The Real Cost of Manual Order Processing (And How EDI Solves It)

For small and mid-sized businesses, manual order processing can feel like the “easy” path—until the errors, delays, and costs start stacking up. What seems manageable with spreadsheets and email quickly becomes a drain on time, money, and customer satisfaction.

The Hidden Costs of Manual Order Processing

1. Data Entry Errors

Manual keying of POs, invoices, or ASNs increases the risk of typos and mismatches. Even a single digit error can delay fulfillment or trigger chargebacks from partners like CDW.

2. Slower Order Cycles

Emailing, printing, and manually entering documents can extend order-to-cash cycles by days—or even weeks—causing missed SLAs and frustrated customers.

3. Staff Time & Opportunity Cost

Your team spends hours on repetitive admin work instead of focusing on growth, customer service, or inventory optimization.

4. Compliance Risks

Major trading partners demand EDI-compliant formats and labeling (like GS1-128). Manual processes make compliance harder, risking costly non-compliance penalties.

5. Scaling Challenges

As you grow, so do your orders. Manual processes don’t scale well, forcing companies to either hire more staff or suffer bottlenecks.

How EDI Automation Fixes All That

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) automates your order lifecycle—eliminating manual data entry, reducing errors, and speeding up processing. Here’s how ActionEDI helps:

✅ Parse Email POs Automatically

Our smart parser reads and extracts order data from emails and attachments without needing a portal login.

✅ Automate Order to Invoice Workflow

From purchase order to invoice, ActionEDI handles every transaction in your supply chain—error-free and in real-time.

✅ Generate Labels Instantly

Auto-generate UCC-128 and GS1-compliant labels (ZPL or PDF) for shipments to CDW, Amazon, and more.

✅ Seamless Integrations

Works with QuickBooks, Sage, Shopify, and other platforms—no IT team required.

✅ Scale Without Headcount

Whether you process 10 or 10,000 orders, ActionEDI scales with you without increasing overhead.

Make the Switch to EDI—Without the Hassle

With flat-rate pricing, real human support, and fast onboarding, ActionEDI makes it easy to escape the manual mess.

? Book a free demo today and see how much time and money you could be saving.