So, you just purchased a shiny new ERP, and are looking to roll out EDI. You want to get started right away on your EDI project, right? We should be able to set up data and test all transactions out of the box, right? WRONG!

EDI Project Best Practices

EDI is a customized, systemic process, that much like your data, rolls through the quote to cash cycle in a coordinated sequence. Each EDI document requires data from an upstream process, and you must always complete, and validate, the upstream processes first.  A common mistake we see on many EDI projects is an expectation that EDI is plug and play, and that we can implement all documents simultaneously.  EDI is not plugged and play, for the same reason that ERP implementations are not plugged and play.

EDI trading partners are notorious for sending through erroneous or uniquely specific data. Our customers all have different shipping and packaging scenarios. Many customers have different expectations on how EDI data is to be handled. The answer to a successful EDI implementation is to work on each document until it is correct, until moving to the next one, and ensure that the ERP system has been configured and validated for packaging and shipping processes before starting to work on outbound transactions. EDI implementations always lag the ERP implementation by some weeks, and always last the duration of the design and validation stage of the implementation project.

Below are some typical EDI transactions, that must be managed, and processed sequentially.

Inbound Purchase Orders (850i), Demand Forecasts (830i), etc.

Many times, Trading Partners will send data that does not have a native home in ERP. Our EDI team must carefully inspect all the inbound PO documents from all your trading partners, and understand each file, which will be unique, whether there is a native home in Epicor, and if not, we create one for it and make it visible in the ERP through customization. This can take time, and for some trading partners, extensive customer part cross references must be built, so that Epicor ERP can understand what it is in fact that this customer is ordering.

Outbound Sales Acknowledgement (855o)

It is common to need to include custom trading partner data in an 855 outbound. Until all of the inbound maps have been translated, and the data housed in Epicor, we can not start testing 855o.   This is normally not a difficult transaction, but until we have every inbound document defined and a custom schema in place to accommodate your trading partners, we can not design the outbound format for this document for testing.

Outbound Packing Slip (856o)

Most customers expect us to be able to start this right away. Some customers have even demanded that we start this right away. The trouble is that everyone ships differently, and some people have multiple levels of packaging, at various points in their production process, which change how we build the dataset for the 850o. Another common mistake our customers make is asking for the packing labels before the ASN is designed.

The shipping and packaging process must ALWAYS be designed first, and approved, before we start building 856o data and labels. Typically the label would be the last thing we build, as we process through all the 850i for all trading partners, demonstrate all packaging scenarios for each, and then finally, armed with model data, we can construct the outbound ASN dataset and labels. This is especially important when you have multiple versions of labels for different trading partners, or if you have Master Pallets, Mixed Pallets, etc. All EDI projects I have seen go over budget, or that have been frustrated, have been those where the company insists on having working outbound ASNs before the shipping process is validated.

Outbound Invoices (810)

Typically the easiest of all, but these can not be started until a validated ASN document has been produced. As such, we save these until the end of the project, to ensure all the data necessary on the invoice, whether from custom inbound data from the 850o, or custom packaging data from the 856o, are available. Shipments in the system are required to invoice, so there needs to be a solid, unchanging process to generate multiple shipments for the inbound orders, such that they can be invoiced.  This data is typically not available until the last quarter of the implementation.

Listening to your expert EDI implementation consultant, and understanding that EDI will slightly lag the work being done in ERP and that the work will stretch the duration of the project, are key to a successful EDI implementation. Following our process and methodology and will minimize frustrations if expectations were that EDI would be ready on day one, and reduce or eliminate rework for any EDI transactions forced through before the system is validated.

