The power of supplier relationships

07/09/2021

In any business, supplier relationships play a crucial role in the company's success. Without excellent relationships with suppliers, communication can fail, resulting in poor customer experiences.

This point is exceptionally accurate for business travel when businesses are trying to rebuild due to the pandemic. At HTS, we rely on our supplier relationships for clear and efficient communication following COVID guidelines and policy updates. It ensures we can keep our clients well-informed of changes to their travel policies as quickly as possible.

Our clients trust us to save them time and money, and they also trust us to keep their travellers safe. So, we pride ourselves on solid people management that instils the mindset required for strong relationships. Here is the foundation on which we build strong relationships with our supplier community, with customers at the core:

Communication

Effective, open three-way communication is at the heart of any strong business relationship. If you don't talk to your suppliers and customers, you can't learn enough about each other to build mutually beneficial arrangements.

Respect

Mutual appreciation and willingness to consider each other's needs and opinions clear the ground for suppliers and buyers to work in ways that maximise both interests.

Openness

An essential part of relationship-building is openness and honesty. Sharing information and being transparent about intentions and goals increases the likelihood of reaching agreements that benefit everyone, including our all-important travellers.

Fairness

Business relationships break down when one party feels they are not treated fairly. Ensuring all benefits are split straight down the line is crucial to making a "You scratch my back" approach work for all involved.

Trust

All of the above help build trust. Trust between people is the cement that will hold a strong relationship together. It affords suppliers, agencies, and buyers the confidence to seek innovative ways to work and solve problems together.

Flexibility

To make a relationship a success, you must be prepared to change how you work to accommodate other interested parties. Very rarely will multiple organisations strike the perfect accord straight away. Strong relationships take time and a willingness of both parties to listen, adapt and embrace innovation as a means of improving.

Flexibility on all sides of our relationships has been vital throughout the pandemic and has ensured we continue delivering quality service and experiences.