Today’s post is by Dave Wenig, Senior Vice President of Sales and Services at SafeSourcing

If you are a buyer, I have some great news for you. Are you a buyer? Whether you are a professional working in a procurement related role or not, I say we are all buyers. If you sell a product and you are concerned about margins or your ability to compete on price in the market, you are a buyer. If you are responsible for your company’s financial health in any way, you are a buyer.

What is the great news? We are in a buyer’s market. Let me share two of the real-world indicators we have been taking note of at SafeSourcing. Many of our current customers are taking full advantage of this situation while it lasts.

Indicator I: Results

SafeSourcing’s historical savings has averaged about 24.8% for the last several years. More recently, we are watching as that figure is rising. In June, SafeSourcing’s customers saved 29.7% on average and in July, they saved an astonishing 32.7% on average across all the spend categories sourced with us. That trend is impressive on its own, but is only made more so by the next indicator.

Indicator II: Vendor Behavior

SafeSourcing has a good working relationship with many of the vendors who participate in the eRFx events we host for our customers. Recently, we have been having vendors reach out to our associates with unsolicited offers and quotes hoping for new business for several categories indicating that prices are as low now as they have ever seen them. In many conversations, the vendors are also telling us how their business is suffering as a result of industries like hospitality being down which has caused their sales volumes to plummet. The vendors are very eager to win new accounts.

If I am right, and this is a buyer’s market, do not expect that you will see your prices drop by a third all on their own. Your current vendors are not going to come to you proactively to lower your prices. As buyers, we have to work for the cost reductions we deserve. We have to constantly hold our vendor partners accountable through meaningful negotiations and we cannot be afraid to change vendors when it is the right decision for our own company. You can get these results with help from SafeSourcing.

If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

Today’s post is from our SafeSourcing Inc Archives.

This author defines excellent  white glove customer service as going above and beyond  the expectations of your internal and external customers in all facets of your engagement with the business.

Customer Service is more than just helping a customer in the now, there are multiple and unique ways that  SafeSourcing provides excellent  white glove customer service. Below are just a few highlights:

1. Good customer service is a team sport. One weak link in the chain can lead to a negative experience that affects business and the bottom line. Educate our employees on rules for customer engagement. We begin with a set of simple rules, such as be courteous, listen carefully and be prepared to say “yes” rather than “no.” The best way to teach is by example. We believe, when you treat your employees well, they’ll be more likely to treat your customers well, in turn. _{(Open Forum, 2011)}
2. After you and your employees, nobody knows more about your business than your customers. Customers can be your biggest fans or your harshest critics. We ask the customers how we are doing, what they like about our business and what they don’t like. This is not about collecting compliments, it is an open the channel to all customers. Negative feedback can be especially helpful, though it can be a little uncomfortable. We put mechanisms in place for anonymous feedback, such as a “Contact us” button on our website and feedback surveys for our suppliers to complete. _{(Open Forum, 2011)}
3. While all customers deserve to receive courtesy and respect, our long-term and loyal customers merit treatment that goes above and beyond. Special offers of extra hours, special reports, loyalty and appreciation help give our best customers something extra. Far from alienating new customers, these programs demonstrate that loyalty has its rewards. _{(Open Forum, 2011)}
4. Nobody’s perfect, and our customers understand that. When we make a mistake, we acknowledge it, apologize and then move quickly to correct it. We use the opportunity to improve our business processes and let customers know what actions we took to prevent the mistake from happening again. Customers will feel more comfortable doing business when they see that we took the problem seriously. _{(Open Forum, 2011)}
5. The key to customer loyalty can be embodied in two simple words: Thank you. Nothing else sets the tone for our relationship with our customers better. Essentially, every “thank you” says, “I appreciate your business and I won’t take it for granted.” And it can be just as powerful whether it’s delivered in person or on a printed page. E-mails, invoices and phone calls are all opportunities to let our customers know how important they are to us. _{(Open Forum, 2011)}

Providing excellent white glove level customer service is integral to any successful business. Taking care of our customers helps encourage them to continue doing business through good times and bad.

We enjoy bringing this blog to you and hope you find value in it. For more information on how we can help you with your procurement needs or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

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_{Reference: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/}

Today’s post is from our Archives at SafeSourcing Inc.

Do you ignore the invitations to participate in Request for Quotes? Do you overlook the “Please click HERE too for your acceptance to participate in the Request for Quote (RFQ)”?

As a business owner, how do you make any money if you do not do business? Why would you turn down an opportunity to earn new business? If it costs you nothing monetarily but a total of an hour’s worth of time, why not participate?

•  Through the SafeSourcing process, the RFQs are paid for by the client/host, which means you are not paying to participate or paying to earn new business.
• Specifications and Terms and Conditions are provided to give you very clear details of the expectations of the items or services required within the RFQ.
• Accepting to participate in a SafeSourcing RFQ is a very simple process that allows you time to ask specific questions about the items or services and a scheduled training of the system tool to enter pricing. The training itself is very detailed and is done in a very short period of time. We at SafeSourcing understand your time is money.
• Our RFQs are blind. Just as in a traditional RFP or RFQ, the electronic view of our system is customized to show you your price and your price only, and if you have the lowest quote will be indicated by a specific color. Also different from traditional methods of price collection, is the opportunity to lower your pricing if you do not have the lowest quote. Traditionally, you submit your best and final, walk away and then never know if you had dropped your pricing just another dollar or two that you would have had the advantage of having the lowest quote.

Again, time is money, so 90% of the RFQ Events that SafeSourcing runs for our clients are 20 minutes with 2 minute extensions. Rarely are the RFQs longer. Many of the clients are on a tight timeline themselves and do not have hours to dedicate a person to watch the live event.

We hope with this post that it will open the eyes to businesses wanting new business to participate in future RFQs. Should you have questions regarding our system tool and process or are interested in how SafeSourcing can run a RFQ or RFP for your business or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.  We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.