In today’s volatile, post-pandemic economic environment, supply chain disruptions are unfortunately more commonplace than any of us would like them to be. When things do go sideways, however, many supplier reps are still too slow in communicating the disruption with hospitals. This can happen for any number of reasons: some are still holding out for a miracle, some are trying to “protect you from bad news”, and some are just plain slow. No matter the reason, however, reps keeping you in the dark makes it harder to plan for delivery timing changes at the last minute. Hospital operations are complicated enough without having to guess at whether medical equipment and supplies will be delivered on time. But while the problem is extremely complicated, the solution isn’t: don’t guess.
Demand accurate, up-to-date information from supplier reps – especially in volatile situations. There’s a saying: “If it’s good news, tell me quick. If it’s bad news, tell me faster.” That’s exactly the approach you need to take with your supplier communications during potential supply chain disruptions, because it’s impossible to make good decisions using bad information. Establish an expectation that timely information is ALWAYS required – because you can handle the truth, no matter what it is. And remember: try your best to be understanding whenever the rep has bad news for you. They’re often communicating circumstances over which they have no direct control. Take a breath, thank them for the update, and then get to work on executing a backup plan.
One hospital recently learned the value of timely truth when an important order of surgical products kept getting delayed. After months of frustration managing shortages and receiving inaccurate updates, the hospital was ready to switch suppliers. In a final heart-to-heart discussion with the supplier, however, the rep admitted that she was anxious about sharing bad news prematurely, instead preferring to wait until there was more certainty before communicating with the hospital. And while that approach was understandable, it was ultimately unhelpful. The hospital reminded the rep that in volatile environments, honesty isn’t just the best policy – it’s the ONLY policy. The last-ditch conversation with the rep paid off: she immediately began providing more accurate daily updates, and she even helped implement a contingency plan. In the end, the hospital avoided having to switch a key supplier on the fly, weathering the crisis with zero interruption to patient care.