ECHO 2016 COLLEGE MAGAZINE

What are the biggest challenges you face in your daily
operations?
Last moment requests from the User Department are the
most difficult as for the Purchase Team this became reason for
defaulting from all our internal policies and arranging the
products in cash or from local market at higher rates.
What aspect of supervision do you find most difficult in
purchase department?
Annual tendering process as this is the most important aspect
which gives the final impact on the financial year.
What have been the biggest achievements in your
procurement? Career?
Under our Annual Tendering process, we were able to reduce
2-3% from last three consecutive years, which has given a
positive impact on our financials. And in year 2014-15 we
received the Best Department of the year.
What do you like most and least about procurement?
I personally feel the challenge and excitement of procuring
things which are not available easily and same way when some
items you don’t get even after checking the maximum. Basically
the most liked and least liked are same.
Give an example of a time when you have had a difficult
experience With the vendors and how you resolved it?
We are facing issue in getting water tankers from our local
vendors and above that we had issue in getting water from
Manjeera. We called all the vendors and had a meeting to
ensure that all vendors should support and when we involve
vendors during crisis they also do support.
If you buy a customized product from a single source,
how will you Know if the price is fair?
Nowadays with the help of IT its very easy to ascertain the
prices and also as we all Purchase Managers have a forum, in
such cases wherein there is only one source we do check
between us.
What are some appropriate remedies for a supplier's
failure to Perform?
We have to inform the supplier about the dire sequences of the
same and maybe we have to ban him and debit with him the
difference amount which he not able to supply.
What are qualities required to become Purchase
manager?
To be honest, to have strong negotiating power, ability to
convince the vendors you’re your data, good knowledge in
excel & having good communication skills. What message
would you like to give to the students who wish to make career
in purchase department. If you are honest and would like to
have a commanding power in market, please join Purchase.
Traditional methods of purchase vs e commerce
purchase?
Both the purchasing methods have its own negative & positive
points.
Concept of local food purchases and green purchasing
program by hotels?
Green Purchasing program has made a powerful impact in
our procurement as we also have to look for vendors who are
recycling the things and same can be used by us. We are
appointing vendors who are into eco friendly and are in
processing of recycling. All our printer cartridges and
electrical wastes are sold to authorized e-waste vendor.
MR. PARRY CEPHAS
IT Manager, Ritzcarlton
Bengaluru
What is the transformation now since the evolution of
technology in hotels?
Almost every industry is undergoing a technology-driven
transformation, and the hospitality industry is no different.
There are a number of solutions that have already begun to
change the way that business is done, or the way that it will be
done in the near future. The common attribute that they all
share is the fact that they allow businesses to have a more
convenient, informed and valuable relationship with their
customers.
Here are seven areas in which technological advances are
transforming the hospitality industry and enabling a new level
of customer service:
i. Online booking systems
Online bookings are now extremely widespread in the hotel
industry, with many restaurants also beginning to accept them
as their popularity increases. There will always be some people
who prefer to pick up the phone, but online booking systems
mean that customers can reserve a room or a table outside the
venue’s business hours, or any other time when calling is not
convenient. This brings a new dimension to customer service
and marketing, as many industry insiders now consider it
essential to have an online booking service, which also
requires a well-designed, mobile-friendly website with a
simple interface.
ii. EPOS
Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems are becoming more
and more sophisticated, allowing hospitality venues to operate
more efficiently and provide better customer service. By
integrating with CRM, inventory management and other tools,
information on capacity, reservations, stock, loyalty programs
and more is accessible at the touch of a button. In addition,
cloud-based POS applications are becoming more common,
which means that staff can process orders, bookings and
payments directly from a tablet. This affords them greater
mobility and adds another level of convenience for the
customer.
iii. CRM
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software allows
contacts and information to be organised and managed in one
place. An effective CRM makes it easier to build ongoing
relationships with customers, as well as making important
details easily accessible to all staff via a cloud-based application.
ECHO - 2016 17