| name | Supplier chase |
| description | Detect a late purchase order, chase it with the right ask, and escalate on a schedule. |
| category | operations |
Chasing a supplier
A chase that says "any update?" gets an answer that says "we're looking into
it". Ask for a commitment.
Every chase carries
PO number · what was ordered and how many · the date promised · how many days
late it is now · what it is blocking, in customer orders rather than internally.
Ask one question
"What date will this ship, and what quantity?" Not a status. A date and a
number can be planned around; an update cannot.
Escalate on a clock, not on feeling
Day 1 late: the buyer contact. Day 3: their manager, with the original request
attached. Day 7: sourcing, with the customer impact quantified. Say at each step
what the next step will be and when.
Always ask the second question
"Is any of it available now?" A partial shipment usually clears the urgent
orders and nobody offers it unprompted.
Never
Accept "next week" without a date, or promise a customer a date the supplier has
not committed to in writing.