At the end of January, a couple of weeks into the third national lockdown, we conducted a poll asking one question: What do you want from your suppliers in 2021?
The upheaval and change companies have faced due to Covid19 has had a profound impact on how businesses operate, inc. supplier relationships. It’s forced businesses of all sizes across huge swathes of the economy to adapt, change, evolve, pivot, transform just to keep their heads above water. It’s led thousands of them to make difficult decisions, look for new ways to survive and forensically look at their finances.
Yet it’s also created new opportunities, given business the chance to show what they’re made of and what they believe in. Businesses acting with integrity and those agile enough to adapt have emerged.
Forging new relationships
Either way, it’s changed a great deal of relationships. And many simply won’t return to how they were post pandemic
We’ve been open all the way through, adapting to help our customers with the services they need, when they need them. We’ve transformed to help new customers and we’ve supported local communities and worthy initiatives. And we’ve continued to invest in our production capabilities to make sure we have the very latest tech available.
But as we emerge out of lockdown and collectively find a way out of the pandemic, to continue to help customers in the new landscape and build stronger relationships we need to know what you want from us. It’s not what we think, it’s what you think. It’s your needs we were interested in when we conducted the poll.
The question: What do you want from your suppliers in 2021?
So our poll was a simple question, and the results are in. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who responded.
- 55% of respondents said they’re looking for quality, pure and simple, above all else this year.
- 33% want quick response times
- 11% place competitive pricing above all else
- 1% are looking first and foremost for advice & innovation
This is helpful for us as we can see what you need, and we can make sure that’s what we deliver. We can tailor our service to make sure we’re responding to the right needs in the right way. But hopefully it’s helpful to you too, if you’re a supplier. You can see what clients are looking for.
What do you think?
What do you want from your suppliers in 2021? Whether you’re a supplier or a customer, we’re all part of a supply chain. Do you agree with the results or is it something else you’re looking for to help you survive and thrive. Is it sustainability perhaps? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment. The more responses we have, the more helpful this will be for everyone as we build a bigger picture together.
Let’s build better relationships in 2021 that work for everyone. We’d love to chat about what that means.
