In the Spotlight: Advancing Supplier Integration through API Technology

As BGRS continues to invest in our digital ecosystem, further integrating our global supply chain is a key element of our technology roadmap. Jaime Barajas, Vice President, Supplier Networks, discusses how BGRS has continued to nurture our supplier partner ecosystem since our last update.

Earlier this year, BGRS introduced BGRS PRIME™. What is BGRS PRIME™?

Jaime Barajas: BGRS PRIME™ is our supplier integration technology, and is a foundational component of our customer experience ecosystem. This technology optimizes our approach to supplier partner management and incorporates it into the customer experience ecosystem. Essentially, it creates a comprehensive view of our supplier universe while integrating the supplier elements of the customer experience.

Tell us about some of the most recent developments BGRS has made with advancing BGRS’s integration with its supplier partners.

Jaime: Earlier this year, we successfully implemented our Household Goods Rate and Booking Engine. These are exciting advancements within our household goods service line that provide suppliers visibility into upcoming moves and allows BGRS to quickly obtain real-time rate quoting and automated transaction rate requests. These engines enable us to determine the best suppliers to match with our clients’ mobile employees based on their unique needs and requirements. Since the implementation, we have achieved both decreased cycle times, and an increase in overall customer satisfaction by more than 3%.

We also focused our attention on enhancing our move management system for international moves. This automates rate management, volume distribution, in-move auditing, and cost reporting. In late 2020 and early 2021, we will launch our U.S. Domestic and Canada cross-border moves within the same system.

A critical component of our multi-dimensional digital platform is our ability to leverage APIs with our supplier network through BGRSxChange™. This also enables us to offer cutting-edge technology that improves the household goods invoicing experience.

I understand the APIs in place supporting the U.S. Domestic Home Sale process have been very successful. Tell us more about that.

Jaime: Over the past year, we made great progress implementing APIs into our service delivery to benefit our clients, their mobile employees, and our supplier partners. The ability to share data bi-directionally throughout our digital ecosystem provides Mobility teams global access to services and data needed to support their programs. With our current APIs we can offer real-time supplier data, reduced time integrating new suppliers, and secure connections that support government and corporate requirements.

Our APIs have also decrease cycle times and turnaround times, and increased data integrity with seamless integrations that drive a better experience for our clients and their mobile employees. Our systems handle more than 1 million transactions annually with 99.1% uptime for the system. These APIs streamline transactions which occur during the closings and equity process for U.S. Home Sale. Ordering title on a property which is one of the first steps in the home sale process, resulted in an average customer cycle time reduction of 50 minutes. We are also experiencing similar customer benefits for equity processing which translates to our customers receiving their equity payments quicker.

What can BGRS’s clients expect to experience over the next several months as we continue to deploy APIs in key areas of the mobility supply chain?

Jaime: After successfully implementing the first phases of API technology within our home sale, household goods, temporary living, destination, and immigration service lines, we are excited to launch the next phase of implementation into these categories as early as next month. Our existing APIs and the second phase covers roughly 30% of our overall supplier transactions. Our goal by mid-2021 is to have 85% of our supplier partners connected through APIs.

For our clients, this means access to more accurate and timely service updates on their mobile employees’ respective relocations. For suppliers, this eliminates the need to enter data into multiple systems or send email updates, thus speeding up communication and eliminating potential data errors.

In what other ways is supply chain management lifecycle evolving to meet the needs of today’s mobility and business environments?

Jaime: As part of BGRS PRIME™, we are rolling out a new e-Invoicing system. This automates various components of the process decreasing back and forth communications and resulting in improved supplier invoice processing times. Initially, this is to be implemented with our DSP, temporary living, immigration, language training, and furniture rental service lines. Our clients can expect to benefit from improved billing timelines and greater project expense management capabilities.

Overall, with the fast-paced digital transformation we are seeing across the industry, BGRS is making big strides in utilizing our technology to integrate our suppliers, clients, and employees to ensure we are providing a seamless experience for all their relocation needs.