Huw Davies on elevating EDI customer support

The competitive realm of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and eInvoicing has several large providers that could be seen to dominate the market. But it’s exceptional customer support that sets Transalis apart from the rest.

In this insightful interview, Huw shares his experiences, strategies, and the proactive steps he’s taken to deliver efficient onboarding experiences and responsive support for our clients.

With an unwavering commitment to understanding and fulfilling client needs, Huw has not only cultivated a highly skilled team but has also instilled a robust, customer-first ethos that resonates through every layer of the organisation.

We spoke with Huw about his commitment to delivering exceptional customer support and the strategies he employs to achieve it.

How you start with a client can set the stage for the entire relationship. We’ve heard plenty of stories about frustrating onboarding experiences elsewhere. That’s why we focus heavily on getting it right from the start. It’s not just about moving quickly—though speed is important—it’s about making sure we’re thorough and tailored in our approach. We take the time to fully understand the specific requirements and nuances of each organisation’s EDI connectivity. This helps us craft a comprehensive plan that manages the setup process effectively, ensuring everything works smoothly right from the get-go.

And it doesn’t stop at onboarding. Our support team is dedicated to continuing that high level of service. We pride ourselves on being quick, accurate, and clear in our responses. It’s about adding a human touch to technology, making sure our clients know they can rely on us not just for solutions, but for support that understands and cares about their needs.

It’s true, for those without the technical know-how, using EDI and eInvoicing can feel like you’re sending your data into the ether. Where the solution and functionality is managed by a third party, it can make the client feel a bit out of the loop. At Transalis, we tackle this head-on by enhancing the visibility of data. We use dashboards that provide our clients with real-time insights into how their files are being transformed and processed. If there are any anomalies, we notify them immediately and provide clear, straightforward explanations on how to correct these issues.

This approach clears up any mysteries surrounding how EDI and eInvoicing work and also reassures our clients that we’re more than just a provider; we’re an extension of their own IT team. We’re here to ensure they feel in control and informed every step of the way.

Absolutely, building a solid trading network really does hinge on efficient and effective onboarding. Here at Transalis, we’re fortunate to have both top-notch tools and a wealth of experience at our disposal. This enables us to get large trading partner networks up and running rapidly. Our approach begins by identifying what our trading partners have in common, whether that’s EDI formats or the industries they operate in. This insight enables us to group trading partners, optimising the process and allowing us work on multiple setups simultaneously.

Our extensive global experience, especially with numerous retailers, really comes into play here. It helps us fine-tune these processes, ensuring that we can establish EDI connections quickly and smoothly. We’re all about using our expertise and resources smartly to ensure we deliver both speed and reliability— a balance we’ve learned to strike very well.

Find out how Huw and his team take the risk out of switching an EDI with: Top 5 tips to guarantee BAU when switching EDI

I firmly believe in understanding and promptly meeting customer requirements. This belief isn’t just my mantra; it’s deeply ingrained in the entire culture at Transalis. From the moment we interview potential team members, we look for this customer-first mindset. It’s crucial for us. We continuously nurture this attitude through our training and development programs. Our team lives and breathes this ethos.

We measure our success through customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, which have consistently been in the high 90s for the past five years. Moreover, our efforts to boost our Net Promoter Score (NPS) have increased it by over 30 points in the last three years -also in the high 90s. These metrics are not just numbers for us; they are a testament to the trust we’ve built with our clients. This trust is crucial as it forms the backbone of our strong, ongoing relationships.

We like to think that the fastest answer is the one you find yourself. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in improving our data visualisation and creating comprehensive support documentation. This way, our customers can quickly find the answers they need without having to wait for an email response. It’s a win-win because it frees up our support team to tackle the more complex issues that can’t be resolved with a guide or dashboard, ensuring faster response times for those needing direct assistance.

We’re incredibly proud of the KPIs we’ve achieved—our response times are under an hour, and we resolve issues within 8 hours on average. Over the past three years, we’ve maintained resolution and response SLAs in more than 99.5% of cases. But we don’t rest on our laurels. These metrics are constantly under scrutiny, part of our core reporting, and always up for optimisation. It’s all about staying proactive and keeping those lines of communication as efficient as possible, and delivering the highest level of EDI customer support.

Absolutely, there’s one particular instance that really stands out. We had a client who was repeatedly facing issues with a trading partner, where order files weren’t transmitting correctly. This wasn’t just a technical glitch; it was a recurring problem that risked significant revenue loss due to strict timelines for order acknowledgments and dispatch confirmations.

Instead of just patching up each incident as it came, our team dug deep to find the root cause, which turned out to be a specific connectivity protocol. We proposed a service improvement plan to switch to a more reliable and secure protocol that also required less maintenance—a win for everyone involved.

Continuous improvement, or CI, is absolutely central to everything we do here at Transalis. A lot of our customer-facing team are ITIL v4 certified, which means they’re trained to weave the CI philosophy into their day-to-day work. We’re always on the lookout for ways to boost our customer satisfaction scores and enhance our response times or resolution times. Whether it’s tweaking our documentation or refining how we communicate, every change is aimed at improving the EDI customer support experience.

We gather feedback through NPS and CSAT surveys at every possible interaction, ensuring we hear what our customers are telling us—both the good and the areas where we can improve. This feedback isn’t just collected; it’s a core part of our review process and plays a big role in planning our next steps.

For me personally, championing the voice of the customer isn’t just a job—it’s a passion. I’ve spent years in the field of customer feedback, so I understand deeply how crucial it is to listen and act on what our clients tell us. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how valued our clients feel when they notice their suggestions have been implemented, enhancing our services or even leading to new features that make everyone’s life a little easier. This active response to feedback not only helps our services evolve but also ensures our customers know they’re truly listened to.

We keep our CSAT and NPS scores at the core of our KPIs, ensuring every team member is aligned with our mission to continually enhance our service.

So, to all our clients and future partners, you can trust that my team and I are here for you. We’re committed to not just meeting your expectations but exceeding them, ensuring every interaction with Transalis is positive, productive, and shows just how much we value your business.

If you’re thinking about changing your EDI provider, you might be interested in reading: 5 sign’s it’s time to switch your EDI provider

Excellent support should be a critical factor when choosing an EDI provider because it directly affects the efficiency and reliability of your supply chain processes. You deserve a partner who not only understands the intricacies of EDI but also prioritises your needs and challenges as if they were their own.

For a deeper look at the impact of inadequate support, I invite you to read our article, ‘The Real Cost of Poor EDI Support‘, detailing why settling for less can cost your business more in the long run.

Take the first step towards a better EDI solution today. Book a meeting with our EDI onboarding specialists and discover how Transalis can transform your EDI experience by offering the support, service, and savings your business deserves.