EDI or a customer portal?
EDI moves orders between systems. A portal lets people order and serve themselves. They fit different customers, and many suppliers run both.
How they compare.
| Topic | EDI | Portal by Webisoft |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | High-volume trading partners whose systems send orders automatically. | The many customers who order by phone, email or spreadsheet today. |
| Customer needs | Their own EDI setup or provider. | A browser. |
| Setup per customer | Mapping and testing per trading partner. | Invite their users. |
| What customers can do | Send orders and receive documents such as acknowledgements and invoices. | Order and reorder, request quotes, pay invoices, track shipments, raise returns and service requests. |
| Mandated by large retailers | Often required. | Not a replacement where EDI is mandated. |
| Feeds the ERP | Yes, through the EDI integration. | Yes, through the ERP API. |
| Time to go live | Varies. | 5 days for the standard modules. |
| Try it before a call | Varies. | A live demo you can click through now, no form. |
Choosing between them.
When is EDI the right choice?
When a large customer requires it, or when order volume between two systems is high and steady. Keep EDI for those partners.
Can a portal replace EDI?
Not where a customer mandates EDI. A portal covers the customers who do not have EDI, and adds self-service that EDI does not, like returns and invoice payment.
Can both run on the same ERP?
Yes. EDI and the portal both write to the ERP, so orders land in one place whichever way they come in.
Weighing other options?
- Webstore or app platform?Selling online to new buyers, or serving the customers you already have?
- Portal or ERP logins?Hand out ERP seats, or give customers a portal built for them?
- Built-in portal or Portal by Webisoft?Your ERP ships a portal. When is it enough, and when is it not?
- Build it or start from a platform?Build it with your own team, or start from a platform?
- Email and phone, or a portal?Keep keying in emailed orders, or let customers order themselves?
See the portal side
Place an order and pay an invoice as a customer in the live demo, no EDI setup.