| When You and Your Provider Don't See Eye to Eye |
In most business relationships, issues can arise that cause you to disagree or be disillusioned with a service provider. Most of the time these issues can be resolved painlessly by a quick discussion of expectations and capabilities. However, in some cases, when the initial conversation bringing up the problem is not handled correctly, the result can lead to mistrust, hard feelings and, in the worst case scenario, a dismantling of an otherwise productive working relationship.
To avoid getting to that end, there are steps you can take to make sure any problems or disagreements you have with your fulfillment provider are handled effectively and result in a positive outcome for both parties. In fact, you can avoid a difficult situation altogether by making sure up front that your prospective provider has a thorough understanding of the level of service you need. Definitely check references on your prospective supplier, and be certain you understand the company’s capabilities and how they meet your needs before you sign a contract.
If however, you run into problems, try these suggestions for getting your relationship and your business dealings back on track:
- Always communicate your concerns before small issues become big problems. When an error grows to involve more people and processes, it is more difficult (and sometimes more costly) to correct.
- Review your original request for services to see if the provider’s capabilities match those requests. The problem could be that your fulfillment provider didn’t or doesn’t fully understand your level of expectations. If you need to revisit your agreement, do so with an eye for including everything that could come up in the future to avoid going through another frustrating situation down the road.
- Review the Understanding for Dispute Resolution in your formal agreement. What is required from your side to get to a reasonable reconciliation of the problem? Do you need to put your concerns in writing? While these steps are generally included in your formal agreement, in most cases your service provider will want to comply with your requests so going to the formal process may not be necessary.
- Explore your options: Before the situation escalates to an extremely difficult relationship, undertake discussion with other companies to see if they are a better fit for your needs. Make sure you discuss the “issues” that you are currently having and find out how the other company would handle or resolve them. Be objective in describing the issue you are having so the response you get will be an accurate one. You may find that the issue that caused the problem is handled as a matter of everyday business at another fulfillment provider or that your expectations are outside of normal operating procedure for most providers.
- Communicate again, your desires or concerns with your service provider. Once you have done a bit of research into these areas, you may have a better understanding of why the situation arose in the first place and how to reach a positive resolution to the problem. If that is not possible, hopefully your research turned up another fulfillment expert that is ready, willing and able to provide you with the services you want and or need.
In the end, fulfillment companies are service providers who want to do a good job and want their customers to be satisfied in order to be successful. By initially selecting a provider that understands and can accommodate your needs, and by keeping the lines of communication open when you become aware of any problems, you will have a better chance of resolving any issues that arise.