How a Global Enterprise Scaled Supplier Onboarding with Podio Automation
Products:
PodioChallenge
A partner-built onboarding system lacked scalability and standardization, forcing teams to rely on Excel filtering, manage duplicate supplier records and navigate inconsistent data formats. Limited visibility and manual work created inefficiencies, slowed vetting processes and reduced internal confidence.
Solution
• Automated supplier data formatting to enable real-time filtering and eliminate Excel-based vetting workflows
• Rebuilt supplier profiles so external users securely update existing records instead of creating duplicates
• Standardized workflows using native Podio terminology for easier administration and long-term system ownership
• Segmented internal and external workspaces to improve visibility, security and automated routing of submissions
Result
• Eliminated manual Excel workflows, saving hours per week for vetting teams
• Reduced thousands of duplicate records, improving accuracy and operational efficiency
• Improved internal satisfaction by resolving long-standing workflow bottlenecks and visibility issues
• Enabled scalable supplier onboarding without adding staff or increasing overhead
Full Story
Challenge
Before working with Podio software, the organization’s supplier onboarding process began with a generic form for all potential suppliers. From there, internal teams would review the submissions and route suppliers to the right groups for next steps.
The original system was built by an external partner years earlier. Over time, a lot of the knowledge and purpose behind that program was lost. New administrators could manage daily activity, but making meaningful updates felt risky. Workflows were built around company-specific language, which made troubleshooting and expansion difficult.
A key part of the process also wasn’t functioning as intended. Suppliers were supposed to create a profile and return to update it when information changed. Instead, most re-submitted new entries, creating thousands of duplicate records and triggering unnecessary follow-up work.
To keep reviews moving, the vetting team relied heavily on Excel exports to filter incoming data. While this worked in the short term, the manual step slowed operations and reduced consistency across departments.
The Podio platform is automating critical processes such as supplier categorization, which reduced risk of errors and improved efficiency.
Administrator
Global Enterprise
Solution
In 2017, the organization chose Podio to support its supplier onboarding process. While the original setup initially met the organization’s needs, it quickly became clear that further scaling and evolving the system would be essential to accommodate growth and changing requirements. Through engagement with the Podio team, the organization saw that Podio could adapt and expand alongside their evolving needs.
To support greater scalability and automation, the first step was helping the team gain confidence in managing their Podio profile. By aligning terminology and walking them through how workflows were structured, administrators gained a clearer understanding of how to maintain and evolve the system independently.
From there, several high-impact improvements were implemented.
The supplier profile experience received a complete overhaul, so external users could securely log in, view only their own record and update their information directly. This significantly reduced duplicate submissions and the unnecessary work they created.
They also refined how supplier information is entered into the system. Key fields were automatically formatted so teams could filter and route submissions directly in the Podio platform, eliminating the need for manual Excel work.
To keep things simple for suppliers while protecting internal processes, the team split the workflow into external and internal views. Suppliers saw only their own submissions, while internal teams worked behind the scenes to review and route records.
Throughout the process, the customer team worked closely together. With guidance along the way, they made the updates themselves, building confidence and the ability to continue evolving the system over time.
“The Podio platform is automating critical processes such as supplier categorization, which reduced risk of errors and improved efficiency.”
— Administrator
Result
The updated workflows delivered immediate operational improvements.
The internal vetting team saved roughly 2 hours per week by eliminating manual Excel filtering and working directly in the Podio platform. Fixing the supplier profile tool eliminated thousands of duplicate records, improving accuracy and reducing unnecessary workflow triggers.
Internal satisfaction improved as departments experienced faster reviews and clearer visibility into supplier submissions. At the same time, the organization was able to support growing supplier volume without adding headcount.
What started as a system they used because they had to, became one that teams could actually rely on and kept building on.
“Our organization has been using the Podio platform for many years to enable suppliers to effectively market their capabilities to our supply chain teams. Podio has helped us improve workflows, increase usability, and ensure compliance.”
— Administrator
What’s Next
With a strong onboarding foundation in place, the team continues to refine workflows as supplier vetting needs evolve—adding more automation as needed and gaining clearer visibility into their data. Together, these improvements created a faster, more flexible onboarding process the team can continue to build on.
Our organization has been using the Podio platform for many years to enable suppliers to effectively market their capabilities to our supply chain teams. Podio has helped us improve workflows, increase usability, and ensure compliance.
Administrator
Global Enterprise