What to look for when choosing an EDI provider
Finding the right EDI provider for your business can be a challenging process and can mean the difference between improvements within your business and an extremely frustrating experience. Therefore, you need to weigh up and consider several key factors before beginning your EDI journey with any EDI provider.
Keep these tips in mind:
1. How responsive is the EDI provider?
Who answers when you call for support?
If you have a critical business issue that requires resolution as soon as possible, who would you prefer to contact: a call centre, a chatbot or a knowledgeable human expert?
Not so difficult to answer – especially if business continuity is at stake. If you have a business issue that needs to be resolved, response time is critical. What you want to rely on is a seasoned EDI partner who can provide (a) a prompt response, (b) can diagnose the issue quickly and (c) can provide you with a real solution and make the necessary changes to correct.
2. How much industry experience does the EDI provider have?
Study an EDI providers website. Do they have case studies/testimonials readily available?Find out how many years they are in business. Who are their existing customers? If you happen to know any of these customers personally, then ask them for a reference.
A seasoned EDI provider that has experience in serving customers from different business backgrounds, will help to ensure that you are getting the best possible advice, and can add real value to your own supply chain operations. Also, an EDI provider that has experience in your industry will already understand and have existing connections for trading partners in your own industry.
3. Choose the type of EDI solution that is tailored for you.
The right EDI service provider should be able to offer you the best solution for your specific needs.
That is whether you are a smaller company with meagre EDI resources or a larger company looking to, for example implement a supplier portal. Irrespective, you require an intuitive solution for your business that is quick to implement, and that allows any user to perform EDI tasks with some or even no training.
4. Does the EDI provider offer a secure platform?
Cyber-attacks have become an acknowledged issue in business today, with business stability being affected leading to significant financial loss. Since you will be exchanging documents with your business partners using EDI it is important to ensure that your EDI provider takes security seriously.
Therefore, ask any potential EDI provider for their proof of security accreditations and certifications – such as ISO27001.
5. What is included in the price?
Choose pricing that works best for you. Pricing usually is one of the main deciding factors in an EDI solution for a business.
So, you need to ask what exactly does the pricing include? Clarify if there are any hidden costs working together in the future. When discussing with your prospective EDI provider, check on charges (such as character limits, EDI mapping, etc). Electronic data services are scalable at a cost per customer – they are just not a onetime subscription. So, to help narrow down the pricing piece, assess the volume of your data exchange. It is then you can better select the pricing model that fits your business.
Finding the right EDI provider is essential for any business looking to optimise their operations and scale effectively. Whether you are at start of your EDI journey or even weighing up a switch from your current provider, choosing the right provider can be challenging, but it is worthwhile to spend time choosing a provider that will ensure that you get the most return on your investment and help drive growth in your business.
Working with an experienced EDI provider such as Celtrino, will help to ensure you have a reliable EDI solution that gives you the expertise and support necessary to realise optimal results for improving your business. So why not embrace the potential of EDI and transform your operations with the help of Celtrino today.
