In our latest article, we discuss the results from our recent poll focused on the advantages of EDI.
EDI (Electronic Data Exchange) is the automated exchange of electronic documents using a standard format. This exchange of electronic documents is usually between buyer and supplier and consists of transferring purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices and other business documents. Therefore this eliminates the need for the movement of paper creating multiple benefits to the organisations that use EDI.
Poll results
In our most recent LinkedIn poll, we asked our social media followers what they thought the biggest advantage of using EDI was for their organisation.
Advantages of EDI: what we found
Increased efficiency
52% of respondents said increased efficiency was the biggest advantage of EDI for their organisation making it the highest ranked option in the poll.
Organisations can benefit from increased efficiency by using EDI as it allows employees to focus on more important value-adding tasks rather than completing more tedious activities. EDI can also improve an organisation’s customer and trading partner relationship management because of faster delivery of goods and services.
Reducing human error
33% of respondents said reducing human error was the greatest advantage of EDI for their organisation.
EDI removes the need to manually retype data which eliminates the potential for costly data entry errors. It can help save considerable time and money, and also improves the customer experience. Manual processes are prone to error, which can be caused from illegible handwriting, re-keying errors or incorrect document handling for example, EDI can improve the data quality and remove the need to re-work orders. Thus, creating great advantages of EDI for any organisation and the likely reason it’s ranked second in our poll.
Environmentally friendly
10% of respondents selected environmentally friendly as the biggest advantage of EDI.
EDI is the automated exchange of electronic documents, which removes the need for paper-based documents. This reduces the CO2 emissions that an organisation produces through the use of paper. It can help promote corporate social responsibility. Use the B2BE Carbon Footprint Calculator to see what happens when you automate and send documents electronically.
Other
Finally, 5% of respondents selected ‘other’.
While ‘other’ could be a number of different advantages of EDI, one of these could be increased business cycle speed. EDI creates an automation that can significantly reduce the delays associated with manual processing. Inventories management is streamlined and made more efficient with real-time data updates.
More information
B2BE’s experience in the supply chain sector allows our customers to build, expand and adapt successfully, enabling greater effectiveness. To engage with B2BE and offer feedback on what matters most to you and your business, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and across social media. If you’d like to discuss your supply chain strategy, including the advantages of EDI, get in touch with us. You can learn more about our EDI solutions here.