Enabling Vendor Inquiries

You can enable vendors to create inquiries from the SAP Biller Direct Buy Side portal. Vendors can create inquiries directly, or they can create inquiries based on an existing invoice or credit memo. You can define a standardized set of inquiry reasons in Customizing, and there is a field for the vendor to enter free text to further explain the reason for inquiry. Once the vendor has finished creating an inquiry, it is automatically stored as a service request in the Accounting Interaction Center, where it is processed. At any time, the vendor can return to check the status of their inquiry, and take any further action if necessary. It is possible for a vendor to have multiple open inquiries at the same time.

Creating Inquiries Directly
1. A vendor logs on to SAP Biller Direct Buy Side, and chooses the Inquiry tab page.
2. Existing inquiries are displayed, along with the reason for the inquiry, and the current status. The vendor can choose to open an existing inquiry, or to create a new one by choosing Create Inquiry.
3. After choosing Create Inquiry, the vendor selects a reason from a Customizing-defined list, and enters a comment.
4. To submit the inquiry, the vendor chooses Send.

Creating an Inquiry Based on an Invoice
1. A vendor logs on to SAP Biller Direct Buy Side, and chooses one of the following tab pages: Open Bills, or Credits.
2. They select an item from the list of open invoices, and choose Create Inquiry to create an inquiry based on this item, before proceeding as in steps 3 and 4 above.
Finding, Displaying, and Modifying Existing Inquiries
1. To search for and display an existing query, a vendor proceeds by first choosing the Inquiry tab page.
2. They enter an appropriate search period and choose Find.
3. The system displays a list of returned inquiries, showing information such as status and creation date. If necessary, the vendor can choose an inquiry to open it, and append further comments.

Prerequisites

You have activated the following business functions:

Multifunctional Shared Service Interaction Center (CRM_SHSVC) in the CRM system
SAP Biller Direct Buy Side 2 (FIN_FSCM_BD_3) in the corresponding ERP system

You have activated the vendor inquiry functionality, and you have carried out the further activities as appropriate in Customizing for Financial Supply Chain Management under Biller Direct —> Process Integration with Accounts Payable Accounting —> Process Integration with Vendor Inquiries.

You may choose not to use the SAP standard implementation of this functionality, and implement your own version using BAdI: Implement Vendor Inquiry. If you choose to do this, ensure that you have selected not to activate the standard functionality, in Customizing activity Activate Vendor Inquiry.

Integration with the Accounting Interaction Center (SAP CRM)

To use this functionality in conjunction with the SAP CRM system, you must have carried out the following steps:

In Customizing for Financial Supply Chain Management, choose Biller Direct —> Process Integration with Accounts Payable Accounting —> Payment Description for Company.
For each relevant company code, set an ID and Text Name.
In Customizing for Financial Supply Chain Management, choose Biller Direct —> Process Integration with Accounts Payable Accounting —> Process integration with Vendor Inquiries —> SSC Group Settings.
Select scenario BILLERDIRE, and then choose the Source Field folder.
Set the following combinations of Target Field —> Source Field 1:
- Catalog Type —> C;
- CRM External Category —> EBPP_INQUIRY_REASON;
- Note Type —> S0001 (for problem description, or another suitable entry here).
Choose the Target field value determination folder, and define a CRM external category reason for each vendor inquiry reason. For example, PRICE —> VENDOR_ITEM.
Go to the CRM system and open the CRM_UI, with role IC MANAGER.
Select the activated schema for the Service Request transaction type.
Here you can define categories, and assign a name and description to those categories, ensuring, for example, that reason PRICE, mapped to external category VENDOR_ITEM, displays as Price in a service request.