Tips & Best Practices — Vendor IQ™

🚀

Welcome to Vendor IQ™

Vendor IQ™ (VIQ) is your vendor spend intelligence platform. It scores every vendor you pay — giving you a clear traffic light signal so you always know if you're getting a fair deal.

🚦 Understanding Your VIQ Score

SAFE

Score 70–100 · Paying at or below market rate. Keep monitoring quarterly.

WATCH

Score 40–69 · Slightly above market. Review contract terms and ask for a rate review.

AT RISK

Score 0–39 · Significantly above market. Immediate action recommended — see remediation steps.

Scores are calculated by comparing what you pay against 2025 industry benchmarks sourced from public pricing data, industry research reports, and national spend surveys. Scores auto-refresh when you update vendor data.

⚡ Quick Start — Your First 10 Minutes

1
Complete your profile
Go to Account Settings → set your industry, employee count, and annual revenue. These power your benchmark accuracy — the more precise, the better your scores.
2
Add your top 3 vendors
Dashboard → Add Vendor. Start with your highest monthly spend: POS system, payroll processor, and food/supply distributor. Even rough numbers work — you can refine later.
3
See your first VIQ scores
Each vendor instantly gets a 0–100 score and a traffic light. Any AT RISK flags? Click in to see exactly why and what to do about it.
4
Upload a bank statement (fastest path)
Bank Statement page → upload your last 90 days CSV from Chase, BofA, or Wells Fargo. VIQ auto-detects and scores every vendor payment in under 30 seconds.
5
Connect QuickBooks (optional but powerful)
QB Integration page → Connect. VIQ pulls your vendor spend automatically so you never have to enter data manually again.

🎯 Quick Actions

🏪

Add a Vendor

Score any vendor in 60 seconds with just the name, category, and monthly cost.

Add Vendor →

📄

Upload Bank Statement

Upload your CSV and VIQ auto-detects every vendor payment and scores them all at once.

Upload CSV →

🔗

Connect QuickBooks

Sync your QB vendor spend automatically — no manual data entry needed.

Connect QB →

📊

View Score History

See trends over time and track whether your vendor costs are improving.

View Trends →

📋

Run an RFP

Get competitive bids from alternative vendors in your category automatically.

Start RFP →

⭐

Upgrade Your Plan

Unlock AT RISK detail, negotiation scripts, and alternative vendor recommendations.

See Plans →

💡

Best first action: The Bank CSV upload gives you the fastest, most complete picture. Export 90 days from your bank and upload — VIQ recognizes 200+ vendor names automatically and scores everything in under 30 seconds. No manual entry required.

Business Owner Guide · Single-location independent business

🏢

Business Owner

Independent restaurant, retail, or service business owner managing vendor relationships solo. Primary goal: find out if you're overpaying and by how much — then take action.

Free or Essentials Single Location

🚀 Getting Started (First 10 Minutes)

1
Select "Business" as your role
Enter your company name and industry. Free tier — no card needed.
2
Complete the onboarding wizard
Select your industry (restaurant / retail / service / healthcare). Enter employee count and annual revenue for accurate benchmarks.
3
Add your top 3 vendors
Start with POS, Payroll, and your highest monthly spend. Even rough numbers work — refine later.
4
See your first VIQ Score
Each vendor gets a score (0–100) and a traffic light: 🟢 SAFE · 🟡 WATCH · 🔴 AT RISK.
5
Upload a bank statement CSV
Download 90 days from your bank — VIQ auto-detects and scores every vendor payment automatically.

🔄 Monthly Workflow

1
Check your Dashboard
Any new AT RISK banners? Review the Savings Opportunity card — it estimates your monthly overpayment.
2
Upload latest bank statement
Bank CSV → Upload → Review auto-detected vendors → Save scores.
3
Review Score History
Check the Trends tab to see if scores are improving or declining over time.
4
Take action on AT RISK vendors
Use the insight text to understand what's wrong. Request quotes from listed alternatives. Pro users get full negotiation scripts.
5
Re-score after contract changes
Switch vendors or renegotiate? Run the Score Check again to confirm improvement.

🆓 Free Tier — What You Get

Unlimited vendor scoring
SAFE and WATCH insights with benchmarks
Bank CSV upload + auto-categorization
Score history and trend charts
QuickBooks sync
AT RISK detail — blurred (Essentials+)
Negotiation scripts (Essentials+)
Vendor alternative recommendations (Essentials+)

⭐ Essentials+ — What's Unlocked

Full AT RISK breakdown per vendor
Specific vendor alternatives with pricing
Negotiation scripts per category
Switch-cost analysis
Monthly savings estimate ($/yr)
Priority support
Export reports to CSV/PDF

💡

Pro tip: The Bank CSV upload is the fastest way to get a complete picture. Export 90 days from Chase, BofA, or Wells Fargo — VIQ recognizes 200+ vendor names automatically and scores everything in under 30 seconds.

