- General Information
- Whom do I contact for technical support?
- For technical support, contact Rail Customer Service. Or call Mike Ullrich or Alissa Catalan at 847-945-1000.
- How does this site work?
- You must first register to use the applications (see Sign-up information). You will be provided with a company ID and password in order to log onto the site. Each time you log on, you will see any new purchase orders listed on the Doing Business page. Print the purchase order and fill the order as you would normally. To keep track of the purchase orders you have printed, select the "Mark as Printed" button at the top of the purchase order, and a marker indicating that you've printed the order will appear. When you are ready to invoice, pull up the purchase order again and select the "Create an Invoice" button. All of the purchase order information will be inserted into the invoice form. Complete the blank fields, adjust quantities and prices if necessary, and submit the invoice to the customer.
- What does this cost me?
- The service costs you $30 per month. There are additional transmission costs which are paid for by the railroads in order to encourage electronic purchasing.
- What do I need to remember?
- If you sign up for this process, you need to check this site daily for purchase orders and print off all new orders present. Once you select and view a purchase order, an electronic acknowledgment is sent to the railroad indicating that you have possession of the purchase order. If an acknowledgment is not sent to the railroads within 72 hours after a purchase order has been posted, a railroad representative will call you to remind you to pick up the order. These phone calls take additional time for all parties involved, and should be avoided.
- Why would I want to use this site?
- This process enables you to receive your purchase orders more quickly than through the U.S. mail, and more reliably than through faxing. The invoice feature allows you to create and send an invoice in seconds, speeding up payments to you, since most companies set their payment terms from the date on which the invoice is received in their accounts payable departments, not from the invoice date itself. In addition, you save mailing costs.
- Is my information secure?
- Kleinschmidt (the site provider) is a Value Added Network, a network provider that offers more security and reliability than Internet Service Providers. Kleinschmidt receives and sends data between itself and the railroads through its network in a secure EDI format. Kleinschmidt is also responsible for secure storage of the data and secure presentation on the web. Your company ID and password are important features of this process; none of the railroads have access to your password. (You are encouraged to change your password regularly. See how to do this in Can I change my password? How do I do it? below).
- Can I change my password? How do I do it?
- You are encouraged to change your password
immediately after receiving the initial password
from Kleinschmidt, and periodically thereafter
in order to maintain security. Contact Kleinschmidt
at 847-945-1000 and ask for Mike Ullrich or Alissa Catalan.
Indicate that you are an EPIRA customer and
want to change your password.
- Purchase Order Information
- How long does it take for a purchase order to come from the customer?
- Although the process varies slightly according to the customer, most purchase orders are sent out in a batch process during the evening. This allows your orders to be ready for pickup by the following morning. The actual communication process itself is also customer-dependent, but the transmission from customer to Kleinschmidt normally takes 1-4 hours.
- Invoice Information
- How long will it take for my invoice to process?
- Your invoice will be processed during the customer's normal accounts payable processing schedule, at which time the payment date will be set based on the terms agreed upon with the customer. Most accounts payable departments process their electronic invoices during non-business hours--in other words, after 5:00 p.m. and before 8:00 a.m. the next morning. During processing, payment dates will be established in a manner consistent with the terms of the purchase order.
- Is there any way for me to check on my invoice status?
- Some companies have automated voice response inquiries or Internet inquiry applications that allow you to check on the status of an invoice once it is received in their accounts payable systems. Call your customer contact on the Railroad Contacts list for more information.
- Can I submit invoices besides those created from the purchase orders on the site?
- Yes. You can use the blank invoice feature of the
EPIRA Web application to create and send an invoice electronically for any purchase made
using a purchase order, including those you have received by mail, fax or e-mail. More data
entry is required. This feature can only be used for invoices for materials or services
that were requested using a purchase order.
- Will my payment come electronically as well?
- Electronic payment is not a feature of this site. Contact your customer for more information if you are interested in this feature.
- Sign Up Information
- I've already registered, but forgotten my company ID and/or password. Should I register again?
- No. If you have forgotten your company ID,
you can call your railroad contact for this
information. To expedite this process, please
be ready to provide a purchase order number
that we can verify. If you have forgotten
your password, you will need to contact Kleinschmidt
at 847-945-1000. Ask for Mike Ullrich or Alissa Catalan and
identify yourself as an EPIRA customer.
- I have different people who pick up orders and send out bills in my company. Do they each need to register?
- No. Registrations are on a per-company basis. If you represent a large company that has multiple shipping and billing locations, it is recommended that you discuss this situation with your customer contact.
- I need to update my registration information. How do I do this?
- Log on and use the "Update Registration Info" section at the bottom of the main page.
- Who do I contact if I have more questions regarding the Kleinschmidt agreement and the fees charged?
- E-mail Stevie Schmidt at stevie_schmidt@kleinschmidt.com, or call her at 847-945-1000, for more information.
- Contact Information
- Which companies send out orders using this site?
- See the Railroad Contacts list for the contacts for each participating road.
- Who do I call for more information?
- Contact the individuals listed in Railroad Contacts for more information.
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