If you are having a difficult implementation and would like to talk to Encompass about how to put things back on track, we would be happy to conduct a mid-ERP implementation review. If you are about to start an EDI implementation, understanding the above before starting, and ensuring that the project manager and steering committee understand the timeline, will be critical to meeting expectations, and ultimately having a successful, error-free cutover.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Centralized collaboration technology in cloud ERP solutions can help you manage operations more efficiently. It brings employees together from locations around the world by hosting data and information that serves as a single source of truth. Your organization can share information that offers these surprising benefits along the entire supply chain.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


In the face of growing competition and a challenging business climate, many job shops and manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce costs, streamline operations, and improve the bottom line. Implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a proven solution for running a business efficiently and effectively. Yet, a large percentage of job shops and manufacturers have held back from implementing an ERP system due to high initial costs, long implementation times, and competing demands for time and resources.

This paper describes how cloud-deployed (sometimes referred to as software as a service, or SaaS ERP) delivers financial, implementation, and operational benefits to job shops and manufacturers. It also describes how cloud-deployed Epicor ERP—a comprehensive ERP system—meets the needs of job shops and manufacturers. With Epicor ERP, job shops and small manufacturers now have the opportunity to implement an ERP solution that can help transform their operations and their business.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Many opinions exist on the subject of “proper” part numbering systems within the manufacturing and distribution worlds. This document is not the final authority on Part Numbering; instead, it is designed as a guide for developing and using good part numbering techniques.

Many companies fall into creating an “accidental” part numbering scheme. No thought was put into an intelligent design. Other companies fall into over-thinking their designs, which makes their part numbering scheme unmanageable and even unusable by other systems.

This document contains my thoughts and opinions based on personal experience working with many companies, as well as nearly 40 years of ERP System design, usage, and consulting. Feel free to use these ideas as a guideline for designing and using your part numbering system within Epicor and other systems.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


The role of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in managing business processes has expanded significantly over the past decade from a focus on specific business areas such as manufacturing, procurement, or human resources, to broader use throughout the company. Although IT has traditionally been responsible for specifying and implementing technology within an organization, successful ERP implementations require involvement from stakeholders at all levels, from executives to end users. For many companies, the transition from existing traditional systems to a new ERP one can consume significant corporate resources, including time, expense, and risk to business operations. However, as we’ll explore below, this need not be the case.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Centralized collaboration technology in cloud ERP solutions can help you manage operations more efficiently. It brings employees together from locations around the world by hosting data and information that serves as a single source of truth. Your organization can share information that offers these surprising benefits along the entire supply chain.

 

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Businesses of every size contend with keeping the availability of materials, components, products in sync with their rate of production and customer demand. Finding the balance between these factors is, at a high level, the core concept of inventory management.

Why Inventory Management Important

As a business digs deeper into the specifics of inventory management, it will refine its goals. This includes all the additional details that make the process more efficient. Suffice it to say, good inventory management goes beyond the weight, dimensions, quantity, and location of items.

At a foundational level, your business will need a system of categorization to manage inventory. This also requires a means of interacting with this system when adding, removing, and identifying items.

Your system may require software and interactive technologies. These technologies can include computers, barcoding hardware, and scanners.

Knowing what you have in inventory and where is only one part of the equation. Forecasting demand to inform a business of when to replenish stock or when to buy more materials to manufacture those products is just as essential.

By ensuring that warehouse space is used efficiently and in sync with the rate of sales and replenishment, the cost associated with goods held in inventory is kept to a minimum.

In a broader sense, Inventory management is the component of your business’ supply chain that keeps material flowing into and out of your facility.

This is kept by production processes and customer demand.

Inventory Management Principles

Suppliers may experience fluctuations in the ability to fulfill POs and global events may shake up availabilities across the board. However, you can keep your own house in order with inventory management best practices.

For example, keeping a detailed record of products as they enter and leave your warehouse provides visibility to your business needs. This ensures you can deliver on customers’ and supply chain partners’ requirements at any given time.

Businesses of every size use inventory management principles to manage their flow of goods. However, there is no defined set of guidelines that all businesses can look to for the answers.

