Supplier Satisfaction Survey about Working with us as a Customer

[RosieA]

my company is considering doing a survey of our suppliers to understand their satisfaction with working with us as a customer.

I've googled this topic, but most of what's come up has been us surveying them and their quality systems.

Has anyone done a satisfaction survey of their suppliers? any thoughts on this process from anyone else?

Thanks,
Rosie

 

[qusys]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

my company is considering doing a survey of our suppliers to understand their satisfaction with working with us as a customer.

I've googled this topic, but most of what's come up has been us surveying them and their quality systems.

Has anyone done a satisfaction survey of their suppliers? any thoughts on this process from anyone else?

Thanks,
Rosie

Hi Rosie,
I've never had this kind of experience , but I know that many organizations usually make ad hoc meeting with their suppliers when there is exchange of experience to find win-win solution to eventual issues or improve together with mutual partnership. They plan formal meeting where there is a review of the mfg process of supplier for provided product and ask them which kind of data could be transmitted by customer to improve their mfg process.
Hope this helps

 

[RosieA]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

We have Quarterly meetings with our Top Tier suppliers also, so the survey would be aimed at getting feedback from the sub-tier suppliers, who don't often get visited or talked to...

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

We have Quarterly meetings with our Top Tier suppliers also, so the survey would be aimed at getting feedback from the sub-tier suppliers, who don't often get visited or talked to...

What do you mean by "Top Tier" and "sub-tier"?

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

any thoughts on this process from anyone else

If deployed, such survey would support the ISO 9000 principle of "mutually beneficial supplier relationship" which is conspicuously absent in ISO 9001.

I have never been involved with a supplier satisfaction monitoring survey, but I would offer a word of caution: if your organization is not prepared to improve on potential areas of concern, as reported by suppliers, be careful. Management of expectations is very important. For example, if a good percentage of your suppliers complain that they are being paid very late, i.e, net 90 days, rather than net 30 (as in their PO's and contracts signed), and your management is not willing to fulfill the net 30 contractual terms, you might just mislead the suppliers into thinking that things will improve, when that is not the case.

As usual, be careful with what you ask, because, chances are the suppliers will tell you their perspective. But overall, I think it is a very progressive initiative. It shows (in theory) the belief that the customer is interested in the supplier's perspective of the relationship.

Good luck.

 

[RosieA]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

Top Tier are the suppliers who we do over a certain number of dollars with in a year.

Sub Tier are suppliers below that dollar amount.

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

Top Tier are the suppliers who we do over a certain number of dollars with in a year.

Sub Tier are suppliers below that dollar amount.

Thanks. The reason I asked is that supplier "tiers" generally refer to a chain--tier 1 is the primary supplier--the one that gets paid by the end customer, while "sub-tier" suppliers (tier 2 and below) don't usually deal with the end customer.

I think Sidney's given good advice--be careful what you ask for. Be prepared to either act on suppliers' complaints or have good and reasonable explanations for why you aren't going to act.

 

[Statistical Steven]

Re: Supplier Satisfaction Survey

my company is considering doing a survey of our suppliers to understand their satisfaction with working with us as a customer.

I've googled this topic, but most of what's come up has been us surveying them and their quality systems.

Has anyone done a satisfaction survey of their suppliers? any thoughts on this process from anyone else?

Thanks,
Rosie

From a data collection and analysis perspective I think doing a supplier satisfaction survey of sub-tier suppliers might yield less than fruitful results. Since these are already defined as suppliers that you do little business (whatever your cutoff), they might not see th value in responding to such as survey. For some suppliers (especially smaller ones), though they are a very small percent of your business, you might be a large percent of their business, so they will paint a rosy pcitures because they cannot afford to lose you as a customer.

You might be able to share with your suppliers some feedback in return for their feedback.

Good luck!