In 2022, the Barkers team attended Coupa Inspire in Berlin, Coupa’s global community event bringing together customers, technology partners and industry professionals from across procurement, supply chain, finance, treasury and IT.
The event brought together organisations from across the global Coupa community to explore the latest developments in spend management, procurement technology and digital transformation, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing organisations today.
As a Coupa Implementation Partner, Coupa Inspire provided Barkers with an opportunity to meet customers, partners and organisations considering their own Coupa implementation and wider procurement transformation journeys.
It also gave us the chance to share some of the work and outcomes we had already delivered for clients using Coupa to transform their procurement and source-to-pay processes.
Coupa Inspire 2022
The three-day event featured a mixture of product showcases, keynote presentations, customer experiences and discussions covering a range of issues affecting procurement and business leaders.
Topics included ESG, diversity and inclusion, supply chain risk management, procurement transformation and the evolving role of technology in helping organisations manage their spend.
Some of the highlights included:
- Rob Bernshteyn, Chairman and CEO of Coupa, opened the event by sharing his vision for how the Coupa community would continue to evolve and help businesses unlock greater value from their spend.
- Anna Spinelli, CPO of DHL, shared her experience as a Coupa customer and discussed how she had helped develop a diverse and inclusive global procurement organisation focused on building a competitive and sustainable supply chain ecosystem.
- The event concluded with ‘An Audience with’ Susie and Toto Wolff, who discussed leadership, building high-performing teams, managing adversity and the future of motorsport across Formula 1 and Formula E.
For Barkers, however, some of the most valuable insights came from the conversations we had with organisations throughout the event.
Three key themes from Coupa Inspire 2022
1) Digital transformation is making P2P more accessible
The digital transformation of the entire procure-to-pay (P2P) environment is becoming increasingly accessible.
Platforms such as Coupa provide organisations with the technology to connect procurement processes, improve visibility of spend and create a more consistent user experience.
However, implementing technology is only one part of a successful procurement transformation. Organisations also need a clear strategy, well-designed processes and the right support to translate their objectives into a practical solution.
As a Coupa Implementation Partner, we see this first-hand when supporting organisations through their Coupa transformation journeys.
2) Procurement teams are under increasing pressure
Procurement and supply chain professionals continue to face pressure to deliver greater value for their organisations while navigating increasingly complex markets.
Accessing the supply market efficiently and effectively is therefore more important than ever.
A well-designed Coupa implementation can help organisations improve procurement processes, increase visibility of spend and establish greater control over purchasing activity.
The opportunity is not simply to introduce new technology, but to use digital procurement to improve how organisations operate.
3) Supplier experience is an important part of procurement transformation
Inflationary pressure, disrupted supply chains and resource scarcity can all affect the relationship between buyers and suppliers.
Organisations therefore need to consider how they engage with suppliers and how easy it is for suppliers to do business with them.
Creating a streamlined source-to-pay and P2P environment can help simplify supplier engagement, support faster decision-making and improve the overall procurement experience.
For organisations undertaking a Coupa implementation, supplier experience should therefore be considered alongside internal procurement requirements.
Looking back at Coupa Inspire 2022
Coupa Inspire 2022 highlighted the continued role of technology in transforming procurement and helping organisations make better use of their spend.
For Barkers, the event also reinforced the importance of combining technology with procurement expertise. A successful Coupa implementation requires more than configuring a platform; it requires an understanding of procurement processes, business requirements, users and the outcomes an organisation is trying to achieve.
As an experienced Coupa Implementation Partner, Barkers supports organisations across their Coupa transformation journeys, combining procurement expertise with digital implementation experience.
