Ordering is not procurement - it is experience design

Ordering is often treated as an administrative step.

Something that needs to work for finance.

Something that needs to satisfy compliance.

Something that should not get in the way.

But for employees, ordering is the first tangible interaction with the digital workplace lifecycle. It sets expectations long before a device is delivered.

And in most global enterprises, that experience is far more complex than leaders realise.

Complexity is the default, not the exception

Large global enterprises rarely operate on a single system landscape.

Some have grown organically. Others are the result of multiple mergers and acquisitions. Most are a mix of both.

The outcome is predictable:

• multiple ERP systems

• multiple procure-to-pay platforms such as Coupa, Ariba, or Jaggaer

• multiple approval flows

• multiple financial policies

This complexity does not disappear because it is inconvenient. It simply leaks into the ordering experience.

To cope with this, many organisations end up with an omni-channel reality. Different ordering channels, different system entry points, but a desire to keep the same catalogue, the same delivery experience, and the same takeback experience.

That desire is reasonable. Achieving it is hard.

The ServiceNow dilemma

A common ambition I hear is this:

“We want employees to order from ServiceNow.”

Sometimes that means only PCs and phones. Sometimes it means everything.

On paper, it makes sense. IT should be perceived as a service. The ITSM platform is where employees already go for support, requests, and visibility.

But then reality sets in.

Once orders start flowing, organisations rediscover a basic truth: finance still requires purchase orders generated in procure-to-pay systems. Goods receipt still needs to be reconciled. Invoices still need to match.

This is where many ordering designs quietly break.

Ordering is not where finance lives - but it must respect it

My view has always been controversial, but consistent.

Ordering should be designed as an experience in an ITSM platform. ServiceNow, HaloITSM, Ivanti, TopDesk - the tooling matters less than the principle.

The full catalogue should be available there, stringently controlled.

The employee experience should be designed there.

Communication should happen there.

That does not mean finance is bypassed. It means finance is integrated.

Purchase orders can still be generated in procure-to-pay systems. Goods receipt can still be controlled. Invoice reconciliation can still follow policy.

But the experience does not need to be built in finance tooling.

Why many organisations fall back to punchout

Under pressure, many organisations default to punchout catalogues in procure-to-pay systems.

Ariba. Coupa. Jaggaer.

This solves a financial problem, but often creates an experience one.

PunchOut ordering rarely provides:

• meaningful employee communication

• lifecycle context

• visibility beyond the transaction

• integration with ITSM workflows

It also creates blind spots. When ordering happens purely through PunchOut, downstream processes like returns, refresh, or ITAD cannot be triggered in the same flow. They require yet another system, another request, another handoff.

The lifecycle fragments further.

Omni-channel is reality - coherence is the challenge

The reality is that most enterprises will not have a single ordering channel.

And that is fine.

What matters is coherence.

Whether an employee orders via ITSM, PunchOut, a bespoke shop, or API-driven integration, the outcome should be the same:

• consistent catalogue

• consistent delivery experience

• consistent communication

• consistent asset registration

• consistent return and takeback process

Ordering channels can differ. The experience should not.

Master data quietly shapes the experience

Another often overlooked factor is master data quality.

To ship products, addresses must be correct. Locations must be validated. Cost centres must exist. Users must be mapped correctly.

Most organisations are not as strong on master data as they believe.

When master data is weak, ordering friction increases. Shipments fail. Deliveries are delayed. Support tickets rise. Employees blame IT, even though the root cause sits elsewhere.

Ordering design needs to assume imperfect data, not ideal conditions.

Communication is the most underused lever

One of the biggest missed opportunities in ordering is communication.

Employees often place an order and hear nothing until a box arrives - or does not.

Ordering journeys are a perfect moment to:

• set expectations

• explain what will happen next

• guide employees on setup

• share relevant information or tips

• reinforce sustainability choices

This does not require complex tooling. Simple, human updates can dramatically improve perceived experience and reduce support demand.

Ordering can shape behaviour - if we let it

Very few organisations expose CO2e footprint metrics in their catalogues or ordering flows.

That is a missed opportunity.

Ordering is one of the few moments where employees actively make choices. Showing the environmental impact of those choices can guide behaviour without mandates or policies.

The same applies to lifecycle thinking. If ordering flows are disconnected from return and reuse processes, the organisation loses the ability to close the loop.

The uncomfortable reality

IT often wants to own the catalogue, the experience, and the lifecycle.

But ordering sits at the intersection of IT, finance, procurement, and operations.

When no one designs the experience end to end, it defaults to the lowest common denominator.

Ordering still happens.

Devices are still shipped.

Invoices are still paid.

But the experience is fragmented, silent, and transactional.

Closing perspective

Ordering is not a procurement problem to solve.

It is an experience to design.

If the ordering journey does not reflect how IT wants to be perceived as a service, it never will. No amount of downstream provisioning can fix that.