EDI for Sage ERP: 4 Benefits of SaaS EDI Translator

EDI for Sage ERP: 4 Benefits when Customers Invest in a SaaS EDI Translator

If it’s time for your business to get on board with EDI for Sage ERP, you will eventually reach the cross-road – do I choose a cloud-hosted or SaaS translator or the traditional in-house EDI translator? As an EDI consultant, working over the last 6 years in the EDI industry (the last two with MAPADOC software), I have noticed a trend with more clients who ended up very happy with their choice of selecting the SaaS EDI translator such as SPS Commerce or DiCentral. Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits that many people experience when using a SaaS EDI translator and how it compares to an in-house EDI translator. Most customers report that the differences are primarily beneficial despite the upfront costs involved in choosing a SaaS translator. Let’s take a look at what our customers experience.

4 Benefits of EDI for Sage ERP

1. Testing is much easier
When using a SaaS translator the overall EDI testing process is generally the same for every trading partner that you want to integrate.  SaaS EDI translator services provide you with direct access to an analyst who is assigned to the EDI testing project if you have any issues or questions. When it comes to integrating with a new trading partner, many of those who choose to use an in-house translator are forced to test the EDI documents that they want to integrate on the trading partner’s website, or on a third party’s website. This is often a confusing and impersonal experience because the process is going to be different for each of your trading partners and should questions arise during testing, it can sometimes be difficult to get answers from a live person.

2. SaaS translators help you avoid chargebacks
When using a SaaS translator you get an added level of document validation. SaaS EDI translators keep their EDI maps concurrent with your trading partners’ latest EDI specifications for each EDI document. If you send an EDI document to your trading partner using an in-house translator and that document contains an error, the document will likely be sent to your trading partner and err in their system (a situation that you would like to avoid—considering the possibility of chargebacks). However, when using a SaaS translator, each document that you send has to pass their validation process before it is sent to the trading partner. The biggest benefit of this is chargeback prevention. Also, should your trading partner make any changes to their EDI specifications (such as a new field requirement in your ASNs or invoices), your SaaS translator will not only adjust their mapping to accommodate the change, but will also provide you with the necessary information to ensure your system is up to date as well.

3. Customer support is better
With SaaS EDI translators there is a noticeable positive difference in the customer support experience versus in-house translators. EDI can be a totally different language to most people and having access to a support team that is readily available to help you interpret that language can be the deciding factor on whether or not you had a good and productive day at work… or the opposite.

4. Your business can still run during emergencies
When using a SaaS EDI translator such as SPS Commerce or DiCentral for your integrated EDI connections, you typically get access to a web-based EDI solution as well (ex: SPS Commerce’s Webforms) where you can receive and send EDI documents much like you would with e-mail. Even though this solution does not tie directly into your ERP system, it serves as a backup method to allow you to continue receiving and sending EDI documents should problems arise with your ERP system or servers.

To sum up
Choosing between an in-house translator and a SaaS translator is not a decision to be taken lightly. Whichever choice you make, your decision will have an impact on your company and how you do business for years to come. It may even have an impact on your company’s image to your trading partners! Admittedly, over the years I have seen people turn away from choosing a SaaS EDI translator and instead decide to bring EDI in-house because of the upfront costs. In situations like this, I often wonder if the long-term costs associated with not having a SaaS translator and the benefits they provide have been given full consideration.

If you have questions about what is the best choice of EDI translator for your business, SWK Technologies is here to help evaluate your options.  CONTACT US online or by phone at (877) 979-5462.  We specialize in EDI solutions and are the developers of MAPADOC - a powerful, flexible, yet remarkably easy to use EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) software solution built especially for Sage 100 ERP, Sage 500 ERP and Sage ERP X3.

SWK is a business application and consulting company providing strategies and solutions to meet our clients’ information and business management needs. As a Sage Software Authorized Business Partner, Sage Certified Gold Development Partner, Sage Certified Sage ERP X3 Partner and Sage Authorized Training Center, we offer best-of-breed solutions for accounting and business management, financial reporting, ERP, CRM, job costing, EDI, and warehouse management.

To learn more about MAPADOC EDI visit:  http://www.mapadoc.com/products/

By Mike Wiley, MAPADOC Consultant

Image licensedby Kev-Shine (flickr).