The best inventory management strategies will change from business to business, but generally accepted best practices can be applied in almost every case.

Identifying the right set of guidelines for your mode of operation will ensure you can deliver the right goods in the right quantities to your customers at the right place and time.

The Difference Between Inventory Management And Inventory Control

While these terms may seem the same at face value, they are generally not considered interchangeable.

A strong inventory management system ensures a business can source, store, and sell materials or finished goods in such a way that yields a consistent and dependable profit for the business overall. Good inventory management is a sustainable practice.

Inventory management follows a structure of thought as a business principle. It is an overarching set of concepts that address a larger business model.

Inventory Control is housed, pun-intended, within the larger concept of inventory management. Inventory control is focused on maintaining visibility and understanding of the materials and their flow. Namely, where and how much inventory can be found on-hand and readily accessed in a retail location, stockroom, or warehouse.

Why Inventory Management Is Important

Global supply chains are complex and in a state of constant ebb and flow.

Manufacturing processes that utilize raw materials and components are also changing continually according to customer demand, specification, and regulatory requirements.

In short, what is available today may not be available tomorrow. However, there are usually indicators of when a supply shortage may be looming or new regulations will be coming into effect.

Keeping up with these constant changes is more than simply difficult, it’s outright unnerving and even chaotic at times. Being stuck with an abundance of stock that can’t be used, spoils, or becomes obsolete can cost a considerable amount of capital, running a business well into the red. This is where the balancing act of inventory management becomes so critical.

The costs of carrying goods can be considerable. For this reason, many organizations seek to refine and optimize their methods for ensuring they have just enough material on hand to deliver on anticipated production levels or sales.

Streamlining inventory management will keep inventory levels low, which keeps costs sunk into stock on hand to a minimum. Furthermore, lower stock levels will ensure less space is required to match material requirements to production levels. With less space required, facilities can be kept to a more manageable size and minimize warehouse leasing costs.

How You Can Implement Best Practices

Fortunately, for many decades, businesses have been refining how they bring stability to the unpredictable world of global supply chains, manufacturing processes, and inventory management.

As part of those efforts, two major philosophies of inventory management have emerged as the most widely accepted and utilized: Just-In-Time (JIT) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP). Both instances have their benefits and drawbacks. We go into more detail in dedicated articles on JIT and MRP inventory management strategies.

Technology And Software

Beyond JIT and MRP inventory management, there are several technologies and software that make the process of managing inventory easier for businesses, staff, supply chains, and customers.

ERP software is one such technology that delivers all the critical data needed to inform demand forecasting and purchasing, whether a business is based in manufacturing or wholesale and distribution.

Inventory management data housed within the ERP system is accessed and reported digitally, while also easily sharable for key stakeholders and managers to use in their decision-making processes.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


ERP and automation technologies have grown by leaps and bounds to address small business’ need for efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Modern process automation and efficiency increases are essential to departments like finance, accounting, human resources, production, material management, quality management, distribution, and sales. Without a proper framework to bring these departments together and working in harmony, a business of any size risks catastrophic failure. ERP supply chain management solutions deliver focused tools to businesses, providing better overall performance, accountability, and customer satisfaction.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) And Supply Chain Management (SCM)

Affordable Enterprise Resource Planning software for manufacturers and accessible automation technologies for manufacturers enable competitiveness in an industry that is constantly evolving. Supply chain automation technology is in higher demand with each passing day. Built to increase the efficiency of operations that extend beyond the four walls of the factory, supply chain management software holds suppliers accountable, builds stronger trading partnerships, and delivers increased customer satisfaction that earns businesses brand loyalty.

How ERP Software Enables Better Supply Chain Management

When a business considers all the parties involved in the supply chain, from manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, and customers, it can be difficult to control. The process of keeping everything in line requires careful and diligent planning, execution, control, and ongoing monitoring of supply chain activities.

