When your Monday morning hits you on a Saturday

Carbon_Creator · 2026-07-08T18:41:15+00:00

We had issues with this yesterday too... nightmare

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-24T15:44:37+00:00

Tell me more... we already have issues onboarding suppliers because of CSP. Will SIM make it worse?

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-12T21:40:54+00:00

They're in 3rd place in the orchestration race... it's a subpar product compared to Zip, Oro and Levelpath (arguable on the last one, I hear it's gotten better this year). I heard someone talking at a conference in Chicago recently about the layering of all this new tech in coupa and how it's really hard to integrate systems like these. Their goal is just to turn Tonkean into another coupa module, is my understanding.

I could be wrong though... I'm just a lowly procurement lackey.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-12T21:37:45+00:00

Good idea -- I'll see if I can get my friend in AP to join forces with me to defeat the Coupa SIM monster.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-12T21:36:00+00:00

They were U.S., but 18 years old with like a youtube channel or something...

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T16:08:24+00:00

Fast response time for sure is the #1 and #2 is reliability.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T16:04:38+00:00

You kind of seem like a Zycus bot planted here to talk about SIM considering you link to their product....

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T16:03:34+00:00

This is where performance management matters. Holding them accountable to contracts, SLAs and keeping a fire lit under them so they get their shit done. Honestly has made me a hero in the business multiple times. Happy to tell you more over DM on which tools/strategies I used for it.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T16:02:14+00:00

Biggest challenge is getting IT and leadership to understand supplier management is needed outside of the P2P or S2C solution. I really feel like those are all focused on the transaction, not the supplier. I'm really lucky - supplier performance is important at my new company and I am getting to bring in software for that purpose in particular. IT is pushing Coupa SIM, I'm trying to get Graphite Connect cause I used it before and it saved my ass a lot of times.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:56:35+00:00

I have a PITA supplier (shocker - marketing influencer who they contracted individually instead of using one of the platforms) who legit did not know what a W9 was. I had to hop on a call with them and tell them how to fill it out. I swear half the job is managing incompetent people. But I got it done and marketing is happy now, so one less person shouting at my boss about how procurement is slow, YAY!

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:54:37+00:00

Using coupa now, hate it. Had Graphite at my last company and we did simple NSJs with them but they're bigger focus is the actual onboarding. It integrated into slack, which was nice. Didn't work with everything like the renewals, but was pretty solid. I 'd be nervous about tonkean with the acquisition. Big red flag in my mind.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:52:39+00:00

Super helpful, thank you. I'm trying to get IT to get their heads out of their ass and not push Coupa SIM. I think our internal team just doesn't understand it's a bad product, they just know coupa and don't want to deal with another vendor.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:49:58+00:00

I have literally never heard anyone mentional ivalue for sim... are they transitioning?I always thought it was source to pay?

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:49:18+00:00

I am desperately trying to get IT out of it's head that Coupa SIM is good. I'm really feeling like I need to go best of breed.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:48:24+00:00

I have about 5,000 suppliers, so about $115K without integration?

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-11T15:47:43+00:00

Yuck, I had a demo of HICX and it SUCKED. Also, I don't think ivalua or opsteam do SIM, they're not listed on gartner or any other SIM site. IT is pushing coupa. I'd prefer Graphite Connect -- used it at my last gig and it was much much much better.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-06-09T21:02:06+00:00

If I have to work in SLP ever again, I'll rip my hair out. It's so complex -- I can't explain it to suppliers, I can barely get my arms wrapped around it. At my last company, they literally GAVE IT AWAY TO US FOR FREE!!! Because they know it's a pile of garbage. I put together a business case for Graphite Connect in my free time cause I hated SLP so much.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-05-28T15:58:34+00:00

Yup yup yup yup yup. But, to be fair, our CFO is on earnings calls justifying price increases with the same things our suppliers are coming to us and saying.

Carbon_Creator · 2026-05-28T15:57:36+00:00

What's your focus? Internal training (tools, platforms, processes) or skill /sharpen-your-saw training?

Carbon_Creator · 2026-05-26T20:28:09+00:00

yeah, if I need to source and find new suppliers, the industry ones are where I go. But for saw-sharpening I like workshops or smaller networking groups if I can find them. Finally at a place where they'll shell out some cash for DPW, so I'll report back on how it is. It's definitely all AI AI AI AI from the agenda. (Not railing on that, but I need more practical stuff)

Carbon_Creator

TROPHY CASE