The relationship between you and your suppliers should be a top priority. One of the ways to prioritize this relationship is by having excellent communication.
Here are four tips for communicating with your supplier:
1. Communicate early
While your supplier contracts may be detailed regarding what to deliver to your business, when to deliver items and so on, things may change. You may want additional goods, to change the quality of the goods or items to be delivered earlier than the intended time. In such instances, you need to communicate early to avoid inconveniences.
2. Be transparent
Being transparent with your suppliers about certain business matters can be beneficial. For example, if you aim to increase production, be specific when communicating with your suppliers. This way, they can know if their capacity can meet your goal or if you need to make a few changes to your orders to maximize profitability.
3. Decide a communication channel to use
You and your suppliers should agree on the communication channels to use. You can use phone calls, email, text and face-to-face meetings. Email communications are formal and allow you to document your conversations. However, when handling urgent matters, phone calls may be more suitable.
You can use texts to send reminders about a matter you had discussed via email or phone call. In-person meetings are great for building trust and when resolving disputes.
4. Embrace technology
Technology has helped improve business-supplier relationships significantly. You can use different tools to communicate with your suppliers. For example, with a shared document management system, you and your suppliers can easily access crucial information.
Better supplier communication can save you from disputes. However, if conflicts still arise, get as much information as possible to protect your business.
