What are the advantages of WEBEDI ?

The advantages of WEBEDI are numerous. Simple to use, WEBEDI enables all companies to create, receive and track electronic documents via a WEB portal. But is this way of “doing EDI” as efficient and secure as an integrated EDI solution ?

To answer this question, let’s take a look at this article :

• What WEBEDI really is;
• The real advantages of WEBEDI;
• And finally, when to opt for a WEBEDI solution.

What is WEBEDI ?

Before talking about the many advantages of WEBEDI, we need to define what it is.

WEB EDI definition

WEB EDI is a WEB portal on which the WEB pages display intelligent forms. The portal allows you to create, modify, display and print EDI messages in clear text, as the company sends, receives and processes them.

WEBEDI architecture is of the “hub and spoke” type:

• The main partner (ordering party) has :
  – An integrated EDI service in either SaaS or OnPremise mode,
  – An Internet platform that hosts intelligent forms and exchanges information with the EDI translator of the principal’s EDI service,
• Business customers (suppliers, subcontractors) of the WEB EDI service who connect to the forms hosting platform.

What Web EDI enables :

• Receive EDI messages in clear text, such as orders (ORDERS) which can be exported to Sales Management ;
• Issue despatch advices (DESADV) directly from sales orders received via the WEBEDI portal or imported from Gestion Commerciale ;
• Invoice delivered orders electronically (INVOICE).

The real benefits of WEBEDI

The advantages of WEBEDI for contractors

Offering a WEBEDI service enables principals to generalize the adoption of EDI exchanges with all their commercial partners. Whether they are regular or occasional, and whatever their size, the benefits are immediate by centralizing all commercial and electronic document exchanges on a single channel : EDI.

WEBEDI is also part of the digital transformation of customer/supplier relations, providing a “paperless” solution immediately accessible via an Internet connection.

Another advantage of WEBEDI is that it facilitates the transition to paperless invoicing. All you need to do is set up a reliable audit trail or a certified electronic signature when sending the electronic invoice.

The benefits of WEBEDI for companies

The advantages of a WEBEDI solution for companies are highlighted below :

• No initial investment: all you need is an Internet connection and a browser ;
• Quick learning curve ;
• Simple, transparent pricing, generally less than €30 per month ;
• Traceability of exchanges and legal archiving of documents.

One of the advantages of WEBEDI is that it’s a cloud-based service, which means it :

• Is available from anywhere, 24/7;
• Is always up to date, meaning total transparency in the event of modifications or changes to the EDI standards used. The client is the prime contractor;
• Is always compliant with current regulations, as for technological updates, it is the customer who is responsible for legal compliance;
• Is independent and autonomous from the management and accounting software used in the company: if the company changes software version or software, there is no impact on the EDI service.

When should you opt for a WEBEDI solution ?

Because WEBEDI is not an integrated EDI solution, it does not communicate directly with the software used by the company. WEBEDI doesn’t offer all the advantages of EDI, such as automated processing, elimination of re-typing and high-volume processing.

WEBEDI is often seen as the EDI solution for small and medium-sized businesses with low EDI volumes to process. And for
for which investing in the implementation of an integrated EDI system is not economically justified.

What are the limits of WEBEDI ?

Despite the many advantages of WEBEDI, the solution does have a few limitations. Indeed, company
company staff use a WEBEDI from time to time during the day to check messages received and send messages. These operations are carried out by direct input, usually by exporting and importing text or CSV files.
or CSV files.

In fact, the limits of a WEBEDI are :

• The level of integration required with the client: if you need to communicate with the client in real time and in a continuous flow, a WEBEDI is not the solution; this is often the case for industrial subcontracting, transport and logistics ;
• Very high message volumes, for which batch processing with file import/export is unreliable.

WEBEDI: a Cloud service for everyone?

A WEBEDI is an EDI solution in the cloud. Opting for a WEBEDI means immediately benefiting from
the benefits of the Cloud :

• Budget control ;
• Secure hosting ;
• Real-time adaptation to business needs;
• Ease of collaborative working, especially as telecommuting becomes more widespread.

For over 30 years, Tenor has been helping companies to digitalize their workflows. Indeed, the revolutionary implementation of the 1st WEBEDI (GALIA-approved) by Tenor was a major step forward for all principals and their trading partners.

If you’re interested in this subject, don’t hesitate to consult the article on EDI implementation or the one on the EDIFACT standard.