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Are you struggling to stay competitive in the air cargo industry? Managing operational costs, meeting changing customer demands, and dealing with disconnected systems can feel overwhelming. In today’s volatile market, you must adapt quickly to stay ahead. Without the right tools, inefficiencies will pile up, slowing your decisions and limiting your growth.

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Top EDI VAN providers: Why PartnerLinQ leads the market in EDI services

We all agree to the fact that in today’s fast-paced, interconnected business environment, seamless data exchange is critical to staying competitive. For organizations who handle vast amounts of transactions, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has been an important method for automating communications between business partners. It is instrumental in reducing errors, accelerating transaction time, and eliminating manual processes. This, in turn, makes it indispensable for industries.

Having said that, not all EDI solutions are created equal. EDI Value-Added Networks (VANs) play an important role in ensuring that these electronic documents are securely transmitted between businesses.

In this blog, we’ll look at the leading EDI VAN providers, with a special focus on why PartnerLinQ has emerged as a market leader in EDI services.

Understanding EDI VAN providers

Even before we dive into why PartnerLinQ is a market leader, it’s essential to understand what EDI VAN providers do. It is a centralized hub that allows organizations to exchange EDI documents with multiple trading partners. Services such as document routing, data validation, and compliance monitoring are offered by VAN providers. In this way, it makes sure that the business-critical data flows smoothly, and accurately across different organizations.

Some of the leading EDI VAN providers in the market include:

IBM Sterling B2B Collaboration: IBM Sterling has been a top choice for large enterprises needing EDI solutions as it is known for its security and compliance.

OpenText Trading Grid: OpenText is a cloud-based B2B integration platform that provides global trading partner connectivity.

TrueCommerce: It offers a scalable solution for small-to-mid-sized businesses, with easy-to-use EDI tools.

Why PartnerLinQ leads the EDI VAN market?

Even though all the above players offer strong services, PartnerLinQ has emerged as a leading player by solving key challenges faced by business when managing EDI systems.

Here is why PartnerLinQ has emerged as one of the leaders when it comes to leading the EDI VAN market.

1. Comprehensive EDI solutions for modern businesses

The biggest USP of PartnerLinQ is that it offers a cutting-edge platform that integrates traditional EDI with modern data exchange solutions. This feature of PartnerLinQ makes it the organization of choice for companies that need both legacy support and forward-looking capabilities.

PartnerLinQ, unlike other VAN providers, incorporates APIs and real-time data exchange, enabling businesses to meet the needs of modern supply chains.

PartnerLinQ ensures businesses can operate efficiently and remain agile, even in the face of shifting market demands.

2. Cloud-native, scalable architecture

Traditional EDI VANs rely on on-premises infrastructure. However, as PartnerLinQ is built on a cloud-native architecture, it not only reduces the need for costly hardware and complex maintenance, but it also makes it scalable. PartnerLinQ ensures that updates are rolled out continuously, without disrupting daily operations.

3. Real-time visibility and tracking

Lack of visibility into data flows is one of the biggest challenges that businesses face when using EDI. Even now, a lot of VAN solutions use outdated batch processing. It has a tendency of leaving businesses in the dark about transaction statuses.

With PartnerLinQ’s real-time visibility and tracking features, businesses can monitor document exchanges in real time. This, in turn, empowers decision-makers to respond proactively to issues, preventing delays.

4. End-to-end supply chain connectivity

EDI systems are often siloed. However, PartnerLinQ integrates EDI with other supply chain management tools, ensuring connectivity across the entire supply chain. With PartnerLinQ, businesses can connect with suppliers, distributors, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) on a single platform.

Conclusion: Why PartnerLinQ is a market leader

In today’s business world, where changing market conditions and customer demands are important, PartnerLinQ stands out as a next-generation EDI VAN provider. With its cloud-native architecture, and analytics, PartnerLinQ provides businesses with a comprehensive solution.

If you're looking to enhance supply chain operations, PartnerLinQ is your EDI provider of choice.

