3 Things Sage ERP Users Should Look for in EDI

In business, some things just go together. ERP and EDI solutions are two of those things. Both add value independently, but together they offer companies unparalleled efficiency and connectivity.

Organizations utilizing Sage will likely understand this more than most. Sage’s suite of products is tailored to industries where EDI is prevalent. Still, the corporate landscape is fiercely competitive, and Sage users need to ensure they’re picking the right EDI solution.

Here are three critical areas that Sage users should consider before embarking on an EDI integration project.

1. How easy is the solution to maintain?

Developing organizations that use Sage need their EDI solutions to act as a catalyst for growth and facilitate transactions with trading partners, not be restricted by them. Selecting a solution that is easy to operate enables this flexibility, allowing businesses to enhance and expand their operations.

EDI adds value by ensuring compliance with key trading partners. However, if you’re investing more time and resources into your EDI solution, you should ensure to maximize its value.

Fully managed EDI solutions allow businesses to transform EDI from a potentially costly (but unavoidable) expense into a business opportunity by providing the necessary experience, skills, and infrastructure to allow companies to concentrate on their core competencies.

Sage users who outsource their EDI to a fully managed provider are free from the burden and risks associated with technical issues, maintenance costs, and the need to keep abreast of advancing technology. In fast-paced industries, this flexibility is essential—and so is reliability. It’s important to select a provider whose business is built on total reliability for necessary peace of mind. Additionally, sourcing internal EDI expertise can be expensive and challenging to acquire. When your business’s largest contracts are on the line, there is no room for error.

Elmer Candy is a growing business that chose TrueCommerce’s industry-leading Sage X3 integrated EDI solution to automate time-consuming manual processes and reduce the need for custom programming. Utilizing a robust and easy-to-use EDI platform, they could interact with the system without needing to become EDI experts.

“The time and money we’re saving overall with TrueCommerce EDI is substantial, but the value of the system is beyond that— it’s priceless.”

– Susan Penouilh, EDI Programmer Analyst, Elmer Candy Corporation

2. What connections does the solution provide?

For many businesses, the most challenging thing about scaling their EDI solution is onboarding new trading partners onto their network. Choosing an external partner with a global trading network can reduce onboarding pressure. You can rely on proven strategies that enable quick and accurate EDI implementations.

The TrueCommerce global commerce network includes over 180,000 pre-configured trading partner maps, including retailers, distributors, and logistics service providers, so you can quickly and easily connect to your entire supply chain. Plus, the TrueCommerce integration for Sage is the only integration that connects you with your EDI customers and suppliers, as well as your marketplaces and storefronts.

Cordova Safety Products, a division of International Sourcing Company, found that it needed to connect to major retailers at an increased rate to continue its impressive trajectory. This personal protective equipment provider elected to outsource its onboarding to radically simplify the process of adding new EDI trading partners and eliminate a longstanding invoicing backlog.

“We’re one of America’s fastest-growing private companies and we recently obtained the licensing rights for Stanley® and Dickies® branded safety products. We wouldn’t be able to keep up with our continued growth without our TrueCommerce EDI solution.”

– Printice Kincade, IT Director, Cordova Safety Products

3. Can this solution grow with my business?

ERP systems are cornerstones of business, meaning you’ll want to implement the most appropriate platform for each stage of your corporate maturity. As your business evolves, so will your internal requirements. You’ll need to ensure their technical toolset isn’t holding you back.

Often, smaller organizations utilizing a moderate ERP will reach a point where their existing platform no longer meets the needs of the business and will need to upgrade. It’s at this stage of growth that they can encounter a multitude of integration and mapping issues. For this instance, having a ‘transferable’ EDI solution that can integrate with current and future business systems will allow for greater scalability and agility.

TrueCommerce EDI makes it easy for your business to switch ERPs without worrying about changing your current EDI solution. Regardless if you’re upgrading from Sage 100 to Sage X3 (or a different ERP entirely), our flexible architecture helps make the migration process painless and replaces using multiple integrations from various vendors, saving you the associated cost and resources.

Origin Point Brands benefitted from TrueCommerce’s flexible architecture when it began an ERP upgrade and moved to Sage X3. Their migration offered the opportunity to replace its legacy EDI system with a more efficient and effective solution that offered improved visibility into EDI data and transactions while integrating seamlessly into its new Sage X3 system.

“When I was asked to oversee our EDI migration, I was worried because I didn’t know what I was getting into. Now, just a few months later, EDI is ‘my baby’ and I feel confident and empowered thanks to our partnership with TrueCommerce.”

– Rebecca Dersch-Bell, EDI Coordinator, Origin Point Brands, LLC

Automate Your Supply Chain with an Integrated EDI Solution for Sage

Whether you’re looking into EDI integration for the first time or need to upgrade your EDI solution to further your business growth through an existing system, integrating Sage with EDI reduces manual effort, increases productivity and streamlines critical business processes. TrueCommerce offers complete, end-to-end EDI solutions, and our modular architecture allows you to change your Sage system without disrupting your whole EDI solution.

From sales orders and invoices to ASNs and delivery transactions, accelerate productivity without increasing staff. With an integration from TrueCommerce, you have everything you need to automate your EDI sales processes and eliminate manual data entry. Contact us today to get started!