Introducing ORO’s Supplier Front Door: A Smarter Supplier Engagement Experience

According to Hackett, it can take as many as 50 days to onboard a new supplier. At a time when, according to a recent study from ORO, 39% of procurement executives worry about a key supplier going out of business, 50 days is far too long. When 16% of leaders say that they could replace and onboard a new supplier in less than a week, what becomes clear is that enterprise agility in supplier management is an important competitive advantage in a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

As we know, however, onboarding a new supplier is just the beginning. Taking 50 days for onboarding should send a strong signal to both the supplier and the customer that processes are inefficient and that they anticipate friction and frustration in almost every future interaction. 

What should the vendor do if they have invoice questions? What if they need to update their banking information? These seemingly minor interactions clog inboxes, delay payments, and create friction on both sides.

That’s why ORO developed Supplier Front Door: a secure, adminless, self-service layer that transforms supplier-initiated requests into orchestrated workflows. Rather than replace existing systems, ORO connects to them, automating how supplier requests are routed, validated, and resolved in a place where it’s visible to all stakeholders.

Unlike traditional portals, the Supplier Front Door is designed to work with any enterprise tech stack, integrating and working across existing systems. With real-time visibility and secure role-based access, ORO gives suppliers a place to take action and enterprise procurement teams a better way to manage supplier engagement at scale.

A Missed Opportunity in Supplier Portals

Many enterprise supplier portals promise a streamlined experience between suppliers and customers. In reality, they often fall short where it matters most: day-to-day supplier engagement and supporting the procurement processes necessary to complete requests (which often involve several different systems).

Procurement, AP, and even support teams still spend hours a week fielding repeat questions like: 

• “When will I get paid?”
• “Where do I find the PO number?”
• “How do I update my banking information?”

Legacy supplier portal tools offer places to enter this information, but they’re rarely flexible enough to match the workflows needed. This means legacy supplier portals lack connectivity to the workflows, processes, and systems that supplier-initiated requests are tied to. They lack the flexibility to extend visibility across teams on both the supplier and customer sides of the business. 

The result? Teams have to chase approvals across systems, escalate requests manually, and navigate disconnected processes. What seems like a simple question can interrupt multiple internal teams and sit unanswered, leaving the supplier frustrated and the relationship in a worse place. 

Traditional portals are rigid, complex, unintuitive, and lack the kind of self-service support that enterprises expect. And what happens when the primary supplier contact leaves? Most portals require full re-onboarding or IT intervention to regain access, which can dramatically slow the pace of business.

The Solution: Where Supplier Action Meets Enterprise Orchestration

Unlike traditional supplier portals that rely on static forms and rigid routing, ORO’s Supplier Front Door brings agility and intelligence to supplier engagement with supplier-initiated workflows. It’s not just a login screen. It’s a responsive entry point that connects the supplier with the right workflows, systems, and stakeholders. 

Suppliers get an intuitive, secure experience tailored to their needs to do things like:

• Check invoice and order status in real time, including rejection details
• Update contact and bank info with secure identity verification
• File and track support requests without follow-up emails
• See the status of active requests and take follow-up actions as needed

Behind the scenes, each request is guided by dynamic workflows that adapt based on supplier type, request urgency, and access level. There’s no need for a primary contact to act as a gatekeeper. Access is role-based and situational, ensuring business continuity even if someone changes or leaves roles. 

This isn’t a portal. It’s a smarter entry point that orchestrates supplier engagement without adding manual overhead.

Enterprise-Grade Control Without the Complexity

While the supplier-facing experience is streamlined, the real payoff happens behind the scenes. ORO’s Supplier Front Door gives enterprise teams complete control over how supplier interactions are managed, routed, and secured without introducing new systems or manual overhead for procurement teams.

What can procurement departments expect from this re-imagining of what a ‘supplier portal should look like?

• Fewer support tickets and email chains
• Configurable routing based on request type and urgency
• Role- and context-based access to protect sensitive information and workflows
• Secure audit trails for every action taken
• Cleaner data with less manual cleanup
• No disruption to existing tools or ownership models

Supplier Front Door integrates directly into existing ERP, ticketing, and compliance systems to streamline team engagement. There’s no rip and replace, but instead an orchestration that works across existing tools

And because the experience is adminless by design, suppliers can take action even if the typical primary contact is unavailable. Access is situationally driven and securely verified, ensuring business continuity without constant internal involvement. 

It’s the flexibility procurement teams need to scale, paired with the control enterprise companies demand.

The Takeaway: A Better Supplier Experience Starts at the Front Door

Supplier Front Door is more than a convenience layer. It’s a new way to manage supplier relationships at scale. By replacing the ad hoc email back-and-forth and unstructured processes with secure, guided workflows, procurement teams reduce support volume, improve data accuracy, and deliver a better experience on both sides of the business.

Unlike traditional supplier portals focusing on static access, ORO’s approach is orchestration-first, making every supplier request dynamic, trackable, and connected to the systems and teams that need to act. It’s adminless, secure, and flexible enough to scale across supplier types and business functions. 

Procurement is moving beyond just enabling transactions; they are expected to build trust, continuity, and efficiency into its interactions. 

See how ORO’s Supplier Front Door can improve supplier engagement and take the pressure off your internal teams. Book a demo today!