10 Things You Should See in EDI Service Providers In 2025

Many businesses struggle to take their data management and exchange processes to the next level. They may be using an outdated Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) solution, or they may not be using EDI at all. 

If your business needs better data management, you may want to consider finding an EDI service provider. Here is an introduction to EDI and 10 considerations when looking for EDI service providers in 2025.

Overview of EDI implementation

In an increasingly digitized world, businesses must also change how they operate. Many companies are now turning to EDI to manage their workflows better.

The global EDI software market size is estimated to reach a whopping $4.04 billion by 2029, compared to $2.88 billion in 2024.

What is EDI? 

EDI is the electronic interchange of business information following a standard format. It’s generally used to streamline transactions between companies. This process was once done using paper documents that had to be mailed back and forth, however, EDI now enables businesses to exchange data electronically and quickly.

What is the difference between EDI and non-EDI?

While EDI refers to the process of electronically exchanging business data in a pre-defined format between systems, non-EDI is the traditional way of exchanging information without any pre-defined format. This would include using paper documents or even emailing attachments back and forth. Non-EDI can be very time consuming and expensive due to mailing costs. Non-EDI formats can include: Fixed length flat files, Variable length flat files, Binary files, to name a few.

Benefits of EDI software to a business’s supply chain 

EDI can be powerful to the business supply chain, automating and speeding up processes that would traditionally be done manually or through ineffective processes. Various organizations, including retailers, manufacturers, and distributors, can use EDI software to automate processes and improve data accuracy. It can maximize efficiency, improve overall experience, minimize errors throughout the supply chain, and provide the following key benefits:

  • Order management: If your business wants the most efficient way to fulfill orders, EDI is the solution. EDI can automate the process of orders being placed with suppliers and keep up with customer demands. This way, businesses have a way to quickly and easily place orders with suppliers.
  • Inventory management: EDI can also help businesses keep track of inventory levels. By integrating with your company’s accounting software, you can get real-time updates on what needs to be restocked. This helps avoid stock-outs and keeps the supply chain running smoothly.
  • Shipping and logistics: One of the major benefits of EDI is its ability to streamline shipping and logistics. In tandem with a company’s shipping software, businesses can automatically generate labels and track shipments. 

Top 10 Considerations for Selecting Your EDI Service Provider

To ensure your business is ready for the new year, you’ll want an efficient and reliable EDI service provider. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when selecting one:

1. What kind of integration is there? Do they support all formats?

A good place to start is to make sure the provider can integrate with all the software you’re using. Finding an EDI service provider that uses an Application Programming Interface (API) for integration is recommended to make it easier to connect with your existing systems. 

Integrated solutions are important because they can automate processes and make it easier to manage data. 

2. Are they industry-agnostic?

Your EDI provider should not be specific to any one industry. This is because your business might branch out into new markets and you don’t want to change providers. An agnostic provider will also be able to give you a more objective perspective on how best to use EDI in your business and cater to your unique needs. 

3. What deployment models do they use?

There are three main deployment models for EDI: on-premise, cloud-based, and hybrid. On-premise means the EDI software is installed and managed on your company’s servers. Cloud-based solutions are hosted by the provider and accessed through the internet. 

Hybrid deployments use a combination of both on-premise and cloud-based resources. The best option for you will depend on your company’s size and needs, budget, and IT infrastructure.

4. How long do they take to implement EDI?

Time to implementation is important, as you don’t want your business to be disrupted for too long. A good provider can give you a timeline for implementation and stick to it. As EDI can be difficult to set up, it’s important to ensure your provider has a good track record with other clients. 

5. Do they have an industry understanding in which you operate? 

You should ensure that the provider you choose has a good understanding of your industry and your company’s specific needs. This way, they can help you select the best EDI software for your business and ensure a smooth transition to using it. 

For example, your provider should be familiar with HIPAA compliance if you’re in the healthcare industry. Or, if you’re in the retail industry, your provider should know about EDI for e-commerce. 

