When a company imports goods, their buyers cannot be physically present all the time and thus the services of sourcing company become beneficial who supervise & coordinate the entire operations from getting products developed with factories, to ensuring timely and quality production; and finally planning dispatch of goods to the port.
But how can the buyer who is thousands of miles away and in a different time zone, be assured on a regular basis that all is on schedule and as per specifications given.
Obviously …. Communication… the Latin Word which means ‘to share’
Communications is fundamental to the existence and survival of humans as well as to an organization. It is a process of creating and sharing ideas, information, views, facts, feelings, etc. among the people to reach a common understanding.
Buyers appoint sourcing / buying agents with the trust they will be their eyes and ears on the ground and provide them with all the necessary information in an honest, orderly and transparent manner.
Unfortunately, at times many sourcing agents treat communication as a mere formality.
In today’s world where so many options and tools are available from faxes and emails to telephones and internet video calling, there is no excuse for the agent to not provide timely and factual replies, instructions and feedback to its customer and supplier.
As Johnny Tan so rightly stated in the book “From My Mama’s Kitchen.” Although we live in an information technology age, we often find ourselves in failure to communicate situations. “
An agent coordinates the human (the buyer and the supplier) and physical elements (the product) This coordination is not possible without proper communication which creates fluent working systems and procedures. As well as helps in taking right decisions and resolving problems if any.
It is important the agent provides effective communication as it:
- Reassures the buyer and the factory that their interests are being taken case off professionally and thus builds confidence, trust and efficiency.
- The two-way communication process promotes co-operation and mutual understanding amongst the buyer and factory which is facilitated by the agent between them.
- Increases engagement and creates better relationship
- Provides the necessary direction and clarity.
- Sends a positive signal to the factory that the agent is taking a balanced approach. This eventually improves productivity and commitment.
- Conveys to all stake holders their respective interests are of paramount importance & are in safe hands.
We, at SmallWORLD India, consider communication to be our biggest responsibility and duty. Hence our emphasis on the quality of our communication, to both our buyers and factories.
SmallWORLD India believes the most important aspect of communication is the quality be it written or verbal.
For us communication is the essence to a long lasting mutually beneficial relationship. We ensure our communication is simple, honest, transparent and straight to the point. Thru our communication we aim to convey our seriousness and commitment, which installs trust and is the foundation towards developing long lasting relationships
Our motto
- If we have not replied within 24 working hours, we have not received your message.
- The least we will do is acknowledge, it is a promise.
- Bad news is better than no news.
- We will never say YES as a formality. Many times, due to various reasons a task cannot be undertaken. We will regretfully say NO and provide a reason for that.
As has been quoted by an unknown…. TWO THINGS CAN DESTROY ANY RELATIONSHIP: UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS AND POOR COMMUNICATION
