It’s safe to say that machine learning, automation, increased access to data/analytics, and other technological advances are the future of supply chain and EDI. These advances will give companies an edge in making their supply chains faster, more flexible, more granular, and all around more accurate. But, at what cost? You should have high expectations of your EDI provider, as well as their technology, and make sure they continue to meet your standards.
A large push in scaling automation – particularly for retailers – has been the use of chatbots and other types of software to handle customer relationships and services. Research is showing that customers don’t trust automated customer service experiences. For example, check out these statistics from Sitel Group’s CX Index Report, which “analyzes consumer sentiment toward customer experiences”.
Take a look at your supply chain partners. Are they providing you with the technology to improve your supply chain? While offering someone to answer your questions in real time? Particularly with EDI, most support systems are designed to where a problem is not dealt with right away. Meanwhile, it can take days to speak with someone. That should never be the standard with you’re dealing with order or transaction issues. Your EDI provider should have a built-in project and support team on-call to resolve issues and provide insights quickly.
Related Reading: What is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?
In conclusion, technology is amazing and is changing the way supply chains work for the better. But, technology should always work in tandem with real human interactions and relationship building.
SupplyPike builds software to help retail suppliers fight deductions, meet compliance standards, and dig down to root cause issues in their supply chain.
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