6. Do they have a technological understanding?

You’ll also want to make sure that your provider has a good understanding of the technology you’re using. They should be able to support you and help you troubleshoot any issues you may have. 

Additionally, they should be up-to-date on the latest EDI software and standards so that you can be confident your business is using the best possible solution. 

7. Is it a secure platform? 

EDI data is often sensitive, so it’s important to ensure that your provider has a secure platform. Also, 80% of all cyber breaches happen in the supply chain, and 72% of companies don’t have full visibility into their supply chains. The platform should comply with industry security standards like HIPAA and PCI DSS.

8. Is the solution user-friendly? 

One of the most important things to consider when choosing an EDI service provider is whether or not their solution is user-friendly. After all, you don’t want your employees to waste time figuring out how to use the software. 

A good EDI service provider will offer a solution that is easy to use and comes with training and support so your employees can be up and running quickly.

 

9. Is the solution scalable?

As your business grows, you’ll want an EDI solution that can scale with you. A good EDI provider will offer a scalable solution so that you can add on features and functionality as needed. This way, you won’t have to switch providers down the road when your business expands.

10. What is the reputation of the partner and support? 

Finally, select an EDI service provider with a good reputation. You can check online reviews and talk to other businesses in your industry to see what they recommend. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure the provider offers good customer support if you have any problems using their software. 

Why choose PartnerLinQ?

As you browse EDI service providers that can offer all of these things, you’ll want to keep PartnerLinQ in mind. We’re a leading provider of EDI solutions and have over 25 years of experience helping businesses with their data exchange needs. With PartnerLinQ, our digital platform for communication with EDI and non-EDI partners, you can take full control of your supply chain.

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, request a demo today and learn more about PartnerLinQ and how it can help you transform your supply chain ecosystem.

How does EDI Help Manage Global Supply Chain Disruptions?

In football, a good team chemistry is key to gaining a winning advantage over the opposition. Your opponents, on the other hand, will pull out all the stops to stand in between your team and victory. In such a fast-paced game with continuous movement, the players are in a constant struggle to maintain balance between defence and attack. Communication and collaboration are critical, and separate the champions from mere contenders.

Similarly, the fast-paced business environment demands a lot of movement on and off the field. Just like a champion team, businesses rely on key players and a healthy supply chain. Across procurement, production, distribution, and sales, strong collaboration and clear communication help tackle changing market conditions, thus playing a key role in surpassing customer expectations.

As market complexities increase and customer needs and expectations change, so too does the frequency and severity of supply chain disruptions.

Causes Leading to Supply Chain Disruptions

Here are some causes of supply chain disruptions:

  • Unexpected business interruptions
  • Raw material and labor shortages
  • Transportation network disruptions
  • Natural or environmental disasters
  • Geopolitical instability
  • Telecommunication or electric infrastructure failures
  • Cyber-attacks and other disruptions to IT infrastructure and services

The differences between local and global supply chain disruptions can no longer be measured in mere degrees. As your business, like thousands of others, is more interconnected and dependent on trading partners than ever before, global disruptions affect a wide range of business functions and require innovative solutions.

Disruptions Due to the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across world economies and the impact was felt by every business, both on the supply and demand side. Factory output slowed or stopped entirely, warehouses and transportation companies operated far below capacity or closed down, and productivity dipped, mirroring a shallow drop in consumer demand.

Some estimates indicated a 20% decline in consumer demand and recovery is expected to take months.

Below, we highlight a few examples of how different business teams were affected by the most recent global supply chain disruptions.

