7 Ways Automation Boosts Your Business Efficiency

In today’s fast-paced business world, efficiency is king. Tedious, repetitive tasks not only consume valuable time but also open the door to costly errors. For businesses handling EDI and online orders, the sheer volume of data and processes can be overwhelming. But what if you could transform these challenges into a competitive advantage?

eZCom Software, with its powerful Lingo platform, offers a robust solution: automation. By automating critical EDI and eCommerce workflows, you can save significant time, drastically reduce errors, and empower your team to focus on strategic initiatives.

What Can Be Automated to Save Time and Reduce Errors?

Automation within Lingo is designed to be flexible, allowing you to tailor it to your specific business needs. Whether you want to automate nearly everything or just a few key tasks, Lingo provides the power to create workflows that perfectly match your operation.

1. Streamlining Document & Task Transmission: Do You Still Manually Send EDI Documents?

One of the most significant time-sinks in EDI is the manual creation and transmission of various documents. Lingo can be preset to automatically handle a wide array of EDI documents and associated tasks, ensuring timely and accurate communication with your trading partners.

• 846 Inventory Update Transmission: Keep your trading partners informed of real-time inventory levels without manual intervention.
• 832 Catalog/Pricing Transmission: Automatically update your catalog and pricing information across all channels.
• 940 Warehouse Order: Instantly send warehouse orders to your distribution centers or 3PLs.
• 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgement: Confirm receipt of purchase orders automatically, improving communication and preventing delays.
• 856 ASN Creation & Transmission: Generate and transmit Advance Ship Notices (ASNs) effortlessly, providing critical shipping information to retailers before goods arrive.
• 810/880 Invoice Creation & Transmission: Create and send accurate invoices automatically, accelerating your billing cycle.

2. Auto-Populating Weights and Packing: Are You Still Manually Entering Item Details?

Repetitive data entry for consistent items is a prime candidate for automation. Lingo allows you to establish variables for specific orders in Settings, significantly reducing manual effort and the potential for human error.

• Item Presets that Auto-Populate Weights: For items shipped consistently, define their weights in Settings. Lingo will then automatically populate these weights when an order comes in, saving countless hours and ensuring accuracy.
• Automate Packing based on Item Presets: If items are always shipped the same way, establish the packing pattern in Settings. Lingo will use this preset when an order arrives, streamlining your packing process and reducing mispacks.

3. Smart Email Alerts: Are You Drowning in Manual Notifications?

Staying informed without being overwhelmed is key. Lingo’s automated email alerts can be customized to provide precisely the information you need, when you need it.

• Customizable Email Alerts: In Settings, choose the email alerts you want to receive. These can be set for every transaction or tailored to be most valuable to your workflow, ensuring you’re always in the loop without constant manual checks.

How Can Automation Transform Your Drop Shipping Operations?

Drop shipping, while offering significant advantages, can be a logistical challenge due to the individualized nature of each shipment. Automation with Lingo makes handling drop ship orders far more manageable and less time-consuming.

4. Effortless Drop Shipping: Is Drop Shipping Still a Manual Headache?

Lingo streamlines the entire drop ship process, from order receipt to final delivery notification:

• Automated Order Flow: When a retail trading partner places an order via EDI 850, it’s automatically pushed into Lingo.
• Seamless Shipping Integration: With order information, including shipping weights, pre-established in Settings, Lingo automatically sends the necessary data to your shipping provider. Labels and tracking information are returned directly to Lingo.
• Retailer-Branded Packing Slips & Labels: If required, Lingo automatically generates retailer-branded packing slips and labels, which are then sent to your warehouse/3PL for efficient pick, pack, and ship.
• Instant ASN & Invoice Transmission: An ASN (EDI 856) is automatically sent to the retailer, and an Invoice (EDI 810) is generated from the ASN and transmitted. This entire process, which could take hours manually, is completed in minutes without staff intervention.

Integrating for Maximum Automation: Are Your Systems Still Disconnected?

True efficiency comes from interconnected systems. Lingo’s ability to integrate with shipping providers and accounting software further expands your automation capabilities.

