The art of mediation
Business relationship mediation is vital because every relationship between clients and service providers or vendors will go through periods when things just aren’t clicking.
There are many different reasons why a relationship sours and the client-supplier relationship is threatened.
But one thing we have learned at Relationship Audits® is the proven value of mediation.
We have been working with many different types of service providers and their clients for nearly 20 years to ensure that relationships between them remain healthy, productive and continuous.
The secret to maintaining long-term business partnerships is the active practice of mediation. Used consistently, it can resolve business-threatening issues and maintain the client-supplier relationship.
Without mediation, nearly all of our long-term Service Provider clients would have lost significant business to a competitor.
Instead, the evidence clearly shows that where service providers did employ our mediation services, client relationships (and revenues) were maintained, if not grown.
What is mediation between a Service Provider and a valued client?
Relationship Audits® has a proven method of mediation between a client and its strategic service provider partners.
It defuses the issue, restores the warmth of partnership and reboots the relationship to encourage incremental growth.
How does Relationship Audits® mediation work?
- We use our existing products to spot the problems EARLY
- We show the Service Provider how to approach their client in the spirit of openness, willingness to be positive and with a clear path to solving the problem
- We mediate the face to face session between the client team and the service provider (this takes real experience and sure-footedness)
- We direct and capture what the action plan needs to be and who owns each action point
- We conduct immediate informal follow up conversations with each party to ensure that buy-in really did take place and that nothing was left unsaid
- We work with the most senior client and partner representative to hold a 30 and 60 day review of all action points and to establish a “clean bill of health for the partner” – recognised by the client team
- We provide a framework for the service provider to use for follow up checks to ensure similar issues are avoided in the future
The process works
We have multiple case studies which capture
Relationship Audits® Mediation in action and demonstrate how our methods helped a significant number of strategic Service Provider partners keep key accounts
Talking is good
If you think you might have an issue, you can talk to us in the strictest confidence. Talking is cheaper than repitching!
What does Relationship Audits® Mediation achieve?
- It intervenes early and stops the souring relationship in its tracks
- It makes sure the problem is thoroughly resolved and that the service provider takes credit for being the catalyst to solving the problem
- It reboots the relationship and rebases the client's view of the provider. From there, anything is possible
- It shows that the service provider cares
- It saves:
- Revenue
- Competitive providers being invited to tender
- Service provider personnel preferring not to work with this client
- It opens up a form of dialogue between the service provider and client teams which is open, real time and constructive