  • Suppliers – You need carriers and trucks to get your products to the market. These carriers need to be integrated with your enterprise systems to receive messages such as load tenders. Suddenly your connection is disrupted and getting them re-connected takes time with your present EDI solution – time that you don’t have.
  • Retailers – Your stores have been closed and you need 3PL providers to ship your products directly to customers. You have no experience with direct-to-consumer shipments and have no idea where to begin integrating. Everyone you talk to is an expert with their own solution.  But you need to sort this out and integrate several shipments with the factor of time working against you.
  • Logistic Services – Your services are in high demand and customers are interested in doing business with you. Your team has been integrating customers one at a time for years without a problem. Now you face an onslaught of new customers. Your team is currently working from home and is unable to integrate them quickly enough.
  • Food Service – Restaurants are closed for dine-in and your sales have been impaired. You know that orders are being distributed directly to customers through telephonic ordering and 3PLs. Going direct-to-consumer will work, but you need to get there first.

Consequences of Supply Chain Disruptions

Decrease in Profitability

Supply chain disruptions are more likely than ever to adversely affect the short- and long-term profitability of your business with losses in market share and sales. Are you prepared to capitalize on market demand outside of your normal business operations?

Loss of Productivity

Supply chain disruptions also negatively impact the productivity and utilization of assets. The firm may end up with excess inventory for some products and experience stock-outs and backorders for others. Equipment over-utilization and under-utilization is likely, which could lead to poor asset and inventory performance.

Retailers are taking the brunt of it. With numerous big retail companies closing down their stores, they are struggling to sell out overstocked inventories.  Are you ready to trade quickly with new partners?

Diminishing Customer Loyalty

When customers are unable to get what they want and when they want it, they will go elsewhere. This is exactly what you did when you changed shops to get the goods that you needed for your family. As an outcome, your loyalties may have changed. Different brands, different stores, and different locations have all become part of your normal routine.

Much the same can be said of your customers. Have you been able to provide them with the same level of products and services? Could you scale up to provide new goods and services and gain new customers? If not, what stopped you?

Increase in Costs

Disruptions can increase the costs associated with expediting, premium freight, obsolete inventory, additional transactions, storage and moving, selling, and penalties paid to the customer. Also, the loss of reputation and credibility associated with disruptions may require firms to increase their marketing expenses to reinstate their credibility and reputation. Additionally, raising capital can be more expensive as investors ask for a higher premium to lend to firms whose credibility and reputation is questionable.

Factors Exacerbating the Effects of Global Supply Chain Disruptions

Inefficient Communication

Supply chains change and so do trading partners. So as a product moves from origin to destination, it is increasingly important for all stakeholders to have a digital supply chain connectivity solution that knows where the product is and who has interacted with it.

It becomes increasingly difficult to stay on the same page without a well-planned communication channel. How else would businesses know that best practices and important policies are being followed?

Poor communication leads to untimely deliveries, or worse, deliveries that cannot be made. This leads to a slowdown in other activities, further impacting your customers and your business. The associated costs run far beyond poor customer experience and negative brand recognition and reputation.

Electronic communication through EDI is particularly efficient. Sending load tenders to your carriers faster than your competitor ensures getting your products to market and attending to tomorrow’s pickup. EDI processes automatically create, transform, and transmit transactions as they occur – this is far more efficient than old manual processes involving phone calls and emails, and a walk next door to accommodate.

Slow Response to Technology

In an age where you can order from Amazon, receive an instant response, and get a package the same day, are your processes taking all day? E2E visibility, transparency, and agility all add up to drive a lean and responsive supply stream.

Technological innovations like Big Data and Internet of Things are reported to be crucial to a company’s success story. Do you still rely on error-prone manual processes and is your business slow to respond to rapid technological advancements? Are you facing rising labor costs, retiring workers, older technologies, inefficient service delivery, and reduced transparency?

Consider the case of the frozen food industry in the US. Restocking of frozen food requires refrigerated transport containers called REFERs. When frozen food were flying off the shelves, retailers sought to restock them and in short order. The result was a shortage of refrigerated containers, which impacted the supply chains of other refrigerated products like milk, cheese, and meat. When there are no refrigerated containers available to bring the produce to markets, the supply chain is impacted and so are customers.

