Supplier satisfaction delivering your value proposition
Are suppliers a strong link in your value proposition?
The important role of third party suppliers in any company being able to deliver its value proposition successfully is undeniable, but could companies do a better job in measuring supplier satisfaction when assessing the effectiveness of that synergy?
Whether you have formally outsourced part of your offer to a third party or are just associated with another company because they are visible to your customer, how well do you assess third party’s performance? Taking a full 360 degree approach to assessing each other is fundamental in being able to develop joint action plans to deliver an improved end customer experience.
Supplier (dis) satisfaction
Yet the experience a supplier has with many of its customers is they hear the objective of taking a partnership approach, but what they see in action is a heavy focus on getting the best deal for them, not necessarily the end customer. B2B companies in particular seem to struggle with recognising they have suppliers as well as customers and the relationship between them is crucial. Fundamentally the B2B company is the glue that brings their customer and supplier together, and where they aim to provide added value to the proposition. When was the last time your company openly shared its end customer feedback with a supplier to not only improve the short term deliverable but to jointly identify opportunities?
Win / Loss reviews
A great example of how businesses like to deal with other organisations in different ways is with regards to understanding the causes of success and failure. When a B2B company is unsuccessful in winning a major piece of work it frequently requests feedback from its prospect, sometimes requesting participation in a formal Win / Loss review. There is often frustration about the lack of quality and quantity of feedback received when compared with the significant investment made in bidding for the work. Yet the same company can often display those same characteristics itself in response to its potential suppliers who have not been successful in a bid to them. Companies frequently give no or very limited feedback to potential suppliers. Is this because it’s the Sales team chasing customers whilst its Procurement dealing with suppliers? We would argue that it shouldn’t matter as both functions are responsible for delivering the total customer experience. Customer Journey Mapping will highlight the role that both departments, and many others, have in delivering the total customer experience.
Keep suppliers close
Ignoring your suppliers, whether current or potential will ultimately impact your customer’s experience and your business performance. You never know your disgruntled supplier may even go off and provide your competitor with a significant advantage, just because you weren’t prepared to listen and help them understand how they could improve. Keep your customers close, and your suppliers even closer!
Get in touch
If you want to discuss how you can be closer to your supplier to improve your customer’s experience plesae do get in touch.