00:00 – 00:55 | Introduction

Hi everyone, Jim Gonzalez here from EDI Support LLC. It’s another Wednesday. It’s sunny but unusually cold here in Pennsylvania for April.

Today’s topic is one I talk about constantly with companies across the EDI space: EDI costs are going up while service keeps going down. What’s actually happening?

00:55 – 02:10 | Rising Costs, Declining Service

Across the EDI industry, many providers offering “managed services” are raising prices while reducing staff. That leads to longer wait times for support, slower implementations, and delayed project work.

Many companies are paying $500 to $3,000+ per month for EDI. For most businesses, that’s one of their more expensive software services. When costs rise without better performance or support, companies end up paying more and getting less.

02:10 – 03:05 | Support Quality Has Dropped

We’re seeing higher transaction fees, increased VAN charges, and higher support costs, but no improvement in performance.

Support has shifted to canned responses and ticket portals. Instead of talking to someone, customers are told to wait 24 to 48 hours for a response. For systems that run supply chains, that’s unacceptable.

03:05 – 03:55 | Rigid, Off-the-Shelf Systems

Providers are forcing businesses into rigid workflows that assume everyone operates the same way.

That doesn’t work.

Even companies selling the same product run different processes. Off-the-shelf EDI platforms rarely reflect how real businesses operate, yet providers continue pushing them as universal solutions.

03:55 – 05:00 | Pushy Sales Tactics

Sales teams pressure both trading partners and vendors to use their platform, often implying it’s mandatory.

It usually isn’t.

Just because a retailer uses a specific provider does not mean you’re required to use that same provider. Do your research. Fear-based selling is not how good partnerships work.

05:00 – 06:10 | Downtime and Reliability Issues

More businesses are experiencing failed transactions, slow processing, and outages. These issues disrupt supply chains and damage trading partner relationships.

With tariffs and broader supply chain pressures already slowing things down, unreliable EDI systems only make the situation worse.

If your provider isn’t supporting you, the right time to move is now, not later.

06:10 – 07:25 | Why This Is Happening

A major reason behind this trend is mergers and acquisitions. Many EDI providers have been acquired by larger companies focused on profit over service.

Investor-backed and public companies are under pressure to show revenue growth, often at the expense of customer experience.

07:25 – 08:15 | A Customer-First Philosophy

At EDI Support, we operate differently. We’re privately owned and customer-focused by design.

Yes, we need profit to grow and help more companies. But customer service will never be sacrificed for margins. Customers come first, always.

08:15 – 09:35 | Less Competition, Older Technology

Industry consolidation has reduced competition. Some providers rely on aging technology and outdated infrastructure, then pass those costs onto customers instead of investing in improvement.

If a platform can’t adapt to your business process or isn’t built on modern, resilient infrastructure, that’s a problem.

09:35 – 10:55 | Pay-for-Support Models

Many providers now charge extra for support that used to be included. Some limit communication to ticket portals only, removing phone and email access.

If you’re paying for a managed provider, you should have real access to real people.

10:55 – 11:45 | What Managed EDI Should Mean

A true managed EDI provider delivers both the platform and the expertise so you don’t need EDI or API specialists on staff.

That’s the value businesses should expect.

11:45 – 12:35 | Business Impact of Poor EDI Service

Poor EDI service causes operational disruptions, compliance risks, increased internal costs, and strained trading partner relationships.

Higher costs combined with slow service compound these problems over time.

12:35 – 13:05 | Challenging the Status Quo

Why accept higher costs with worse service?

Imagine EDI that delivers lower cost and higher service. That shouldn’t be unrealistic, but many businesses have accepted the status quo for too long.

13:05 – 14:10 | Red Flags to Watch For

Key warning signs include:

• Unexpected fee increases
• Higher transaction or VAN charges
• Fees for basic changes like trading partner updates
• Lack of invoice transparency

Review invoices carefully. Don’t just pay them without understanding what you’re being charged for.

14:10 – 15:05 | Support as a Dealbreaker

If support tickets take days, weeks, or months to resolve, that’s a major red flag.

Real support means real responses, not links to FAQs or automated replies.

15:05 – 15:55 | Forced Migrations After Acquisitions

After acquisitions, customers are often pushed onto new platforms with no real benefit. This can result in lost customizations and new learning curves.

You’re the customer. Providers should earn your business, not force change on you.

15:55 – 16:55 | Reliability, SLAs, and Infrastructure

Ask about uptime guarantees, redundancy, disaster recovery, and SLAs.

If providers use modern cloud infrastructure, they should be clear about how availability and performance are handled.

16:55 – 17:45 | Focus on Core Expertise

EDI providers should focus on EDI and integrations, not reinventing server infrastructure.

Working with companies that have already solved reliability and scalability issues reduces risk for your business.

17:45 – 18:35 | What You Should Do Now

Audit your EDI costs and performance. Be proactive, not reactive.

Ask hard questions. If pricing and service can’t be justified, start evaluating alternatives.

18:35 – 19:25 | Closing & Call to Action

Reach out, ask questions, and explore your options. We’re here to help and to share insight based on conversations with companies of all sizes.

Thanks for listening. Have a great rest of your week, stay warm, and I’ll see you next time.