EDI is the Answer

Supply chain disruption means (1) you cannot operate at peak efficiency when you interact with your trading partners, and (2) you are unable to act quickly to seize an opportunity or overcome an obstacle when that time comes.

So how can EDI help your supply chain and boost recovery?

Think of it in terms of an off-season transfer by recruiting a new player for your team. A unified supply chain solution helps you address local disruptions as well as widespread ones like that following the COVID-19 outbreak. EDI provides visibility into what your customers want, what your suppliers have to offer, and where your goods are in the middle of uncertainty.

Exchanging business data with trading partners and organizations does not have to be expensive or technically challenging. Many EDI solutions charge by transaction, discouraging smaller partners from establishing critical lines of communication. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If your current EDI solution fails to scale, has trouble with high volumes, or is becoming sluggish under peak loads, there is another way.

PartnerLinQ: A Unified Supply Chain Solution

PartnerLinQ’s digital supply chain connectivity solution helps you overcome all your challenges related to supply chain disruptions. With the following key features, it is the perfect tool for B2B communication for your EDI and non-EDI trading partners alike:

  • Pre-installed and easy to use and maintain
  • Simplifies onboarding process with easy configuration and business rules
  • Supports robust, multi-user, ‘log in anywhere’ access
  • Maintains a wide variety of standards and formats
  • Increases throughput by scaling to thousands of transactions per hour
  • Supports real-time error detection and ‘fix on the fly‘ remediation
  • Provides built-in access to leverage various transport protocols
  • Keeps users informed with a real-time dashboard and detailed reports
  • Includes an AS2 solution

With PartnerLinQ, it’s all included; there’s nothing else to buy.

Conclusion

When your supply chain runs at peak efficiency, your business operates better and is more likely to overcome supply chain disruptions. An easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy, reliable, secure, and unified supply chain solution will help your supply chain prepare for the next disruption and make sure that you come out on top.

Discover PartnerLinQ and PartnerLinQ will help you discover the value of frictionless EDI. Talk with our experts and see it for yourself.

For Faster Response Times and Better Market Opportunities, Better Supply Chain Visibility Is Key

Jawad-khan
Jawad Khan

CEO & Founder, PartnerLinQ Inc.

May 17

Visibility helps to transforms the supply chain from a series of isolated steps into connected, transparent processes that help organizations respond quickly to operational challenges and market opportunities.

At a time when supply chains are global and markets are volatile, being able to see and respond to change isn’t just a competitive advantage; it’s a must-have for survival and growth. Trend-spotters are winning the supply chain management game with next generation cloud-based supply chain solutions, while companies throttled by disconnected legacy systems and analytics applications are falling behind quickly.

Without real-time data on inventory levels and supplier capabilities, for example, identifying potential gaps, adjusting sourcing strategies, and tweaking production plans is nothing more than a guessing game. And as we all witnessed during the pandemic, that guessing game can turn into a liability quickly when outside forces take over the supply chain.

Rewind the clock a bit and its clear why supply chains fell prey to the pandemic-driven disruptions. Most business models relied on local production until globalization took hold and organizations started thinking and acting “leaner” when it came to inventory. Concurrently, the patchwork of legacy software systems that most companies relied on became increasingly disconnected and disparate.

Getting Global Supply Chains Back on Track

When the pandemic turned supply chains on end, companies scrambled to reshore and gain better control over these vital networks. It wasn’t enough to just be lean; organizations also had to be resilient. The pendulum swung in the opposite direction as inventories were fattened up and more attention was paid to being able to fulfill orders (versus just keeping inventory costs minimized).

And so, the race was on to improve end-to-end supply chain visibility. However, for most organizations that end goal was out of reach. One of the root problems? Legacy systems that were put in place to support lean supply chains but lacked the flexibility to offer insights for changing demands and requirements due to increased complexity and shifts in global supply chains. These solutions are now ripe for modernization in a world where customers not only expect their orders fast, but they also want to track those orders every step of the way.

