Are EDI operators adding any value?

Does an EDI operator just transport EDI documents from sender to receiver? Most of our customers know that there is almost always format conversion involved. EDI operator also authorizes users, ensures secure and reliable channels, addresses documents, monitors traffic and maintains logs. On top of that, there are several value adding services to smooth out the potential functional limitations of business software.

Filling in the missing data

Sometimes business software is not able to issue a document with all the required data. Some examples: the ID of a partner company is on the document, but its name or address is missing. Sometimes an extra zero is added to a 12-digit product code because someone’s system only stores 13-digit codes. Correcting these deviations manually would take a lot of time and effort. Telema is able to add and modify the data automatically, according to agreed rules before forwarding it. Consequently, the receiver gets high quality documents that can be processed directly, without extra administrative work.

Validation

Companies may have specific invoice requirements in addition to those set by law. For example, Selver requires that all invoices have a reference to the underlying order. Rimi is not able to import invoices with numbers longer than 35 digits. Telema is able to set up validators that check every document against your specific rules. If there is something wrong with the document, it will not be sent to the receiver and the sender will be notified of the problems. Currently, Telema validators are set to check documents against 160 different rules.

Matching

Matching is a function that compares two documents according to prescribed criteria. For example, Bauhof wants all its purchase invoices to match the corresponding receiving advice exactly. In case these documents differ, the invoice is not imported into the Telema system and the sender is notified of the need to send a corrected document. This ensures that the invoice is issued precisely for the quantity actually received, and can be automatically authorized for payment.

The three advanced services described above are those used most frequently. But we offer a much wider range of value added services and will help to find the most suitable ones for your business needs.