Franchisee Guide · Individual franchise location owner

📍

Franchisee

You own and operate one or more franchise locations. Your franchisor may have preferred vendors — VIQ™ helps you verify those vendors are actually competitive, and flags any where you're being overcharged versus the network average.

Free or Essentials Location-Level View Network Benchmarks

🚀 Getting Started

1
Register — select "Franchisee"
Enter your franchise brand and location number (e.g., "Fresh Eats – Location #47").
2
Select your industry in onboarding
Use your specific vertical (restaurant, retail, fitness, etc.) for the most relevant benchmarks.
3
Enter your required vendor list
Start with franchisor-mandated vendors — POS system, payroll provider, food distributor. These are often where overcharging hides.
4
Compare your costs to benchmarks
VIQ™ scores your actual costs against 2025 market data — not just what your franchisor says is "standard."
5
Document and escalate if needed
Export your score history CSV. Use the data to request a rate review with your Area Rep or at your next franchisee association meeting.

⚠️ Common Franchisee Pain Points VIQ Catches

Mandated POS at above-market rates — Check if your contract allows renegotiation after Year 2. Many do.
Payroll processor locked by franchisor — Ask for volume pricing if your franchise group has 20+ locations.
Food cost % above 35% — VIQ's COGS benchmark flags this immediately; compare against your franchise peers.
Duplicate insurance policies — Franchisor corporate policy + your own may overlap. VIQ flags per-employee cost.
Online ordering commissions 25–30% — Industry benchmark is ≤8% of revenue. Anything above is AT RISK.

📋 Monthly Checklist for Franchisees

Download last month's bank statement and upload to Bank Statement page
Verify all required franchise vendors appear and are scored
Flag any vendor that moved from WATCH → AT RISK this month
Export Score History CSV and file in your monthly ops folder
If any vendor is AT RISK for 2+ consecutive months — escalate to your Area Rep with the VIQ™ data
Review the "Savings Opportunity" card on your dashboard — share with your accountant quarterly

⚠️

Important: Always check your franchise agreement before switching mandated vendors. VIQ™ identifies overcharging — but your contract governs what changes you can make independently.

✅

Best outcome: Franchisees who bring VIQ™ data to their franchisee association meetings create leverage for network-wide renegotiations — benefiting all locations.

Franchisor Guide · Franchise corporate HQ / brand owner

🏛️

Franchisor (HQ)

You own the brand and support a network of franchisees. VIQ™ gives you real-time visibility into vendor spend across every location — so you can identify overpayment patterns, negotiate network-wide contracts, and protect franchisee profitability.

Growth or Franchisor Plan Network View Access Aggregate Reporting

🗺️ Network View — Your Command Center

1
Access Network View from sidebar
Shows all locations with VIQ™ scores at a glance — color-coded by health.
2
Filter by AT RISK
Immediately see which locations need attention. Click any location for vendor-level detail.
3
Review Cross-Network Vendors
See POS cost by location — identify locations paying 40%+ more than others. That's your negotiation leverage.
4
Use the Heat Map
Location × Category grid. Red cells = AT RISK spend. Spot systemic patterns instantly.
5
Review Alerts for savings estimate
VIQ™ estimates total network savings if AT RISK vendors are switched to benchmark alternatives.

💼 Quarterly Franchisor Workflow

Q1
Pull network-wide vendor spend report
Network View → Export CSV. Import into your ops review deck.
Q2
Identify top 3 AT RISK categories
Heat Map — which categories are consistently red across locations? These are your renegotiation priorities.
Q3
Trigger network renegotiation
Use aggregate spend data to approach preferred vendors for volume pricing.
Q4
Update preferred vendor list
Lock better pricing? New benchmarks automatically flow to all franchisee scores.

📊 Key Metrics to Track at HQ

Metric	Where to Find It	Target	Action If Missed
Network VIQ Score	Network View → Metrics bar	≥ 70 (SAFE)	Identify AT RISK locations, trigger vendor review
% Locations SAFE	Network View → Locations tab	≥ 75%	Expand preferred vendor program for struggling categories
AT RISK Location Count	Dashboard → Network → Alerts	0	Immediate outreach to location manager
Estimated Savings Opportunity	Network → Alerts tab	$0 remaining	Prioritize renegotiation of highest-dollar AT RISK categories
Franchisee Adoption Rate	Contact VIQ™ support	100% of locations	Send onboarding email with personalized access link to non-adopters

💡

Negotiation tip: When approaching a preferred vendor, show them total network spend across all locations. Volume = leverage. Even a 10% rate reduction across a 50-location network can save $200K+/year.

