TrueCommerce vs. Crstl

An EDI managed service is where a company outsources its EDI requirements to an EDI provider, who not only provide an EDI solution, they also pro-actively manage the platform and the customers’ day-to-day EDI requirements.

Companies across all sectors are increasingly outsourcing their EDI requirements to a dedicated EDI managed service provider to overcome the constraints of managing an on-premise EDI solution.

As businesses expand and data exchange needs grow, EDI Managed Services provide the scalability and insights necessary for a secure and successful EDI system. Here are 10 notable benefits:

• EDI managed service reduces costs. When you outsource EDI management, the need for interviewing, onboarding, and paying salaries for additional internal staff is eliminated. Companies using cloud technology can also avoid investing in physical hardware.
• Improved internal bandwidth. Managing EDI systems is no longer the responsibility of internal teams. This means talent can focus on business critical tasks and innovation, rather than on the day –to- day running and upkeep of EDI.
• Expert collaboration. With an EDI managed service businesses gain access to a team of EDI experts. This team stay updated on the latest best practices and possess extensive historical knowledge.
• Less System Downtime. Managed service providers offer 24/7 monitoring to ensure EDI systems run smoothly. This means problems and issues are identified, diagnosed, and resolved quickly which reduces downtime.
• Quicker error resolution. Continuous monitoring by experts ensures errors and SLA issues are promptly addressed, avoiding missed SLA fees.
• Faster Onboarding. Providers use pre-built templates to expedite the onboarding of new partners, enhancing efficiency.
• Improved Order Accuracy. Enhanced monitoring, proper installation, and accurate mapping lead to timely and accurate order fulfillment with fewer errors.
• Increased Customer Satisfaction. Minimal downtime results in improved customer satisfaction. Using a EDI managed service provider can lead to an increase in positive company reviews and business opportunities.
• Enhanced Security. Managed service providers implement advanced security measures to protect sensitive data, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
• Scalability. EDI Managed Services easily scale to accommodate business growth and evolving data exchange needs, allowing companies to adapt quickly without major infrastructure changes.

The problem with on-premise EDI solutions is that they can be notoriously difficult, expensive and time-consuming for in-house IT staff to manage. There are considerable complexities involved due to the vast array of standards used for exchanging data (such as Tradacoms, EDIFACT, EANCOM and XML). Multiple connectivity protocols such as AS2, FTP and SFTP, as well as ëlegacy’ protocols such as X25 and X400 create further complexities that need to be managed.

These complexities are intensified when trading partners make changes to their requirements, for example many retailers have moved from an EDI VAN to AS2 as their preferred connectivity preference and it is very common for trading partners to request new document types such as ASN’s. Even minor tweaks to documents, such as adding a new mandatory field, present challenges on an ongoing basis that makes maintaining EDI connections a time-consuming process which can distract internal IT resources from more strategic tasks.

The same is true for the on-boarding of suppliers, which needs to be managed, both in terms of supplier adoption and supplier enablement. Poor supplier onboarding is the single biggest reason for the failure of electronic trading and EDI initiatives.

There are a number of key factors that should be considered when reviewing your EDI solution, many of these can have a serious impact on business-critical processes within your business. With this in mind, it’s important you choose the best solution for your organization.

If your current provider struggles with onboarding, support, or scaling, it’s time to evaluate alternatives. TrueCommerce offers fully managed EDI, strong ERP integration, and access to a large pre-connected network to help reduce complexity and improve performance.

The success of your B2B eCommerce platform relies on providing customers with accurate product data such as descriptions, specifications and images, accurate prices and stock availability. It also relies on the accurate and timely processing of orders placed on the platform and the provision of accurate invoices. Doing so involves the use of many business systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), accounting, warehouse management and order processing systems.

B2B eCommerce integration enables your B2B eCommerce platform to be seamlessly integrated with your business systems, automating the exchange of data between the systems.