PartnerLinQ not only helps companies solve these fundamental problems, but we also help them achieve the visibility goals that were previously out of reach. It starts with a unified data repository that is harmonized for the specific enterprise, and that connects all the systems the company has in place — including those aging, legacy systems that would otherwise create drag in a business environment that demands agile and flexible supply chains.

Companies also need to know that their data is secure, safe, and kept confidential. They don’t want their data residing in a “public” system that’s shared with others. With PartnerLinQ, companies know that their data resides on a private platform and that it’s never treated as public data. This is an important consideration in a world where new cybersecurity threats emerge daily.

An Elastic, Cloud-Native Solution

Because PartnerLinQ is elastic and cloud-native, the infrastructure behind it is both resilient and reliable. It can scale to any level in performance and manage all types of data. That data is both connected and harmonized in a way that ensures near-real-time visibility for business users who need analytics, reports, and dashboards that support good decision-making.

We recently worked with a large transportation company that has about 20,000 trucks along with data scattered across numerous data lakes and stores. Getting reports and analytics for efficient decision-making was nearly impossible — and by the time data was made available, it was too late to do anything meaningful with it. After implementing PartnerLinQ’s platform, the company was able to consolidate and harmonize these data sources with a robust canonical data model. As a result, PartnerLinQ improved the company’s access to critical information for making better decisions with improved reporting and dashboards to enhance its overall supply chain visibility.

This is just one example of how PartnerLinQ’s cloud-based platform helps organizations improve the visibility and efficiency of their supply chains. All these improvements translate into top-line cost savings, better asset utilization, and improved bottom lines. By acting as a conduit between different systems and partners in the supply chain, PartnerLinQ creates a seamless information flow and a clear, reliable snapshot of activity that fosters faster reaction times across these vital networks.

Jawad Khan, CEO & Founder, PartnerLinQ Inc.

Jawad Khan is the founder and CEO of PartnerLinQ. As the innovative force behind PartnerLinQ, Jawad guides the company in reshaping digital connectivity and collaborative intelligence within the extensive supply chain sector. His leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in ensuring that supply chains are not merely reactive but strategically positioned to respond to perpetual shifts in business demands swiftly and efficiently.

Future-Proof Your Supply Chain with a Highly Configurable Tech Platform

Ahmed Samnan Raza
Ahmed Samnan Raza

CTO & Co-founder

May 09

Highly configurable technology platforms help companies achieve their visibility goals, collaborate with business partners, and eliminate manual work.  

Most legacy supply chain management platforms currently in place were installed decades ago. These monolithic systems served their purpose, but they haven’t kept up with the demands of the modern supply chain. They’re not configurable, they can’t integrate with third-party applications, and they require a lot of manual intervention. 

The challenges of using legacy systems don’t end there. Updating these platforms with the latest “bells and whistles” is expensive and, in many cases, not even possible. These solutions were built to do everything, which unfortunately means they don’t do any one thing very well.  

As the name suggests, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems may be good financial and operational management tools across a compant, but they weren’t designed to manage the increased complexities of modern global supply chains. That didn’t stop ERP platform solution providers from adding a range of capabilities or otherwise acquiring other solution sets — from transportation management systems (TMS) to warehouse management systems (WMS) to order management systems (OMS) — to their software suites.  

Customers, wanting all-in-one systems, often adopted those functionalities as they were introduced, never evaluating, or considering other options by assuming simplicity with one platform. However, this approach too often results in rigid IT infrastructures for which changing one requirement requires adjusting everything else, too.  

Breaking Down Supply Chain Visibility Barriers 

While cloud ERP systems in the last couple of years have increased, on-premises solutions are still dominant within many organizations. On-premise legacy systems also weren’t designed for external collaboration — something every company needs but not all have. Where a TMS may have been built to connect with external carriers and transportation providers, on-premise WMS was designed to manage what was happening within the four walls of the warehouse.  

The notion of external business partners being able to “see” one another’s inventory positions, and then use the data to help get customer orders delivered within two or three days, wasn’t available when most ERPs were being developed. This is just one visibility gap companies today deal with daily.  