Businesses will find that an ERP system built with the supply chain in mind will be more than effective in handling the storing, transporting, managing demand for manufactured goods. From procurement to product delivery, the integration of material, information, and financial information flow cement ERP as an essential tool for efficient supply chain management.

The Roles Of ERP In Supply Chain Management Processes

From the global conglomerate the mom-and-pop job shop, ERP and SCM software may seem intimidating. However, their viability for businesses at any size cannot be overstated. It simply becomes a matter of size and scope of the software. Placing a focus on efficient supply chain activities and strategy going forward will enhance facility productivity, product quality, and cost-efficiency.

ERP software scales businesses, plain and simple. With growth, the subject of Supply Chain Management demands greater emphasis. Mixed-mode, make-to-order, make-to-stock, Engineered -to-order, and configured-to-order manufacturing operations all have a need for these advanced technologies. This doesn’t even consider the supply chain automation opportunities that arise when ERP systems in place. Replenishment, communications between partners, manufacturers, and customers, even automated profiling of suppliers to get the next replenishment from your favored vendors are possible with automated supply chain management software embedded within ERP.

ERP software doesn’t just enable supply chain management strategies, it informs your teams and keeps them running at peak efficiency. This ensures your business runs smoothly in the face of supply chain disruption. We can break down the role of Epicor ERP alongside supply chain management into eight main categories:

  • Purchase Management
  • Demand Management
  • Inventory Management
  • Shipping And Receiving
  • Warehouse Management
  • Advanced Material Management
  • Supplier Relationship Management
  • Supplier Connect

ERP Supply Chain Purchasing Management

Collaboration is key during the purchasing process to ensure orders move smoothly in and out of an ERP system. Tracking the performance of collaborative activities becomes more difficult as an organization grows. ERP fills the gap, providing businesses with the means to track, control, and comply with regulation and governance standards of their given industry. The result is accuracy, compliance, and security in supplier relationships.

  • Automated purchasing tools improve supplier collaboration, order accuracy, and negotiating while streamlining purchase order writing and tracking of supplier performance.
  • Improved on-time delivery reduces inventory levels, which improves cash flow and enables cross-referencing, mass purchase order receipts, requisition tracking, and more.

an image of a purchasing manager in a warehouse as part of ERP Supply Chain Management solutions

ERP Supply Chain Demand Management

Convert demand into sales orders and forecasts thanks to the efficient management of short- and long-term customer demand contracts. As a result, fulfillment decisions become second nature.

  • inventory management is made easy with statistical forecasting and planning tools that enable collaboration, consolidation, and aggregation.
  • Leverage invaluable insights to decrease on-the-shelf inventory, enhance flexibility, improve fill rates, and deliver a better customer experience overall.
  • Visual tools make interacting with supply chain demand data efficient and easy.

ERP Supply Chain Inventory Management

Digitize, automate, and simplify your processes for greater profitability at any scale, all while minimizing the inventory costs and risks associated with conforming to industry standards.

  • Meeting customer expectations becomes easy with superior visibility into costing, tracking, and country of origin.
  • From purchase order through manufacturing and shipping, material flow management becomes easy with an extensive suite of analysis tools, including shortage monitoring, reorder analysis, stock status, and many more.
  • Reduce annual audit costs significantly by leveraging automated control and regular inventory counting tools provided by ERP solutions for the supply chain.

an image of a full warehouse as part of ERP Supply Chain Management solutions

 

ERP Supply Chain Shipping And Receiving Management

Ensuring accuracy and customer satisfaction becomes easy with the shipping and receiving logistics solutions provided by ERP. The ability to monitor incoming and outgoing items for orders, subcontract parts being sent to a supplier, raw materials being received, or filling an order from stock all contribute to the enhanced shipping and receiving tools found in a robust ERP solution.

