One of the major factors for this loss of customer service reputation stems from the buyer's failure to follow up the solicitation call with a report on the results. I can already hear the buying staff saying, "WHAT? You expect me to call everyone twice when I am soooo busy?

  No, not necessarily. Read on. But let's do look at the situation from two other points of view:

  If you, in your private life, were calling a close relative's store for a price on a T.V., what would you do the next time you saw him or her? Especially if you did not go through with the purchase, or purchased it from another vendor? How might they feel about taking the time to give you another offer in the future?

  If you owned a small, new business, and an individual from a government entity or a large company asked you to go to the trouble to prepare a quote, and you never heard from them again, how would you feel or react? Is it possible that you might relate your poor experience to anyone who would listen? Would the listener agree that individuals from governmental entities were uneducated and lazy?

  Should the buyer expect each of the quoters to call for the results? Some buyers have told me that, "Good sellers will call if they are truly interested in the outcome!" Something is wrong with this attitude! The buyer wanted something, asked the business to do the buyer a favor, and expected the seller to take valuable time to provide a quote at no cost to the buyers. Then the buyer only followed up with the awardee! There are even buyers who do not return a call to the awardee, but just issue a purchase order or have someone show up at the store with a procurement card in hand.

  There are many possible solutions for the above that range from having the buyer recontact all vendors, or just the awardee, or no post contact talk. But I would like to offer a few ideas for overcoming the reputation for not communicating the award information:

1. Implement an operating policy or instructions on how quotes will be accomplished, followed up, etc.; and even look at types and dollar thresholds for different actions.
   
2. Evaluate quick fill-in report forms that could be returned to the suppliers via mail, fax or computer.
   
3. Invest in a fax-on-demand, a phone call bulletin board, or an electronic bulletin board where vendors can obtain the results at their convenience; provide utilization instructions for every electional system in all communications and outreach training programs.
   **NOTE:  Items 2 and 3 will actually reduce the number of phone calls to your buyers if the supplier community and the quoting suppliers know “how” to obtain the information.
   
4. Keep the previous quote solicitation results handy so that the next time you contact someone who submitted a quote, you can tell him/her exactly how he/she faired in the quote competition.
   
5. Make a point to follow up with inexperienced, new or small businesses who were not awarded contracts. Give them as much information as ethically possible so they can be competitive in the future.

  Remember, just any employee can call a supplier for a quote, but it requires a PROFESSIONAL BUYER to develop a reputation for great customer service in their business dealings.

© 1997 by Donald L. Woods, All Rights Reserved