The good news is that organizations can close these gaps and future-proof their supply chains with a highly configurable technology platform. PartnerLinQ helps companies establish a common data foundation incorporating a semantic layer for every industry (including specific products, hierarchies, and transportation routes).  

Once that foundation is established, we build out the platform with the customer’s unique needs in mind, using the technology already in place and the outside applications needed to get everyone working from the same playbook. By providing that critical connectivity layer, PartnerLinQ helps companies break through the barriers of their monolithic business systems and leverage the power of modern, advanced technology.  

Connectivity barriers don’t exist only within your four walls. For that reason, PartnerLinQ creates strong connections with all third parties you need to communicate and share data with, including your business partners, customers, and software applications. The ability to integrate with these entities is a critical step to gaining full end-to-end supply chain visibility and collaboration.  

Adaptable, Flexible Architecture

PartnerLinQ offers the architecture, tools, and data companies need to connect with all internal and external stakeholders. We also offer a no-code/low-code environment that vastly speeds up implementation times and lets each person within the supply chain configure, maintain, and optimize the connections on their own.  

As a cloud-native application, PartnerLinQ’s platform is vertically and horizontally scalable right out of the gate. The same can’t be said for many other supply chain integration platforms on the market today. With PartnerLinQ, you can scale from hundreds to millions of transactions per month without having to make changes to your system.  

A Supply Chain that Stands the Test of Time 

In this rapidly evolving business landscape, the right digital strategy is no longer a luxury — it’s a must-have. Organizations that fall behind in this area risk losing customers, market share and revenue to competitors investing in their digital strategies.  

Being tied to a monolithic software platform can impede your supply chain visibility, partner collaboration, and long-term growth prospects. With PartnerLinQ in your corner, you can get all your data into one, accessible place. You can adjust on the fly as your company grows. And you can develop a future-proof supply chain that withstands the test of time. 

To learn more about how PartnerLinQ can help you future-proof your B2B enterprise, contact our team today.

Ahmad Samnan

Ahmed Samnan Raza, CTO & Co-founder

Ahmed Raza leads a dynamic team dedicated to shaping a robust, next-generation SaaS platform catering to customers across diverse industries. With his firm belief in driving continuous innovation, Ahmed’s team is on a mission team to ensure that PartnerLinQ platform remains at the forefront of business technology evolution. With a wealth of experience, Ahmed previously served as the Vice President of Product Engineering at Visionet Systems, Inc. His journey with the PartnerLinQ began at its inception, and over his 18-year career, Ahmed has played a pivotal role in a wide array of digital transformation projects spanning various segments of the supply chain industry. This includes impactful contributions to sectors such as retail, consumer goods, apparel/footwear, transportation, and food & beverage, among others.

How Frictionless Partner Onboarding Fuels B2B Growth: Why Your Company Needs a Better Partner Onboarding Process

kerry
Kerry Fogarty

SVP, Client Success

Apr 18

Time is money in the fast-paced business-to-business (B2B) world. Each day a new B2B business partner isn’t onboarded and transacting with your company means one more day of lost sales and opportunities.  
Clunky, manual onboarding processes also keep new partners from tapping into the amazing new alliance they’ve formed. Instead, they watch from the sidelines as you jump through your onboarding hoops. 

“Fast partner connectivity is a predominant factor for growth in the B2B business landscape,” says Kerry Fogarty, SVP of Client Success at PartnerLinQ. “The faster you can get new partners up and running, the sooner you’ll be able to maximize the return on your partnership investment.” 

Why You Need a Frictionless Onboarding Process  

Complex, manual partner onboarding processes consume too many internal resources. They also delay time-to-market and force new B2B partners to “stand by” while you get your house in order. A smooth onboarding process, on the other hand, reduces administrative burden and lays the foundation for a strong, lasting partnership.  
By investing in tools that automate everything from data migration and training to user provisioning — all wrapped in a white glove service package — organizations can create a frictionless onboarding experience that benefits all parties.  
Consider these wins, achievable across the life of the partnership: 

  • Improved efficiency.
  • Faster time to market.
  • Streamlined connectivity 
  • Quicker communications
  • Improved data exchange across partners.

