If the card program manager/administrator (PM/PA) gets sick, is there an appropriate backup for this important role? I wrote about PM/PA backups four years ago, but COVID-19 reinforces the issue. Your PM/PA could unexpectedly be out for weeks. Who would manage the program? Even without a pandemic crisis, organizations should be prepared for the PM/PA to be out for another personal endeavor. If you are a PM/PA, one of the best things you can do is keep an electronic PM/PA manual up to date. Following is a list of potential topics to include, as well as a link to more information about the backup role, such as questions to explore with your manager.
PM/PA Manual
Ensure procedures for doing your job are current, clear, and accessible. Focus on documenting what is most important first, such as tasks and situations likely to arise in your absence. The content should complement—rather than duplicate—what is in the program policies and procedures (P&P) manual available organization wide. Overall, the content could include:
Key contacts and their roles; for example, card issuer contacts, internal personnel who support the card program and, if applicable, vendor contacts that you work with regularly
Quick reference chart/table listing scheduled tasks executed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually; include links to the procedures for each task that are located elsewhere within the manual
Organization spend limit—how to monitor and, if needed, temporarily increase
Program reporting—what you generate, when, why, and what to do with each report
Setting up a new cardholder/account
Resolving transaction declines
Making a temporary or permanent change to card limits/restrictions
Addressing accidental personal use of a P-Card
Accounting process for card transactions
Payments to the card issuer
Cancelling/closing a card
Since at any given time there could be more than one new cardholder and/or card cancellation in process, it can be very helpful to have checklists of the steps to ensure nothing gets missed for each one. With some planning, you can hopefully breathe a little easier while out.
Related Resources
In addition, submit a contact form if your organization would like assistance with updating its P-Card P&P manual or PM/PA manual. Recharged Education will provide a quote based on your unique needs. See what else Recharged Education offers…
Photo by Lauren Mancke on Unsplash.
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P-Card Program Implementation
When: July 16, 2020, at 1:00 PM Eastern
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Speaker: Lynn Larson, Recharged Education
With the sudden emergence of COVID and accounts payable teams working remotely, searching for alternatives to paper checks became a top priority. Implementing a Purchasing Card (P-Card) program is a big project under the best of times. The payoff can be huge—if the program is fully utilized and the organization follows best practices. Now, more than ever, it is critical. Even if you have a P-Card program that is already a year or two old, this webinar will help you identify tactics and strategies you might have missed. There are key steps that every organization should take to help ensure program success. Learn more…
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About the Author
Blog post author Lynn Larson, CPCP, launched Recharged Education in 2014. With 20 years of Commercial Card experience, her mission is to make industry education readily accessible to all. Learn more…