If your organization isn't seeking internal customer feedback - and using it as a learning tool - you may not be as strategic as you think.
Supply management experts agree that before measuring satisfaction, the organization needs to create strong internal stakeholder relationships as well as build clarity around the role supply management plays in a company. Thomas Nash, C.P.M., CPIM, managing director for First Line Consultants, Ltd., in Milwaukee, says supply managers first need to share their department's vision with internal business units. The creation of this shared vision, which describes what supply management is and how it contributes to the company's success, is a critical first step to engage stakeholders, build relationships and measure stakeholder satisfaction.
Nash views supply management's role as "proposing and facilitating" (particularly in companies with significant indirect spend), with operations' role as "deciding and owning."
