F4F’s core business is connecting IT systems to support business processes, whether those systems be within a single company or within separate companies. Across the world we have enabled over 200 companies to exchange business documents with each other, and we deliver hundreds of thousands of documents every month. To do so we have to fast and effective approach to doing new partner integration projects.

1. Start with return on investment (ROI)

B2B document exchange and systems integration can deliver significant benefits to your business, but only if you have properly thought through how it will contribute to your bottom line. All engagements with F4F begin by examining that subject first, so that you and your colleagues are fully aware of the potential gains to be had.

2. Technical feasibility

Achieving those commercial objectives can often happen in a variety ways. F4F will undertake a proper analysis with you of your IT systems and infrastructure to ensure that we propose the best technical solution to fit your situation.

3. Implementation

Delivering a successful integration project requires not only the commercial motivation and technical know-how, but also an efficient and rigorous methodology. We have refined our approach through years of experience and feedback to produce a methodology which enables us to help you achieve your goals in the fastest time and with minimum cost.  The key steps within this phase are:

 Document Transformation (or Mapping)  – converting the sender’s source file format into the F4F XML standard, and from F4F XML to the recipient’s preferred format

 Code Translation – Ensuring that the product and delivery address codes used by the sender are aligned with the corresponding codes used by the recipient, so that documents sent from party to the other arrive with the recipient’s codes already on them.

 Software configuration and installation – F4F will configure its eHub, any Gateways and Adapters involved, and, where software is to be installed locally by one or other of the trading partners, F4F will oversee and support the installation process.

 End-to-end Testing – F4F facilitates the testing between the trading partners involved in the integration project to ensure that all normal and exception business scenarios have been checked off prior to the project being put “Live”.

 4. Roll-out

Electronic document exchange is not so much a project, but a philosophy, and the real returns are to be had when 90% or more of your documents are flowing electronically between systems, not just 9%. F4F can help you to reap the rewards of your initial investment through a partnership agreement to get you connected to as many of your trading partners as possible. Working together we can help make your supply chain more efficient, looking not only at the companies involved, but also the data and documents exchanged, and streamlining the business processes involved. Contact us now to learn more….