Suppliers play a vital role in helping companies achieve their goals. They provide services and goods that enable companies to operate efficiently. Onboarding new suppliers is a critical step in the relationship between a company and its vendors. Companies often overlook the importance of supplier onboarding because they don't realize the benefits of having good relationships with their suppliers.
A successful supplier onboarding strategy helps companies improve efficiency and reduce costs. This article provides insights into the critical elements of a successful supplier onboarding program.
What Is Supplier Onboarding?
Supplier onboarding is the process of getting suppliers up to speed quickly. It involves defining what you need from each supplier, finding out how well the supplier meets those needs and ensuring that the supplier has the resources necessary to deliver those needs.
Successful supplier onboarding means that you get immediate value from your suppliers. You also save money over time by avoiding delays and unnecessary expenses caused by not knowing exactly what you need.
Why Do You Need A Supplier Onboarding Program?
Here are some reasons why you should implement a supplier onboarding program for your business:
Cost Savings. Implementing a supplier onboarding program will help you identify potential savings throughout the life cycle of your project.
Quality Assurance. In addition to saving money, supplier onboarding programs can help ensure that products or services are delivered according to quality specifications.
Better Communication. An effective supplier onboarding program enables you to communicate clearly with your suppliers and ensure that they understand what you want from them. As a result, you can avoid misunderstandings and make informed decisions based on accurate information.
Relationship Building. This is an opportunity for building a long-term supplier relationship.
Elements of Supplier Onboarding
Some of the critical elements of supplier onboarding are:
1. Capturing Supplier Data
As a part of supplier registration, you would want to collect primary supplier data (if you have already not done so), such as company names, addresses, primary points of contact, etc.
2. Providing Policies and Requirements to Suppliers
You may also want to explain the supplier's requirements as a part of supplier onboarding. This will ensure that the supplier clearly understands the requirements. At this stage, it is also good to provide a high-level overview of what you do and where this particular product or service fits in your organization's overall scope of work.
3. Criticality of the product
Explain to the supplier the criticality of the product or service the supplier is expected to provide.
4. Delivery Requirements
Explain to the supplier how this product is expected to be delivered, including the inspection requirements prior to delivery.
Most of these requirements listed above would have been in the purchase order, but explaining them to the supplier during onboarding goes a long way in ensuring that the supplier meets these requirements.