🏆

FDD value-add: Including VIQ™ network score benchmarks in your FDD Item 19 disclosures gives franchisee recruits transparent vendor cost data — a major differentiator.

Association Guide · Trade or franchise association

🤝

Association

You represent a group of independent businesses or franchise brands — providing resources, benchmarks, and negotiating power on behalf of your members. VIQ™ is your data backbone for vendor intelligence at scale.

Growth or Franchisor Plan Multi-Brand Network Aggregate Benchmarking

🎯 Primary Use Cases for Associations

Member benchmarking reports — Publish quarterly VIQ™ score averages across your membership. Members know where they stand vs. peers.
Endorsed vendor negotiations — Use aggregate spend data from member submissions to negotiate endorsed vendor rates.
Conference content — VIQ™ score data makes excellent educational content: "Top 5 vendors your members are overpaying for."
Member benefit access — Provide personalized access links as a member benefit through your member portal.
Advocacy — If members are consistently AT RISK on a mandated vendor, VIQ™ data supports your case for contract or legislative action.

📅 Annual Association Workflow

Q1
Collect member vendor data
Send members a Bank CSV upload link or vendor intake form link. Aggregate into VIQ™.
Q2
Publish State of the Network report
Use Network View exports + Score History. Show year-over-year trend. Present at annual conference.
Q3
Renegotiate endorsed vendor contracts
Armed with aggregate spend data, approach endorsed vendors for volume pricing.
Q4
Update member benchmarks for next year
Refresh VIQ™ benchmarks to reflect negotiated rates. SAFE thresholds improve as you lock better pricing.

💡

Data privacy note: When collecting member vendor data for aggregate reporting, ensure individual member data is anonymized in any published benchmarks. VIQ™'s export CSV can be processed in Excel to remove company names before sharing.

Vendor Partner Guide · Service provider seeking VIQ™ listing

🔧

Vendor Partner

You are a technology or service provider — POS company, payroll processor, food distributor, insurance broker — listed or seeking listing as a recommended alternative in VIQ™ scoring results.

Partner Program Analytics Dashboard

📖 How VIQ™ Scores Your Category

VIQ™ scores are based on what the business pays, not which specific vendor they use. The spend level is scored against market benchmarks.
Benchmarks are sourced from public pricing pages, industry reports (NRA, Nilson, MoneyGeek), and 2025 vendor pricing schedules — not vendor-provided data.
When a business is AT RISK, VIQ™ suggests 2–4 alternative vendors. These are based on benchmark research, not paid placement.
Vendors in suggestions are category leaders at time of research. This list is updated periodically.

🤝 Vendor Partner Program (Roadmap)

1
Verified Listing
Submit current pricing for benchmark verification. Verified vendors appear in AT RISK suggestions with a ✓ badge.
2
Pricing Transparency Commitment
Provide a public pricing URL. Updates flow to benchmark recalculations quarterly.
3
Partner Analytics Dashboard
(Coming soon) See anonymized data: how often you appear in AT RISK suggestions, conversion rates, competitive positioning.
4
VIQ™ Partner Rate
(Coming soon) Offer a discounted rate exclusively to VIQ™ users — displayed on your vendor profile.

⚠️

If you're being flagged AT RISK: This means businesses using your service at current pricing are being recommended to switch. Fastest path: lower your pricing, offer a transparent rate card, or contact VIQ™ to discuss a verified partner rate.

📬

Partner program inquiries: Contact the Vendor IQ™ team through the support page. Provide your current public pricing, category, and a point of contact for benchmark verification.

📊

2025 Industry Benchmark Reference

These are the benchmark thresholds VIQ™ uses to score your vendors. Updated annually from public pricing data, national industry reports, and spend surveys. If you're paying above the AT RISK threshold, take action — VIQ™ will show you how.

