3 Ways to Win That Reluctant Supplier Over

Some suppliers may respond negatively when you tell them you want to bring in a third-party inspection company in Vietnam to inspect the product right at the factory. They might tell you that’s not needed or that they have their own staff for quality control. This is easy to understand; you’re asking them to allow an unknown party to come into their factory and look over their work.

To ease this tension, you can explain how the inspection could help them, too. Mention the three benefits below to get the conversation on the right track and ensure your inspections go off without a hitch.

Improvement in product quality

It’s product quality improvement that tends to be the largest benefit of third-party inspections. Sometimes, an inspection will reveal a product defect that is preventable. Whether that defect is critical or minor, when the supplier learns about it before shipping, it helps them to find the root cause and correct that problem. A during-production inspection can be used to identify the production stage that is causing or contributing to the defect. This leaves both the customer and supplier better off because the customer is more confident about avoiding that defect in the future, and the supplier is left with better factory processes that can improve other products.

Keep in mind that although a product inspector can help identify quality defects, his or her role is not to completely overhaul a process. If a supplier has serious problems, they may need to hire a consultant for a process audit.

Better customer relationships

When an importer doesn’t have any outside oversight into their order’s condition and status, they won’t know what they’ve paid for until the goods are in hand. At the same time, the supplier won’t know what the customer thinks of the goods until the customer has them. This is where issues often arise as the difference between what the importer and the supplier feel is acceptable can damage that relationship. When mismatched expectations are cleared up before mass production starts, the relationship between the importer and supplier will be better off. Suppliers who cooperate with a third-party inspection company in Vietnam also help reassure a customer that the goods will be as promised, which goes a long way toward building trust.

Less risk of charge backs

Substandard or defective products hurt both the supplier and the customer, along with their relationship overall. When a customer receives these types of goods, they often chargeback the supplier for a large number of those defective units in an order – if they don’t cut ties and go to a new supplier altogether. One of the greatest benefits of third-party inspections is that they can avoid excessive charge backs when the goods are inspected before shipping.

Third-party inspections benefit the supplier and the importer in various ways. If you’re worried or having trouble getting your supplier to allow an inspection, be sure to remind them what they’ll gain from one.