Electronic Data Interchange

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic exchange of invoicing and payment data between your organization and the company. Many companies use this option as an inexpensive way to exchange data and improve the speed and accuracy of bill paying. Large businesses, customers with national or regional accounts and government agencies are ideal for EDI service.

We offer two options: EDI invoicing and payment and EDI payment-only.

EDI invoicing and payment

With this service, Pacific Power transmits an EDI file containing the invoice to the chosen Value Added Network (VAN) for your company to retrieve the information. VANs are third-party service providers that permit many different trading partners to communicate through a central clearing house that provides electronic mail box services.

Once the invoice is reviewed and approved, your organization authorizes your bank to send the payment in an EDI file to the companies bank for deposit. After the file is received, our bank sends all EDI payment information to the VAN and your payment is posted to your electric account in our billing system. Payments are scheduled twice daily between the sender and the receiver. EDI infrastructure is required for this option.

Benefits

• Reduced labor, mailing and bank costs from more efficient electronic transactions
• More timely payment remittance that can help reduce the incidence of mail delays and late fees
• Greater cash flow control
• Improved accuracy of information exchanged between companies
• Elimination of check payments
• Elimination of labor intensive tasks, such as data entry

EDI payment-only

With this option, customers receive their invoices via U.S. Mail and authorize their bank to make payment. This option does not require EDI infrastructure, however customers must consult with their bank to ensure EDI processing capabilities.

Benefits

• Elimination of check payments
• Information is moved efficiently between the sender and the receiver
• Greater cash flow control
• More timely payment remittance that can help reduce the incidence of mail delays and late fees

For more information

Please contact our Business Solutions team toll free at 1-866-870-3419.