including guides and other tools, check out punchoutcommerce.com.
  • Click here to learn more about EqualLevel solutions and how they can help you!

Our team of experts is always happy to help, contact us to get started.

Case Study

Arlington ISD Chooses eProcurement Excellence

Step into the world of Arlington ISD and hear the unfiltered narrative of Lisa Philips, the Purchasing Director, as she recounts their procurement transformation journey. In her candid testimonial, Lisa sheds light on the intricacies of the challenges they encountered before EqualLevel’s intervention. With transparency, she unveils the complexities of vendor management and purchasing streamlining that plagued their growth. However, the partnership with EqualLevel proved to be a game-changer. Our team of experts stepped in with tailored solutions that not only addressed their pain points but also elevated their procurement efficiency to unprecedented heights.

Lisa’s account is a genuine portrayal of how EqualLevel’s expertise can reshape an organization’s approach to procurement. Her testimony underscores the strategic value of our solutions, highlighting the collaborative journey from obstacles to triumphs. Through this firsthand experience, we invite you to witness the tangible impact that can be achieved when innovative technology and a dedicated team converge. Join us in exploring how EqualLevel empowers businesses to transcend challenges and embrace procurement excellence.

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