Frequently Asked Questions

What does LAMBedism do?

• LAMBservicessm provides the means for your traffic, proposal, accounting, and production systems to exchange data (e.g., invoices, orders, order changes, copy instructions) with complementary systems at your trading partners, advertisers or reps firms. The communication is direct and automated between you and your trading partner over the Internet using standard email protocols with strong encryption. Therefore, your electronic invoice goes straight into your trading partners' system for reconciliation.
  For those trading partners who require paper, LAMBedism has the capability to print out messages (e.g., a station's invoices at a trading partner's office).

How does LAMBedism work?

• LAMBedism works behind the scenes. All you have to know are the email addresses your trading partners use for electronic messages such as invoices.
  What you can send electronically to your trading partners or receive from them depends on your internal applications. If your systems can produce some kind of file (fax file, print file, flat file), then usually LAMBedism can send it. If your system has a way of importing files, then LAMBedism can produce the format your system can read so that a copy instruction or an order change can be received from your trading partners. It is up to your internal applications as to what you can do with your trading partners.
  The system is automated. It constantly checks for data to send from your systems or to receive from your trading partners. There is nothing for a person run, check or see.

What do I need?

• Microsoft Windows™ PC.

How is LAMBedism different from other EDI implementations?

• LAMBedism does not charge per transaction. There are no transmission costs, transaction volume charges or fees except those from your Internet Service Provider, if any.
• LAMBedism is not between you and your trading partners. There is no data repository on the Internet collecting your invoices, storing them and then sending them to media agencies. Your data is sent directly to your trading partner's systems.
• LAMBedism is between applications. The data is sent from your internal traffic system to the trading partners bill/pay system (for invoices). The only time a person gets to see the data is through their internal application they use for creating or reconciling an order or invoice. There is no "human" access to LAMBedism for normal operations (the only access is for support and maintenance).
• LAMBedism can immediately handle any transaction in any media. If a trading partner and seller exchange orders, copy instructions, digital copy, invoices, bill payment, then LAMBedism can send it. It is not limited to one or two transactions.

Who is Warren Lamb & Associates?

• In the early 80s, we started designing and building network based applications for the banking and power industries. In 1989, we directed the first industry sponsored Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) effort in the media industry worldwide. We developed standards, established trading processes and set up a support organization for the roll out of EDI in the Australian broadcast industry.
  Following that success, we developed the EDI standards and guidelines for the US Network Cable Television industry and helped over 85% of the individual cable networks implement their own EDI strategies. During that time, we worked with an industry group to develop the requirements and strategy for EDI for all media in Canada. This development was sponsored by many media industry associations, individual media agencies and companies.
  We are the only company worldwide with this depth and breadth of experience in the media industry.

What is the next step?

• Contact Warren Lamb at +01.888.396.7774 ext 1 or warren@wlamb.com.
  More information about LAMBedism is available in the LAMBedism section of our site, including:
  
  • LAMBedism Presentation
  • LAMBedism Trading Partner Community
  • LAMBedism Overview & Installation Instructions

How are new trading partners added?

• Once a company installs the software, all LAMBedism installations are updated with this new trading partner. If this company is one of your trading partners, then the messages will immediately go to them if your application is producing the transactions for that trading partner.

Can we involve other trading partners?

• Yes, we will work with you to encourage all of your trading partners to participate.

Can we do other types of messages?

• Most start with invoices. Any other type depends on you and your trading partners' systems. To send any message, your internal application must be able to create some kind of electronic file. That file must have sufficient information for your trading partner to reconcile easily. And your trading partner must have a way to read that information in electronically. So you may be able to do more with some trading partners than with others.

Are there any hidden costs?

• No.

Do we need extra personnel? Do they need training?

• No, the software is not visible to the end user. There is very little for the end user to do.

Do I need to get my systems vendor/developer involved?

• Depends on what you want to do. If you already have the ability to import and export files within your current systems and you know the formats, then the answer is: no. For instance, any Enterprise, Columbine, VCI, Marketron, JDS can produce some kind of invoice file. Some can do more, such as orders and order changes. In this case, you don't need to do anything.

What about multiple sites within the same company?

• We can arrange a multiple-site license agreement for your company. Multiple sites can be either branch offices within your organization or your trading partners in which you want to install this software as a part of your service to them.

Is it available internationally?

• Yes. The software is compatible with international systems and the encryption is approved by the US government for international distribution and trade.