A How-To-Guide to Selecting a New VAN

Since its inception, the marketplace has undergone numerous changes, including:

• Heightened competition and consolidation of providers

• Improvements in technology and platform capabilities

• Increased outsourcing of customer service and technical support

• Introduction of new message formats and protocols, including Internet-based options

• Growing adoption and usage by small and medium-sized companies

However, not all providers have evolved to meet the demands of the 21st century and the needs of their customers. As a result, many experience issues on a daily basis that impact their bottom-line, including:

• Aging technology and an outdated, inflexible platform

• Unsatisfactory customer service and slow problem resolution

• An unreliable network with too much downtime

• Cumbersome on-boarding of new trading partners

• Manual, time-intensive tracking of exceptions and costly errors

• Costly fee structure with the potential for unexpected charges

That’s why it’s important you consider more than just price when approached by a new VAN provider. You need to look beyond the hard costs to determine if the vendor provides the right transaction management capabilities to reduce errors, accelerate cycle times and improve cash flow.

This how-to-guide guide has been designed to help you better evaluate a VAN provider and determine the real value of the offer.