Vendor onboarding slows down when KYC approvals break down
At a recent client workshop with a leading manufacturing industry, our solution experts were asked a direct question:
“Why are our KYC approvals still delayed, even after digitizing most of the onboarding process?”
These delays weren’t just a minor operational hiccup. Production schedules slipped, urgent buys went to higher-cost resellers, and finance sat on millions in un-fulfilled POs.
After mapping the process from end to end, the issue became clear: it wasn’t about missing documents or non-compliant suppliers. The real bottleneck was internal.
- Procurement collected documents.
- Risk screened ownership, sanctions, ESG scores.
- Compliance & Legal validated AML / anti-bribery requirements.
- Finance confirmed banking details and tax IDs.
Each team used its own email threads, trackers, or LOB apps. Every hand-off created friction. Nobody had line-of-sight across the whole journey, so tasks slipped, approvals stalled, and deadlines passed unnoticed.
And this organization isn’t alone. Across the industry, the biggest threat to KYC efficiency isn’t regulatory complexity. It’s fragmented workflows.
The hidden cost of scattered KYC approval workflows
- Endless follow-ups between teams
- Duplicate data entry in multiple tools
- No single source of truth for status or audit
- Delayed supplier activation and extended lead times
- Increased exposure to fraud and non-compliance penalties
And in a volume-driven environment, these small inefficiencies compound into major friction for both the business and the suppliers.
Do you know? Global financial institutions have paid over $26 billion in KYC/AML-related fines, often due to internal process gaps and missing audit trails.
Introducing Unified Approvals on Proceso
Unified Approvals on Proceso eliminates approval chaos by centralizing all pending approvals – across systems like SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics 365, etc. into one unified interface.
Instead of switching tabs, digging through emails, or logging into multiple systems, users can view and act on all their assigned approvals from one place: the Proceso platform (integrated within Microsoft Teams). It improves employee productivity and allows them to focus on more revenue creating tasks.
Proceso turns fragmented vendor KYC approvals into a single, governed flow—right inside Microsoft Teams.
All approvals, one view
Procurement, Risk, Compliance, Finance—every pending request lands in a unified “My Approvals” queue.
Deep LOB integrations
SAP, Oracle, Coupa, Salesforce, ServiceNow – seamless integration into Proceso, so the master record is always up to date.
Smart reminders & escalations
Overdue tasks auto-nudge owners or escalate based on your SLA rules.
Immutable audit trails
Every action is time-stamped and tamper-proof for effortless audits.
Result: No approval goes unnoticed, no data falls out of sync, and supplier onboarding times shrink from weeks to days.
Real-world KYC approval use-cases with Unified Approvals
The KYC process is a critical gate in any vendor onboarding journey where regulatory oversight and time-to-onboard directly impact business outcomes.
| Industry | High-Impact Scenario |
| Manufacturing | Activate critical raw-material suppliers before production cut-offs. |
| Retail & e-commerce | Onboard seasonal vendors quickly meet demand spikes. |
| Pharmaceuticals | Vet CMOs and API suppliers to comply with CGMP and anti-counterfeiting laws. |
| Banking & Financial Services | Approve third-party service providers (e.g., IT, facilities) under strict AML rules. |
| Energy & Utilities | Ensure contractor compliance with HSE and sanctions screening before site access. |
[You may also like to read: Process automation use cases in banking sector]
Why Proceso beats point KYC tools
| Challenge | Point Tool | Proceso Unified Approvals |
| Cross-team visibility | Separate dashboards per function | Single real-time queue for every approver |
| System updates | Manual data re-entry | Auto-sync to ERP / SRM / CLM |
| SLA adherence | Spreadsheet tracking | Built-in timers, reminders, escalations |
| Audit readiness | Disparate email trails | Immutable end-to-end log |
| User experience | Multiple log-ins | Embedded in Teams, mobile-ready |
Turn KYC approvals from bottleneck to business advantage
If your vendor KYC approvals still depend on spreadsheets or siloed apps, you’re risking supply-chain agility, compliance, and cash flow.
Proceso Unified Approvals gives procurement and risk teams a shared cockpit to keep vendor onboarding and production moving.
Ready to see it live?
Book a 20-minute demo and learn how Proceso simplifies KYC approval and every other business-critical sign-off in your enterprise.