Unfortunately, one of the big risks of choosing an outsourced, managed EDI services provider as opposed to in-house (on-premise) EDI is that you might choose a provider that just isn’t the right fit for your business, or the provider isn’t giving you the value you expected, or you’ve outgrown the provider’s services.
If you’ve ended up with a cloud EDI solution that doesn’t fit your business’s unique needs and goals, that doesn’t provide seamless visibility into your supply chain analytics, or that just isn’t growing and scaling with your business, you may be asking yourself—“How do I get out of this mess?”
Many businesses who end up with ill-fitting EDI providers feel trapped, and we’re not just talking about vendor lock-in (though breaking a long-term contract with an existing EDI vendor can present its own difficulties), but by the looming threat of dangers such as disruption to business workflows or the loss of important data that can cost your company time and money.
However, to everyone struggling with a provider whose solutions aren’t solving their business’s unique problems, don’t lose hope! An easy EDI provider transition is possible, and we’re going to show you how the right EDI company can help with an easy integration migration that leaves nothing behind and keeps your business running smoothly.
Understanding the Complexities and Risks of Switching EDI Companies
Let’s get this out of the way: Integration with a new EDI provider comes with more than its fair share of potential challenges. From the complexities of data migration and system integration to the risks of disrupting trading partner connectivity or business workflows, there are a lot of potential pitfalls. Thorough planning, clear communication, coordination between stakeholders, and a solid new EDI provider are essential to overcoming these challenges.
System Integration and Data Migration for EDI
Any EDI transition potentially involves transferring vast amounts of critical business data from old systems to new systems, and the consequences of losing data over the course of the transition can be wide-reaching and severe.
EDI systems are often heavily integrated with other business systems, such as ERP, CRM, and WMS platforms. Compatibility issues, differences in data formats, and mapping requirements can all lead to disruptions to business operations if left unaddressed. Great care must be taken in the transition process to ensure smooth integration between the new EDI solution and these systems.
Easy EDI migration means working with a provider who is willing to mindfully plan everything with you upfront, anticipating any compatibility issues between the new EDI system and your other business systems, and more.
Maintaining EDI Trading Partner Connectivity and Business Continuity
Strong relationships with your trading partners are essential to your business. An EDI transition means having to re-establish EDI connections with your partners to ensure smooth communication and data exchange going forward.
Crossing every “T” and dotting every “I” mitigates or prevents disruptions to trading partner connectivity and business workflows that can otherwise lead to delays in document processing, order fulfillment, and overall business operations if left unchecked.
Your trading partner relationships are the heart of your business—and any great EDI provider knows this!
Training and Familiarization with EDI Onboarding
A new managed EDI service provider often means new interfaces, processes, and functionalities. And this new solution can (and hopefully should) be much better than the old one—but smoothly transitioning from one to the other requires training and support among your employees to familiarize them with the benefits of the new solution and minimizes productivity loss.
Onboarding for a new EDI solution is absolutely essential. Getting everyone familiarized with the system with a well-thought-out and seamless onboarding process is paramount for getting any new EDI solution off the ground. Pilots can’t fly without training, after all!
Security and Compliance
Transitioning to a new EDI provider is a sensitive time for sensitive information. If your organization is in the business of regulatory compliance, such as adherence to GDPR or HIPAA standards, ensuring data security and protecting sensitive customer information in transit from your old EDI system to your new system is a challenge.
Make no mistake—all of these challenges exist in any EDI provider transition process, but choosing the right provider means taking every step to mitigate them. Evaluating potential new EDI providers means taking a careful study of how the new provider will assist you in simplifying these complex EDI transition issues, overcoming these challenges, and ensuring a seamless and easy EDI transition.
Easy EDI Transition with GraceBlood
Sometimes, the best way to get your business back on track for growth and success is an EDI transition. Easier said than done, right? But easy EDI isn’t as out-of-reach as it looks.
EDI is hard work, and there’s a lot that can go wrong—especially when you end up with an EDI provider who forces one-size-fits-all, out-of-the-box solutions onto their clients that don’t fit their business needs, that don’t launch on-time or on-budget, or that just don’t deliver on their promises.
At GraceBlood, whether you’re just starting out with EDI or need to make a change from an EDI provider you’re not happy with, we’re here to provide easy system migration and tailored EDI services so you never have to worry about the perils of subpar EDI implementation.
We follow a six-step EDI implementation process that acts as the foundation of your company’s EDI integration, simplifies the complexities of switching EDI companies, de-risks data migration, and streamlines new EDI solution onboarding for your employees and your trading partners:
- Gather all pertinent information to thoroughly plan your EDI transition
- Analyze all project materials and define
- Develop, design, configure, and test a new, easy EDI solution
- Go live, activate new EDI integrations, and notify all trading partners
- Evaluate whether the new EDI solution is working as intended
- Tune and make adjustments as needed
We understand the importance of maintaining uninterrupted business operations during an EDI transition, and we prioritize a seamless switch through careful and methodical planning to ensure a smooth transition without disrupting existing workflows or relationships. With our extensive experiences integrating with many ERP systems (Acumatica, NetSuite and Canopy to name a few), we know how to seamlessly integrate your business with our solutions—tailor-made to meet your needs and grow alongside your business.
Need to make a switch? Find out how GraceBlood can make integration with a new EDI provider a breeze. Contact us and get in touch with an EDI expert today!