  • Efficiency, speed, and a consistent interface promote the rapid processing of shipments and receipts to provide reliable tracking at every stage of the journey.
  • By tracking container shipments and regularly updating purchase orders with enhanced accuracy and information visibility, your business can improve reliability and deliver on expectations without sacrificing time, money, or customer goodwill.
  • By driving out the cost of freight, insurance, and import duties with landed cost processing functionality margins improve significantly.

an image of shipping and receiving workers as part of ERP Supply Chain Management solutions

ERP Supply Chain Warehouse Management

ERP systems link warehouses with order processing and manufacturing operations seamlessly to optimize pick, pack, ship, and receiving processes.

  • Drive out errors and wasted resources by automating pick-and-pack, mobile-driven, and pre-pack fulfillment processes.
  • Leverage greater visibility into resource utilization throughout your warehouse to optimize processes and improve efficiency.
  • Rapid fulfillment capability enables businesses to better compete not just on cost and quality but on speed, as well.

an image of two warehouse management workers as part of ERP Supply Chain Management solutions

ERP Supply Chain Advanced Material Management

Track materials with real-time visibility and control with an advanced material management module, like that found with Epicor ERP. This function enables the monitoring of raw materials and work in process (WIP) activities throughout an entire enterprise using mobile devices and bar-coding technology.

  • By simply scanning a bar code tag you can produce accurate and timely electronic requests for materials.
  • Ensure that the right parts are delivered to the right resource at the right time utilizing an online queue of raw material and WIP parts
  • Track movement of raw materials and WIP to continuously improve efficiency

ERP Supply Chain Supplier Relationship Management

Supplier relationship management is a critical and ongoing process for manufacturers. Identifying the best partners to work with and improving supplier collaboration is easier with ERP supply chain management tools that enable buyers, procurement staff, and purchasing agents or those providing quotes, to request quotes for raw materials or subcontract services from one or multiple suppliers.

  • Make smarter and more informed sourcing decisions thanks to greater visibility and insight into supplier communications
  • Create centralized records for buyers, parts, and suppliers to maintain accuracy, simplify workflows, and eliminate redundant data entry
  • Reduce transaction times with automated tools that quickly convert supplier responses into actionable purchase orders

Epicor Supplier Connect For ERP Supply Chain management

Supplier Connect is unique to Epicor ERP and a feature of Epicor Commerce Connect. It is specifically tailored for suppliers It delivers an intuitive environment use to update their information via the supplier portal, answer requests for information, and confirm changes to purchase orders.

  • Enable business partners and customers transact with your brand online for a competitive advantage.
  • Improve collaboration by offering supplier self-service on open orders, part information, and access to invoice history.
  • Reduce staff time spent answering email, phone, or fax inquiries and increase efficiencies of your sales team.

The Competitive Benefits Of ERP Supply Chain Management

It’s a cutthroat world and businesses need every legitimate advantage they can get to ensure competitiveness. ERP competitive benefits are about as integral to the success of an enterprise as it gets.  Providing visibility and efficiency across departments, automating workflows with ERP from procurement to product delivery leads to lower overhead and operational costs.

By streamlining the path materials, financial information, and operational data take from source to destination, Epicor ERP delivers SCM that results in better control over performance, costs, and customer satisfaction. Here’s how:

  • The cost of inventory is minimized through effective demand forecasting lean inventory levels. This ensures just-in-time production methods can be effectively put into practice to bring down production costs while maintaining supply chain flexibility.
  • Epicor ERP supply chain management reduces production bottlenecks between internal processes and your external supplier. By enabling procurement best practices, the supply of goods, services, and other resources throughout the supply chain are more readily accessible and more easily leveraged.
  • Whether production revolves around children’s toys or Aerospace and Defense, transparency throughout the supply chain is key to ensure quality, accountability, and safety. Epicor ERP supply chain management delivers that transparency alongside the consolidated supply chain visibility that a business needs to thrive.

