Just as we use employee engagement as a part of employee retention, we ought to retain our suppliers. To understand supplier engagement, we must first understand what employee engagement is. According to David Macleod, it is “about how we create the conditions in which employees offer more of their capability and potential.” In the same manner, we should regard the suppliers we deal with on a daily basis.

Employee engagement is measured on attitude, behaviour and outcome. Using these measurements, we see there are three primary levels of employee engagement: the first is ‘engaged’ – where employees will do their work to almost a patriotic level, always going the extra mile. The second level is ‘non-engaged’, here the employee is at work solely to do their job and leave. The final level is ‘actively disengaged’. This means that not only is the employee unhappy at work, but they act out on their discontent.

Employees who feel that they are spending their days in a good, appealing environment and treated fairly are always willing to go out of their way for their employers. This is true for suppliers as well. The mere fact that you are paying someone to complete various tasks does not mean that they owe you respect and an over-and-above approach – it just means that they need to complete their tasks.

In order to receive great services, here is a list of things to avoid doing when you are engaging with your suppliers:

• Provide clear instructions when you request their services for a task
• Maintain a good level of communication (respond to emails, phone calls etc.)
• Never get on your high horse – if you feel that you have been wronged, speak to your supplier calmly, understand the situation and establish a solution
• Don’t demand obscene discounts just because you have been their loyal client for a long time – your supplier knows this and will likely give you a good deal to nurture the relationship
• Don’t take advantage of them – just because your supplier did you a favour once, does not mean that said favour comes standard all of a sudden
• Don’t micro manage, suggestions are always welcome but let your supplier do what they do best and make use of their expertise