Help Other Departments & Get Them to Help Yours

For various reasons, sometimes a buyer needs to tell an employee that it is impossible to obtain a product or service that he requested. Perhaps the supplier is unable to deliver quickly. Any refusal to do what the requester wants must be handled very diplomatically. Otherwise, a requestor may spread unfavorable reports about the buyer’s ability or cooperation.
One way to avoid a conflict is to be as helpful as you can with employees in other departments. That way you gain a reputation of being a pleasure to work with. Not only that, but you may need help from other departments. The employees will likely be more willing to give you what you need if you have helped them in the past. Purchasing operations often need information from other departments. Accounting information is needed about outstanding bills, payment discounts, or company financial information. Good relations with accounting personnel leads to quicker responses to your requests. Buyers frequently need help from engineering or product design. Clarification of specifications is an example. So, too, is any change in the material to be used to a less expensive type. Quality control may be less critical about product specifications from the supplier if you have more tolerance for that department’s requirements. Beware however, if you are the first to ask for a favor or help. You are likely to be asked to return a favor from the other department. The request from other employees may be inappropriate and you should be prepared to politely deny the request. You may offer to do something that is perfectly acceptable, but is a compromise. For example,
an employee may ask you to buy something from one of your company’s suppliers that is for their personal use. Rather than do so, you can simply give the names of several suppliers who will handle the order to an individual, not as an employee of your company.