By Benen Geir
For those companies looking to solidify relationships with suppliers, maintain clear lines of communication at all times and ensure that even in the most difficult times there are good relations with the suppliers that keep the business running, devising and implement good supplier management is a challenge that must be tackled as soon as possible in the journey of a business. There are many ways in which you can approach this, but one successful way is to take the pressure off your internal staff and hire the services of professional call centre teams with supplier management experience.
Your supplier management should be set up as early as possible when first opening up a business. You’ll have heard that the customer is king, but without a healthy relationship with all of the suppliers that you rely on, it could have a disastrous impact on your ability to perform to expectations and maintain good relationships with your existing customers. Managing supply and demand well, will often only work if you have control over your supply chain. This is especially the case in this day and age, where supply chains are struggling with the Covid-19 crisis and the impact we are all facing on our lives due to social distancing restrictions and the like.
The first reason to maintain healthy supply management is that by creating strong partnerships with your suppliers that last for a long time, you can build a greater level of trust that stands you in good stead. Building genuine trust with your suppliers takes time and patience, but in the long-term it pays off, as you will go through tough times at some point and it is then that you need the help of your suppliers.
With better relationships with your suppliers, it naturally leads on to a much better service that you can provide your customers. With a healthy and smooth relationship with your suppliers you can ensure there is always enough supply to meet demand and that you are always capable of fulfilling the expectations of your customers.
Long-term relationships that are built on trust allow both parties to innovate together and improve services and products when necessary. If there are problems to overcome, in terms of specific aspects of a product, or there are price points that need addressing, good supplier relationships allow you to explore all options open to you in an honest and constructive manner. This can lead to cost savings and better deals, as it is much better to keep a supplier than to find a new one when you are looking at cost.
We’ve seen how important supplier management is to all aspects of life. The PPE supply during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has demonstrated clearly how quickly important items can become stretched, causing serious problems that are difficult to overcome. In a business setting, maintain healthy relationships and clear lines of communication with your suppliers is as important as good relationships with your employees and your customers. If your supply chain is restricted for any reason, it has a knock-on effect that can be difficult to overcome and puts a strain on your cashflow and brand reputation. Working with a contact centre that has experience of dealing with supplier management on behalf of companies, gives you a good chance to be successful over a long period of time.
