What Makes A Good Supplier

[socialgiraffe]

So with many suppliers lurking around here I thought I would start a thread where we as buyers can feedback what we like and what we would like to see from suppliers, and also what we don't like. Please note this is not a thread to start slating suppliers and please refrain from mentioning any in particular, but I thought it would be good for the suppliers on here see what we think and if they can change anything to improve customer relations. Also if you are a supplier please do not post on this thread to justify anything, this isn't the purpose of the thread, it is purely to see what members think makes a good supplier. Lastly, please do not say cheaper prices as that is a pointless thing to mention. I will start the ball rolling...

I would like to see live stock control, if this is not possible then perhaps a "stocks running low" message on the item.

Same day dispatch as standard and an advertised cut off time, the later the better.

Email support answered within 24 hours and at least an acknowledgement of the email so you know they have received it.

An advertised telephone number and address.

Temperature and time settings for every product listed within the item description.

[pisquee]

To add to the temp/time settings, there should also be stated dimensions of max printable area as a minimum,and the ideally a downloadable corresponding template.

If not despatching same day, this should be clearly mentioned too.

Stating which couriers are used thing too - as one courier company always fails to deliver to us in the supposed 24 hour time. An improvement on this, would be being able to choose between different courier companies.

[newsgroupmonkey]

For me, it's always been a straightforward understanding of shipping and shipping costs, so that I can work out where the tipping point is.

Also, having a minimum shipping cost of £8 is annoying when all I want is a couple of samples to see if I want to buy more of the product. I'm never going to be in the position of ordering a gazillion pounds worth of stock so I don't expect anything for free, but spending say £10 on a single coaster to see if it's worthwhile buying a box of them can't be justified either.

Also, talking of shipping, if you open yourself up to having visitors, surely you get the face-to-face contact with your customers? It seems that more and more "online-only" stores refuse visitors and are only interested in people who want a faceless transaction.

[pisquee]

Yes, to upfront shipping charges - it is highly frustrating having to go through the whole order process just to find out what the final result price is including VAT and delivery to be able to compare like products from different suppliers.

[newsgroupmonkey]

I'm still fielding calls from suppliers because I had to sign up to find out what the shipping charges were!

[viccar]

Temperature and time settings for every product listed within the item description.

measurements of the product and what there made of.

And to name the courier,
as there is one courier i will not use because they repeatedly mark as attempted delivery and card left when they havnt even attempted delivery, so all deliveries take a day extra.

[socialgiraffe]

Good point with the couriers Ideally a tracking number and which courier really helps.

[mrs maggot]

one of my suppliers has it bang on right, a website i have access to, with live product numbers, and expected delivery times if running low, simple delivery charges, under £250 its £6 and over £250 its free, and a confirmation email with the tracking number of the parcel on (sometimes this arrives the following day if its a late order, and i have had the product arrive before the tracking number lol) a real live rep!!! who actually calls once in a while to see if they can come and see me, rather than just turning up on the off chance.

agree with comment about online only stores, sometimes we need to see products

[gorgall2]

Someone who is willing to do that little bit extra to help you out of a hole.

[Zipdorf]

Most companies seem to put the lowest paid, just started yesterday trainee on the switchboard. I wish suppliers would train the people who actually ANSWER the phone. Why does it always seem you have to be put thorough to a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th person before you get someone who knows the products?