⚡ Core Business Benchmarks — SAFE / WATCH / AT RISK

Category	🟢 SAFE	🟡 WATCH	🔴 AT RISK	Notes
POS System	≤ 1.5% revenue	1.5–2.5%	> 2.5%	Toast, Square, Clover at market rate
Payroll Processing	≤ $12/emp/mo	$12–$20	> $20	Gusto $6, ADP $4–$8/employee
Card Processing	≤ 2.9% eff. rate	2.9–3.8%	> 3.8%	Interchange avg 1.5–2%; IC+ saves 0.3–0.8%
Accounting Software	≤ $200/mo	$200–$400	> $400	QuickBooks $30–$200; Xero $13–$78
Online Ordering	≤ 8% revenue	8–15%	> 15%	DoorDash 15–30%; negotiate direct ordering
Scheduling Software	≤ $5/emp/mo	$5–$10	> $10	Homebase free–$3, 7shifts $3–$5
Insurance (GL + BOP)	≤ $40/emp/mo	$40–$65	> $65	Hartford, Hiscox, Travelers
Marketing / Agency	≤ 8% revenue	8–12%	> 12%	Retainer $500–$5K; always track deliverables
Utilities	≤ 3% revenue	3–5%	> 5%	Restaurant avg $1,200–$2,500/mo; ENERGY STAR 20–30% savings
Rent / Occupancy	≤ 10% revenue	10–15%	> 15%	Retail prime: 5–8%; restaurant: 8–10%
Food & Beverage (COGS)	≤ 30% revenue	30–35%	> 35%	Sysco, US Foods, PFG benchmark
Music Licensing	≤ $200/mo	$200–$400	> $400	BMI + ASCAP combined $100–$150
Booking / Scheduling (Salon/Spa)	≤ $50/mo	$50–$150	> $150	Vagaro $30, Fresha free, GlossGenius $24–$48
Fitness Management Software	≤ $2/member/mo	$2–$4	> $4	Mindbody $129–$349 base; ABC Fitness $3–$5/member

📚 Benchmark Data Sources

Restaurant / Food Service

· Nilson Report 2024 — Card processing effective rates
· ENERGY STAR Commercial Kitchen Guide 2024
· NRA State of the Restaurant Industry 2025
· Clearly Payments 2025 — Interchange benchmarks

Payroll & HR

· SHRM Annual Compensation Report 2025
· Gusto, ADP, Paychex published pricing 2025
· NAPEO PEO Industry Report 2024

Retail

· Stesanor 2025 — Retail card processing
· ENERGY STAR Commercial 2024 — Utilities
· NRF Retail Technology Survey 2025

Fitness & Salon

· IHRSA Insurance Guide 2024
· K&K Insurance Fitness Rate Sheet 2025
· Vagaro, Boulevard, GlossGenius published pricing 2025
· OSHA Cosmetology Safety Guide

Healthcare / Allied Health

· MGMA Medical Practice Compensation 2025
· AMA Malpractice Insurance Survey 2024
· IBM Cost of Data Breach Report 2024

Insurance

· Hartford, Hiscox, Travelers 2025 published rates
· Insurance Journal Commercial Lines Survey 2025
· SBA Small Business Insurance Benchmark 2024

Disclaimer: Benchmarks are updated annually from publicly available sources and are for informational purposes only. They do not constitute financial, legal, or procurement advice. Actual market rates vary by region, volume, contract length, and business profile. Always consult qualified professionals before making significant vendor decisions.

❓

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about Vendor IQ™.

🔍 Platform & Scoring

VIQ™ compares what you actually pay against industry benchmark thresholds sourced from public pricing pages, national industry reports, and spend surveys updated annually. Your score (0–100) reflects how your spend compares to the SAFE, WATCH, and AT RISK thresholds for your vendor category and business size.

Scores recalculate automatically whenever you update vendor spend data — whether through manual entry, Bank CSV upload, or a QuickBooks sync. Benchmark thresholds are reviewed and updated annually each January.

The score reflects your spend level versus market benchmarks — not the quality of the vendor's service. An AT RISK score means you're paying above the market rate for that category, even if you're happy with the vendor. That's the data you bring to a renegotiation. Being a loyal, happy customer is actually leverage — vendors often discount for retention when asked with data.

Yes. Your individual vendor spend data is never shared with other businesses, vendors, or third parties. Network benchmarks are always anonymized aggregates — no individual company's spend is ever visible to anyone else. See our Security & Trust page for full details.

VIQ™ can connect via Plaid (read-only bank transaction data) or you can upload a CSV export directly from your bank. VIQ™ never has write access to your bank account and uses read-only OAuth connections. Alternatively, connect QuickBooks and VIQ™ pulls vendor expense data from there instead.

💳 Plans & Billing

The free tier includes unlimited vendor scoring, SAFE/WATCH insights with benchmark context, Bank CSV upload, score history, and QuickBooks sync. AT RISK detail (the specific "why" and remediation steps) and vendor alternative recommendations are unlocked on Essentials and above.

Yes. All paid plans are month-to-month and can be cancelled at any time from Account Settings → Billing. Annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable but can be downgraded to free at the end of the billing period. Contact support if you need help.

No. All payment processing is handled end-to-end by Stripe. VIQ™ never sees, processes, or stores any card data. Only the last 4 digits and expiry date are displayed in your billing dashboard for reference.

📞 Still Have Questions?

Our support team typically responds within one business day.

Open a Support Ticket hello@vendorintel.ai