​​​​​Supplier FAQ's

Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions about THE SWIM, the Viacom Supplier portal.  

For indepth Help in navigating the site, including step by step instructions on how to perform many of the functions below, CLICK HERE.

FAQs
What is The SWIM?

The SWIM (Supplier Workplace for Invoice Management) is the enhanced Supplier Portal for Viacom suppliers, business partners, and vendors. The SWIM allows users to view new and changed Purchase Orders, create invoices and credit memos, and update account administration details.

What are the requirements to access The SWIM?

The SWIM is available to all registered suppliers.

 

PC Supported Browsers:

Internet Explorer 11,  Mozilla Firefox 36, Google Chrome 11

Java 1.7.0_45

 

Apple/Mac Supported Browsers:

Firefox 36, Safari 8

Java 1.7.0_45

 

For additional information, see the document entitled “Minimum System Settings Required for the SWIM” in the HELP section

How do I access The SWIM?

The SWIM can be accessed at http://theswim.viacom.com.

 

Enter your Username

Enter your Password

Click "Log On"

 

If you require additional assistance accessing the SWIM, refer to the question “What are the requirements to access The SWIM”.

What are the Descriptions and Functions of the various Fields in The SWIM?

All Purchase Orders

This link will bring you to all the Purchase Orders awarded to the supplier.

  •   - All Purchase Orders – this link will bring you to all of your company's Purchase Orders
  •   - New – New Purchase Order which has yet to be processed by supplier
  •   - In Process – Purchase Order which has been put on Hold by supplier or have been resent by customer and require further processing by supplier

 
All Invoices and Credit Memos

This link will bring you to all the Invoices and Credit Memos created by the supplier:

  - In Process – List of invoices and credit memos that  are being processed  by supplier

  •   - Document Sent –– List of invoices and credit memos that have been sent to the supplier

  - Create – Create an invoice or credit memo through this link

Is an invoice number required?

Yes, the invoice number field is required.  The number you enter in this field will be included on the payment remittance advice. Please user the legal invoice number in your invoice.

How do I create an invoice from a Purchase Order?

Click Here for detailed instructions on creating an invoice from a Purchase Order in the SWIM.

Please also view our Vendor SWIM Navigation video for detailed instructions on invoicing in the SWIM.

 

If invoicing an entity in Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, or Australia, you must also attach a PDF copy of your invoice to your electronic SWIM invoice.

 

Note: PO invoices may also be mailed or emailed to the addresses referenced in “How do I submit an invoice, if I do not use SWIM”.

Please only reference your PO number and VAT, ABN, or GST number (where required).

How do I submit an invoice if I do not use SWIM?

Make sure your invoice contains the following information:

 

  •  - Your supplier number (if known)
  •  - Your Purchase Order (PO ) number on the face of   the invoice.

Please submit your invoice by email (or mail) to one of the addresses below.

 

Please submit your invoice based on the location of the Viacom entity for which you are doing business.

 

a. For Viacom entities In North America (Canada and the United States):

        a. You can email invoices to: vmninvoices@ipsservices.com

b. For Viacom entities In Mexico:

        a. You can email invoices to: AmericasSWIM@ipsservices.com

 

c. For Viacom entities In Colombia:

        a. You can email invoices to: AmericasSWIM@ipsservices.com

 

d. For Viacom entities  In Brasil:

        a. You can email invoices to: AmericasSWIM@ipsservices.com

 

e. For Viacom entities In Argentina:

        a. You can email invoices to: AmericasSWIM@ipsservices.com

 

f. For Viacom entities In Europe, Middle East and Africa :

        a. You can email invoices to: EMEASWIM@ipsservices.com

 

g. For Viacom entities In Australia & New Zealand:

        a. You can email invoices to: AUSinvoices@ipsservices.com

 

h. For Viacom entities In Japan:

        a. You can email invoices to: Japaninvoices@ipsservices.com

 

i. For Viacom entities In SEA (Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Philippines):

        a. You can email invoices to: SEAinvoices@ipsservices.com

 

j. For Viacom entities In China:

        a. You can email invoices to: Chinapoint@viacom.com

 

How do I submit a Non-PO invoice for payment?

A Non-PO invoice MUST include all of the following information on the front of the invoice:

a. VMN company code and name (i.e. 3390 MTV Networks Europe, 2356 Viacom Networks Brasil, 2359 MTV Networks Argentina)

b. The Viacom Identification Number (VIN) of the MTVN/Viacom employee ordering the goods and/or services

c. Your supplier number (if known)

d. Include currency

e. Please note: Company code and VIN are required to ensure the invoice is processed.

f. If you are in one of the following countries please also provide your VAT, ABN, or GST number:

  •  - Spain
  •  - Portugal
  •  - Germany
  •  - Belgium
  •  - Netherlands
  •  - Italy
  •  - France

 - UK

 - Poland

 - Czech Republic

 - Hungary

 - Switzerland

 - South Africa

 - Nigeria

 - Australia

 - New Zealand

What are the Non-PO formatting guidelines?

