Ariba PunchOut: 20 Questions to Ask (Part 2/4)

Need an Ariba PunchOut Website, but Don’t Know What to Look For?
20 Important questions to ask an eCommerce software company before buying (Part 2/4)

Q6) How much would it cost to add additional Ariba buyers?
Ariba is currently being used by more than 40 of the Fortune 100, so I hope you've envisioned doing business with at least one other of these large buyers. It's important to know how difficult it would be to do the same with another Ariba customer and how much it would cost. Whether you can utilize the same site, catalog, and pricing schedule or if you have to pay for a whole other solution.

Q7) Can each user have their own shopping list?
Due to the complexity of PunchOut, most PunchOut sites treat each user as the same person, however, good PunchOut systems allow for personalized shopping lists for easy reordering. This gives each user their own private list of favorite items which increases customer satisfaction and will keep them coming back to order more.

Q8) Is the site secure?
128 bit SSL encryption is a must! And ask if they proactively monitor the certificate expiration dates to make sure they renew the certificates BEFORE they expire, as this will break the PunchOut process and prevent your customers from accessing your site. You can even ask them to tell you the expiration date, so you can remind them yourself!

Q9) Is the server professionally hosted?
Ask where the servers are being hosted and make sure it's with a proven company such as Interland. This will ensure your site has redundant internet connections, fire suppression, security, and backup power sources. You can then tell your customer with confidence that their site will be up whenever they need it.

Q10) Will my customer receive an email notification?
Surprisingly, not all Ariba PunchOut solutions can generate an email that goes back to the actual order taker after the order has been placed. This is due to the complexity of the Ariba PunchOut order flow. Your customer will greatly appreciate (and probably expect) an email once his purchase requisition has been approved and the purchase order sent to you for fulfillment. Ask to see a copy of the confirmation email.