EDI for ROI

We implemented ISO 9001 and were accredited last year, which is unique in the EDI/EIPP arena.

As I have blogged before ISO 9001 is not mainly about current quality but about a continuous improvement process for your business.

The fruits of that process are now coming to bear. We are just about to roll out the latest release of our SaaS EDI offering. This new offering has added operational improvements, speed improvements, and customer interface improvements. Some were internal ideas and some were from customers, but all were continuous improvements highlighted via the ISO 9001 process.One of the improvement will offer a new service for our users that adds a new dimension to the benefits of EDI over the normally paper document exchange.

When we issue the release later in August we believe that it will lead to improved customer satisfaction, reduced support issues, improved mapping performance and so increased profitability. All down to a strategy that included ISO 9001, in itself a great continuous improvement suggestion.

Unconnected with EDI

This is slightly off topic but....

Business has a role to play in the community that it exists in. I was thinking about this on the train back from an Institute of Directors course today. It is not really a responsibility in a legal sense although of course there are rules regarding the environment, HSE etc., but it comes from the fact that if a business exists in a community then it should do what it can to help the community. After all that may well be where its next employee is drawn from.

As with most companies we give a certain amount to charities, one for example that provides information packs to local schools on drug awareness.

However one community involvement that we started last year and have continued this year is our sponsorship of a local juniors cricket club, Grindleford. The juniors season has just ended and it has been terrific to see children from age 7 to 14 enjoying the sport of cricket. There is a huge amount of effort put in by members of the club, in their own time, to provide the children with the opportunity to both train, and take part in competitions.

What has been really pleasing this year is that the number of children involved has grown so that now over 35 children are benefiting from the health and social benefits that team sport brings. The do not just come from the village but from miles around.

Given the UK's preoccupation with “out of control youth”, seeing the enjoyment 12 weeks of cricket training and matches has given, just by offering the children something to enjoy on a regular basis, has been superb. If more companies invested in such schemes we may help alleviate the problem of bored kids, just help give the kids something to do. Not all of them will turn in to the next Freddie Flintoff but they all enjoy it and the cost per head is negligible.

The Seed of Truth for EDI.

EDI is only as good as the quality of the data. This appears to be overlooked in a lot of rather simplistic approaches to EIPP. Hence, if the only transaction is an invoice then the accuracy relies on the supplier having first translated the customer's order requirements in to their own ERP system correctly. In turn the accuracy of the purchase order is reliant upon the customers having the correct pricing and product codes in their back office system.

 

In discussion with a customer the other day they explained how they take the issue of getting the supplier data correct so seriously that they have a department that has sole responsibility for this. They sell over 30,000 different products and this is just about a full time job.

 

Together with ourselves this is a target for EDI. We are working with the clients and the suppliers to make the adoption of the suppliers products and prices automatic. The savings to the customer are self evident, but the suppliers will benefit by receiving accurate purchase orders, preferably electronically.

 

This accuracy will benefit all parties. We call the starting point of the accuracy “The Seed”. The closer “The Seed” is to the start of the process, the better the entire process. The more benefit for all.