B2B Processing Essentials Tutorial

Evaluate B2B processing opportunities

Essential #1

The goal for B2B essential #1 is to understand your total potential for process integration. This evaluation will directly influence your B2B strategic plans and solution investments.

Four Areas for B2B Opportunity Evaluation

1) Business Partners

What companies do you currently do business with on a regular basis?

Consider your suppliers, manufacturers, shippers, service providers and customers… all your outsourcing partners.

2) B2B Processes

Identify all the different information that is currently exchanged between you and your business partners.

For each process, identify both the written and verbal information.

3) Information Methods

Evaluate the methods or procedures used to create, send and receive business information with business partners.

Is the information sent to partners being created automatically by computer systems or are documents/transactions created manually?

Email (with attachments)
Fax
Telephone
Electronic files using FTP
EDI file transfers
XML messaging

How is information delivered to your business partner?

4) Operational Costs

Determine costs to manage the information exchanges, the cost of data entry, as well as the costs to handle errors and changes to transactions.

Use these four areas to analyze your total scope of
B2B processing opportunities.

Prioritize the opportunities based on projected value. For example, strategy alignment, value to your business operations, or value to your customers.