How ERP Supply Chain Management Contributes To Organizational Growth

ERP and SCM software go hand-in-hand to contribute to the overall growth of an organization. By tying in all the essential components of the procurement process, warehousing, and sales, Epicor ERP supply chain management module informs the business to a much greater degree. As a result, businesses of every size using Epicor ERP gain greater insight and operational capability.

  • The Small Business – Take advantage of an agile, cost-effective supply chain management solution that scales rapidly, effectively future-proofing your business for long-term innovation and growth.
  • The Midsize Business – Accelerate entry into new markets, quickly add new product lines and engagement with customers more easily and effectively.
  • The Enterprise – Enable team flexibility and responsiveness across verticals, whether B2B, B2C or B2X, at a global scale.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.


Fraud has been a thorn in the side of B2B business transactions as long as those transactions have existed. With more advanced technology at their disposal, illegitimate parties’ payment fraud attempts become more elaborate. According to the Association of Finance Professionals, last year saw the highest percentage of businesses impacted by payment fraud in the last decade. Here are a few of the payment control best practices your business can put into action today to combat fraud.

an infographic illustrating the prevalence of payments fraud experience by businesses with insufficient payment controls best practices.

Photo: Association for Finance Professionals

IT And Security Professionals On Payment Control Best Practices  

The rising instance of payment fraud has It and security staff concerned. As many as 85% of security professionals surveyed responded that their companies lacked the necessary security and infrastructure to combat payments fraud.

The biggest windows of opportunity for fraud reside in the Accounts Payable (AP) department of a business. Errors made during the process of manual data entry and inefficient email communication concerning dozens of invoices at any given time are just two examples of significant vulnerability. However, a majority of fraud cases result from the most insecure payment method accepted by businesses — paper checks.

Why You Need To Implement Payment Control Best Practices

While most businesses are aware of fraud and do implement some steps to mitigate its effects, few are willing or capable of giving the subject the undivided attention it requires.

Common activities businesses use to combat fraud include:

  • Reconciling validity against invoices, department heads, and their vendors
  • manual comparison of invoices to purchase orders
  • compiling checks over time to have the CFO sign off at a later date

These activities may be sufficient to insulate Accounts Payable, in theory. However, with an increase in volume as a company grows, these methods fall short of providing the security AP needs. If Outlook is where your invoice approval process resides, chances are a few of those invoices are getting lost in the shuffle. Bottlenecks emerge when it comes time to audit or get approval through a CFO, who may have only a small window of availability.

Payment Control Best Practices To Mitigate Risk

Despite the growing prevalence of fraud in B2B transactions, here are some payment control best practices you can put into place today to insulate your company from the associated risks.

1. Ditch the paper in favor of electronic payment methods

Electronic transaction support can deliver a lot of benefits to businesses of any size. not only are they convenient, secure, and efficient, these types of payments add multiple layers of security through encryption. Virtual cards take things further with the inclusion of tokenization, a process by which data is assigned a series of symbols that retain essential information without compromising security.

an image of payment control best practices being used

Beyond security, electronic payment methods expedite the payment process significantly. These more opportunities reduce liabilities and increase working capital benefits that your business can leverage. the convenience of electronic payment methods can be felt on the other side of the transaction, as well. customers and vendors that can leverage an easy-to-use payment system in conjunction with your business will feel greater satisfaction from your B2B relationship. Increased partner satisfaction results in stronger relationships and can lead to more referrals for your business.

2. Remove Autonomy Over The Payments Process

Accounts payable are no exception to the rule when it comes to checks and balances. It is never a good idea to give a sole individual complete control of the flow of money in and out of company accounts. Breaking up the process to include several staff members ensures that no single person is responsible for the flow of capital. Designating one team member to set up payments and another to approve and release those payments ensures proper checks and balances during the process.

3. Automate Accounts Payable

Automation isn’t just a buzzword when it comes to your accounts payable department. with volumes of data to be received, recorded, and processed, there is plenty of room for error when the tasks are carried out manually.