Keeping the Data Flowing 

Because PartnerLinQ integrates directly with over 70 popular software applications like Microsoft, Dynamics, SAP, Salesforce, and Magento, all data can flow seamlessly across these platforms, giving companies a single, unified pool of data to work with.  
PartnerLinQ’s tailored service approach takes it one step further by managing communications across trading partners. “We provide a dedicated onboarding service agent who takes the burden off our customers’ in-house staff,” Fogarty explains. “By managing this on their behalf, we can target 100% of their training partners.” 

Throwing the Switches 

For a company that is replacing a legacy integration platform, PartnerLinQ manages the communication, scheduling, configuration, testing, and deployment for all existing and new trading partners.  

“We act on our customers’ behalf, letting their partners know about the platform switch and managing all of the related intricacies that go into it,” Fogarty says. “The day we go live, we throw switches and everything is up and running on our platform across the board. This significantly compresses the time-to-value.” 

Get Frictionless B2B Onboarding 

Streamlining integrations can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. Take this example: A transportation company spent about five years attempting to migrate 20% of its customer base to a new platform. What’s more, onboarding each new partner took more than 100 days apiece. 
By switching to PartnerLinQ, the company was able to speed up the integration considerably. It began onboarding anywhere from 50 to 100 trading partners twice a week in a multi-week cycle. The company can implement a new trading partner in five days or less. And it doubled the number of trading partners it works with because it’s no longer bogged down by manual, legacy processes. The company has gained significant market advantage and enjoys stronger business partnerships as a result. 

“As more companies take advantage of these types of seamless integrations, they can respond much more swiftly to market changes and shifting customer demands,” Fogarty says. “They can also keep up with and even get out in front of their competitors.” 

It’s Time To Build a Frictionless Journey 

A fast, seamless B2B partner onboarding experience helps organizations unlock the full potential of their partnerships right from the start. Isn’t it time you replaced your outdated onboarding methods with a frictionless journey that sets everyone up for success? 

To learn more about how PartnerLinQ can improve partner onboarding, reach out to our team today.

 

Jawad Khan

Kerry Fogarty, SVP, Client Success

Kerry Fogarty is a Senior IT executive with a proven track record in driving global IT initiatives and business value impact through technology adoption. With his extensive experience as a VP of Enterprise IT and the Office of the CIO in iconic brands like Liz Claiborne, Fifth and Pacific, Kate Spade, and Tapestry. Kerry brings a wealth of deep industry supply chain knowledge and expertise to the PartnerLinQ, Inc., leadership team. In his current role as SVP Client Success, he is dedicated to ensuring customer success through the deployment of PartnerLinQ, the industry’s premier supply-chain platform, complimenting it with toptier consulting and support services.

On Demand: Master Supply Chain Complexity in Logistics and Transportation

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The industry faces challenges like container shortages, sustainability demands, and evolving customer expectations. PartnerLinQ offers a solution that’s simple, affordable, and integrates with your systems, providing end-to-end visibility, real-time decision intelligence, and supporting over 100 million transactions monthly. Join Systems APAC and PartnerLinQ to learn strategies for overcoming these challenges, achieving sustainability, adapting to customer needs, and leveraging real-time decision-making for a smarter, more efficient supply chain.

PartnerLinQ Brochure: The Platform for Orchestrating Change in Modern Supply Chains

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PartnerLinQ is an innovative, process-centric, easy-to-use solution that simplifies digital business communication via EDI, real-time APIs, and proprietary file-based formats. It helps retail, eCommerce, wholesale, 3PL, distribution, and other progressive organizations build digital partner ecosystems, achieve operational efficiency, bring transparency and gain real-time visibility.

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