5. Unified Data Flow: Are You Manually Transferring Data Between Systems?

Lingo acts as a central hub, ensuring seamless data flow between critical business applications:

• Automated Shipping & Accounting Integration: After an EDI 850 order is pushed into Lingo, order information automatically flows to your shipping provider for label and tracking generation. Concurrently, this data flows into your accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks), which generates an invoice number and sends it back to Lingo – no manual data entry required.
• Automated Document Transmission: As with drop shipping, the ASN (EDI 856) and Invoice (EDI 810) are automatically generated and sent to the retailer. This eliminates redundant data entry and ensures accuracy across all systems.

Simplifying Online Order Processing: Is Your eCommerce Fulfilment a Manual Bottleneck?

For businesses selling through online marketplaces or their own eCommerce stores, Lingo brings the same level of automation to online order processing, integrating seamlessly with your ERP.

6. Automated eCommerce Fulfillment: Is Your Online Order Processing Too Time-Intensive?

Lingo transforms manual, high-touch online order processing into a smooth, automated workflow:

• Direct Order Ingestion: Whether a shopper buys from Amazon, Shopify, or your own eCommerce site, the purchase flows directly into Lingo, just like a traditional EDI transaction.
• ERP Integration & Confirmation: Lingo moves the order information into your ERP, and a confirmation is sent back to Lingo.
• Warehouse Communication & Confirmation: Lingo sends the Warehouse Shipping Order (EDI 940) to your distribution center or 3PL, complete with all necessary labels. Once pick-and-pack is complete, the Warehouse Shipping Advice (EDI 945) is returned to Lingo and integrated into your ERP for confirmation.
• Automated Customer & Sales Channel Updates: If the sales channel requires it, order confirmation is submitted automatically once the order is picked up. Once the shipment is made, shipping information (carrier/service, tracking numbers) is automatically sent to the sales channel and emailed to the customer.

7. Real-Time Inventory Integration: Are Your Online Inventory Levels Always Up-to-Date?

Maintaining accurate inventory across all sales channels is crucial. Lingo provides automated inventory integration, preventing overselling and improving customer satisfaction.

• Automated Inventory Synchronization: Lingo keeps your online sales channels updated with real-time inventory information, reducing the risk of selling out-of-stock items and ensuring a smooth customer experience.

By embracing these automations, businesses can move beyond tedious, error-prone manual processes and achieve a genuine competitive advantage. Learn more about how eZCom makes EDI easy here. Discover the power of Lingo for your business. Explore how eZCom Software simplifies complex EDI and eCommerce challenges.

FAQ

What is EDI automation?

EDI automation refers to the use of software to automatically process, transmit, and manage Electronic Data Interchange documents and related tasks, eliminating the need for manual intervention.

How can automation save my business time?

Automation saves time by eliminating repetitive manual data entry, accelerating document transmission, streamlining order processing, and reducing the need for human oversight on routine tasks.

Can automation reduce errors in my business?

Yes, automation significantly reduces errors by standardizing processes, eliminating manual data input, and ensuring consistent execution of tasks according to predefined rules, minimizing human mistakes.

Is eZCom’s Lingo software customizable for automation?

Absolutely. Lingo is designed for flexibility, allowing businesses to automate nearly everything or choose an “a la carte” approach, creating workflows that precisely match their operational needs and trading partner requirements.

Can Lingo automate drop shipping?

Yes, Lingo can fully automate drop shipping processes, from receiving orders and sending shipping information to generating retailer-branded packing slips, labels, ASNs, and invoices, all without manual staff intervention.

Does Lingo integrate with accounting software and shipping providers?

Yes, Lingo integrates seamlessly with major accounting software (like QuickBooks) and shipping providers. This allows for automated data flow, from order information to invoice numbers and shipping labels, creating a unified and efficient workflow.

What types of EDI documents can Lingo automate?

Lingo can automate a wide range of EDI documents and tasks, including 846 Inventory Updates, 832 Catalog/Pricing transmissions, 940 Warehouse Orders, 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgements, 856 ASN Creation and Transmission, and 810/880 Invoice Creation and Transmission, among others.