Fortunately, modern tools and solutions that can be leveraged alongside your ERP system exist. The automation of these tasks increases security, efficiency, and the benefits your company can leverage as a result. putting manual data entry errors and headaches aside, how easy is it for your accounting department to keep up with rapidly changing rates, rules, and laws? automated software that integrates with ERP delivers that real-time visibility you need to remove mistakes from the equation.

An automated accounts payable process embeds payment controls — like the aforementioned segregation of duties — into the AP process and establishes them as simple and repeatable processes:

Segregation of duties: AP automation solutions designate separate roles in the accounts payable process by creating separate login credentials and separate dashboards. Not only does this make it incredibly challenging to forge approvals, but it also preserves receipt of all approvals in one central location for easy access at any time.

Two-factor authentication: adopting an AP automation solution that requires dual-factor authentication will decrease the probability of an account becoming compromised. the process dictates that a password and text message-delivered verification code must be entered before access to the system is granted.

Auto AP three-way match: For businesses working with purchase orders, AP automation can take the pain out of matching them to corresponding invoices by doing it automatically and flagging any that are mismatched within your ERP system. The “three-way” part of the three-way match refers to the three documents that will be compared:

  • The vendor’s invoice that was received will become part of an organization’s accounts payable when it is approved
  • The purchase order that was prepared by the organization
  • The receiving report that was prepared by the organization

With these controls in place, it’s much easier to protect and sustain your AP process, even as you continue adding vendors every month. The results are felt in:

  • Improved compliance and supplier relationships
  • Simplified vendor setup and management
  • Improved visibility, insight, and control of the entire accounts payable (AP) process
  • Ability to focus your AP team on higher-value work

When automation is factored into the equation, the benefits are felt even further with:

  • Reduced cost per invoice (CPI)
  • Instant storing, securing, and cataloging of electronic documents
  • Streamlined AP workflow processes
  • Dramatically reduced paper and storage expenses
  • Improved cash flow with fewer data entry errors and early pay discounts
  • The ability to work anywhere, anytime, on any device

We Can Help With AP Automation And Payment Control Best Practices

For more information on how to implement these best practices and automate AP for your business, get in contact with the experts at Encompass Solutions.

About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.


Year-end is almost here and tying up your loose ends can be a huge undertaking. If you haven’t started your business year-end checklist, now is the time to get busy. We’ve got you covered when it comes to completing a full physical inventory with an entire webinar detailing full physical inventory best practices. If you haven’t reserved your seat already, register for the Full Physical Inventory Best Practices webinar on Dec 13th, 2018 at 2:30 EST.

Conducting a full physical inventory only adds to a long list of tedious but necessary tasks. When you factor in financials, business planning, and forecasting for the new year, daunting is an understatement.

Fortunately, the experts at Encompass Solutions have some sage advice to impart. Follow our presenter’s suggested full physical inventory best practices to cut down on the time you have to commit to a full physical inventory while avoiding the pitfalls that expose you to incorrect counts, inefficient processes, and having an all-around drag of a time.

Full Physical Inventory Best Practices Topics

During the presentation, our speakers will discuss an array of topics relevant to full physical inventory best practices. These topics include:

  • Timing
  • Supplies
  • Physical Preparation
  • How to manage paperwork (if handheld scanners aren’t being used)
  • Job and Receiving processes
  • Physical DNI flags
  • How to print labels
  • Audit processes
  • Safety
  • How you can make it fun

Full Physical Inventory Best Practices Q&A

A Q&A portion will follow the presentation where attendees are encouraged to ask our experts. If a topic was not addressed during the presentation, feel free to ask about it during this opportunity. Our presenter will address your question then and there or offer a more thorough explanation via email or phone call.

Full Physical Inventory Workflow And Physical Inventory Checklist

Full Physical Inventory Best Practices Webinar Recording

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About Encompass Solutions

Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.