BuyBot - Automated Purchase Order System

Product

BuyBot is an automated purchase order system that reduces CSR workload by 50%. It parses PO data and integrates it with SAP, allowing CSRs to track and manage information through a user-friendly portal. The system automates data entry, eliminating manual processes and handling varying PO formats from different manufacturers.

Example product screencap

My Role

  • 🧠 Client Liaison & Feature Gathering: Actively engaged with clients to understand their needs, gathering feature requests, and addressing pain points in the manual order management process. Used client feedback to shape the product and prioritize features.

  • 🧠 Parser & Mapping Specialist: Integrated parsing software into BuyBot and created individual rules and mappings for each manufacturer’s unique PO format. This was a time-intensive task but essential for ensuring accurate and automated data processing.

  • 🧠 Cross-Functional Collaborator: Worked across time zones with a remote development team in Belarus to build out the system. This required coordinating between different schedules and communicating effectively to meet deadlines despite the challenge of time zone differences.

Execution

BuyBot is an automated purchase order system that reduces CSR workload by 50%. It streamlines the process by parsing information from purchase orders and integrating the data with SAP. The BuyBot Portal provides a front-end interface for CSRs to easily track and manage PO information, replacing the previous manual entry system.

I worked closely with developers in Belarus to integrate and build the front-end of the product. Using parsing software, I created custom rules and mappings to handle the different formats of POs from various manufacturers. I also led client testing, gathered feedback, and iterated on the system to meet client needs. Despite the challenges of working across time zones, the result was a more efficient and accurate system for managing purchase orders.

Challenges & Achievements

Challenges

  • 🚧 Parsing & Mapping Variability: Each manufacturer’s purchase order had a different format, requiring manual mapping and rule creation for each one. This added complexity and time to the development process but was essential for the system’s success.

  • 🚧 Integration with SAP: Ensuring smooth integration with SAP was critical, as it housed all financial and order data. The integration had to be flawless to ensure that the data was correctly passed between BuyBot and SAP without issues.

  • 🚧 Remote Development Team & Time Zone Differences: Working with a remote team based in Belarus created communication challenges due to the time zone difference. Coordinating between development and testing, while maintaining productivity, was difficult but necessary for meeting deadlines.

Achievements

  • 🏅 Reduced CSR Workload by 50%: By automating the order tracking and data entry process, BuyBot significantly reduced the CSR workload, cutting time spent on each order in half. This resulted in increased efficiency and fewer human errors.

  • 🏅 Streamlined Order Processing: The automated system helped process orders much faster than before, reducing delays and improving overall processing time. This improved the CSRs' ability to handle more orders efficiently.

  • 🏅 Increased Customer Satisfaction: The automation reduced human error and made the system easier to use, which improved customer satisfaction and the overall experience for CSRs. Clients were able to track orders more easily and saw a reduction in errors.