Please be aware of the following guidelines and helpful hints from IPS, our Imaging partner, when sending a Non-PO Invoice to the email address above:

- For faster processing, please attach documents to a blank email message, i.e. don’t include “signatures” or any logos, graphics or links in the message body. These are Ok, but will slow down processing a bit. PDF format is the most efficient for processing.
- You are sending to a mailbox that is not monitored by a person, so emails are not read and “read receipt” and recall requests are not processed. Do not include any instructions in the email message body as by default, message body text is ignored.
- The primary page(s) should be first in the document to be processed and any backup/supporting pages should follow, all within the same document, e.g. PDF.
- There is a 10MB limit (per email message) for attachments, so if there are large attachments, they should be broken up and sent over multiple email messages. Do not split work items as they will not be combined back.
-  Filenames may not be longer than 100 characters. Files with longer names will not be processed. Do not use any symbol characters except space, dash/hyphen and underscore.
- Sensitive/confidential documents (e.g. Social Security Numbers) should not be sent via email, as it is not a secure transport.

- Multiple documents may be attached to a single email message. For efficiency, each document should be a separate invoice or work item. However, we can accept a document that contains multiple invoices (work items.)
- If you will be scanning your own documents, e.g. with a Multifunctional Device (MFD, MFP, etc.), scan at 200 or 300dpi resolution and save as a black & white PDF document.
- Emails will be processed up to the “cut-off” time, which is usually 3PM Eastern Time (US). Emails received after that time will be processed with the next day’s work.

The following file types (formats) are supported as attachments:

File Extension File Type
- CSV Comma-Separated Values
- DOC Microsoft Word 95-2003
- DOCX Microsoft Word 2007-2010
- HTM, HTML HTML Document
- PDF Adobe Portable Document Format
- PPT Microsoft PowerPoint 95-2003
- PPTX Microsoft PowerPoint 2007-2010
- PRN Printer Text File
- RTF Rich Text Format
- TIF, TIFF Tagged Image File Format
- TXT Plain Text
- XLS Microsoft Excel 95-2003
- XLSX Microsoft Excel 2007-2010
- XML XML Format
- ZIP Compressed Archive (no password)

How do I attach a document to an invoice?

If necessary, enter the tax amount on invoice and verify that the invoice tax and gross amounts are correct.
 
Click on the “Update prices” button. Click "Browse", select the document you would like to attach and click "OK".
 
Click the "Upload" button to submit the attachment. Click the "Send" button to submit the invoice.
 
To delete an attached document, click the trash can icon on the right side of the document.

Are there additional documents needed when submitting an invoice?

Invoice attachment is required for suppliers doing business with Viacom entities in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia.

 

Suppliers doing business with Viacom entities in Latin America are required to upload supporting documents as attachments during the creation of Invoices. Supporting documents that are expected to be attached in SWIM Invoice submission to Viacom are as follows:

  - Scanned copy of supplier invoice

  - Letter of Award

  - Service Acceptance sheet

  - Delivery Order document, etc

  - Documents as per stipulated in Contract Terms & Conditions in the Attachments section

How do I check on the status of a payment?

To view the status of invoices created in the SWIM and submitted through our imager, please use the Invoice Status Report. For detailed instructions, please view the “Invoice Payment Status” document listed on the Help page.

 

Note: This report can be exported to in an .xls file format to Excel.

How do I create additional users to access The SWIM for my company?

To create an additional user account, go to Home  > Administration> Create User

  •  Agree to Data Privacy Statement
  •  Fill in all fields under General User Information, Contact Information, and Settings
  •  Assign the appropriate role to the new user
How do I change my password?

To reset your SWIM password, please reach out to the GBS Business Services team for the Viacom entity that you are doing business with.

For suppliers doing business with Viacom entities in the US, Canada, Latin, America, Australia and Asia please reach out to VendorInquiry@viacomcbs.com.

For suppliers doing business with Viacom entities in the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, please reach out to GBSBudapest@vimn.com.

Please include your company name, supplier ID/vendor number (if known), and your username (if known).

How do I change my company's information?

To change your company’s general account administration information (including banking details), go to Home > Administration> Company Data

        - Click CHANGE

        - Edit in the field(s) you would like to change

        - Click SAVE (located at top of the page)

Note: All changes are vetted by our Vendor Setup team and may take up to 48 hours to take effect. For additional information, please reach out to one of our Business Services teams. Please reference your supplier ID/vendor number (if known) in all requests.

How do I change my email address?

To change the email address for which you receive general Viacom communications and payment and PO notifications, refer to the instructions in “How do I change my company’s information?”

Note: only one email address can be associated with notifications.

Who do I contact if I have questions that aren't answered above?

For suppliers doing business with entities in the US, Canada and Lain America, please reach out to Vendor Inquiry team at VendorInquiry@viacomcbs.com 

         - Support available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese

  

For suppliers doing business with entities in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia, please email GBSBudapest@viacom.com

Telephone Number:

Australia/NetWork10 - 02 9650 0952