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- SRM Tribe - Matt
- Jul 22, 2025
- 6 min read
In today’s interconnected and volatile supply chains, strong supplier relationships are more critical than ever. But how well do you really understand how your suppliers experience working with your organisation?
Before reading this aritcle consider reading, Can you conduct a Voice of the Supplier survey in-house?
Enter the Voice of the Supplier Survey questions. Just as Voice of the Customer initiatives help companies stay customer-centric, VoTS surveys provide insights into how your suppliers perceive your collaboration, communication, and overall relationship management.
Whether you're looking to strengthen strategic partnerships, address risks, or simply become a more attractive customer of choice, asking the right questions is the first step. Below, we share a set of carefully curated questions you can use to gather feedback directly from your suppliers.
Voice of the Supplier Survey Questions
These questions are designed to explore key dimensions of your supplier relationships, such as trust, transparency, responsiveness, innovation potential, governance, and overall satisfaction.
Question (Abbreviated) | Primary Category |
I received clear direction & information about what is expected from me as a supplier, during the onboarding phase. | Onboarding |
The onboarding materials and tools were helpful and easy to use. (for example, invoicing, PO numbers, system access or any other relevant processes that enable “day 1 delivery.” | Onboarding |
The team was responsive and supportive throughout onboarding. | Onboarding |
I am satisfied with the support provided by my relationship manager. | Onboarding |
Roles and responsibilities were clearly explained. | Onboarding |
I have access to the appropriate stakeholders and senior executives required to support successful delivery. | Onboarding |
“What was the most helpful aspect of your onboarding experience with us?” | |
“What was the most frustrating aspect of your onboarding experience with us?” | |
Communication with us has been clear and effective overall. | Communication |
I’m kept informed about important changes and business updates in a timely manager. | Communication |
When I provide feedback, it is acknowledged and acted upon. | Communication |
Our relationship is collaborative. | Communication |
I feel comfortable raising issues or concerns. | Communication |
Changes are communicated clearly and in a timely way. | Communication |
Our priorities are clearly communicated to support innovation from your side. | Communication |
When issues arise, I am clear on the appropriate point of contact within your organisation to engage with, ensuring effective and timely resolution | Communication |
“Can you share an example of how our communication or collaboration helped your ability to deliver?” | |
“Can you share an example of how our communication or collaboration hindered your ability to deliver?” | |
Our contract terms strike a fair balance between our risk, responsibilities, and rewards | Contract & Commercial Terms |
Discussions around pricing, scope, and changes are transparent. | Contract & Commercial Terms |
It’s clear on how to resolve commercial or contractual disputes. | Contract & Commercial Terms |
Purchase orders and payments are issued on time. | Contract & Commercial Terms |
Scope changes which involve active negotiations meet resolution fairly and timely. | Contract & Commercial Terms |
The administrative process for contract changes is clear and actioned at speed. | Contract & Commercial Terms |
Mechanisms are in place to ensure that savings or benefits generated through continuous improvement are shared equitably between both parties | Contract & Commercial Terms |
“Are there any aspects of our contract or commercial arrangements you feel could be improved?” | |
Performance expectations (e.g. KPIs, SLAs) are clearly defined. | Operational Delivery |
There’s a clear process for tracking and reporting performance. | Operational Delivery |
Our organisation maintains clear and up-to-date exit plans that enable a structured and orderly transition at the end of the contract. | Operational Delivery |
The non-commercial obligations outlined in the contract and/or schedules are clear, realistic, and achievable | Operational Delivery |
Operational changes are managed in a structured way. | Operational Delivery |
“What has supported us delivering operational success together?” | |
“What has prevented us delivering operational success together?” | |
We are open to new ideas and suggestions from suppliers. | Continuous Improvement |
You are actively invited to help improve our processes or products. | Continuous Improvement |
You’re empowered to bring innovation to the account. | Continuous Improvement |
We make full use of your potential as a supplier. | Continuous Improvement |
We consider the impact of our changes on your ability to innovate. | Continuous Improvement |
We are informed about all your products and services. | Continuous Improvement |
There are clear processes for proposing new ideas or innovations. | Continuous Improvement |
“In what ways could we better enable or encourage you to bring new ideas or innovations to us?” | |
We proactively identify and address risks jointly. | Risk Management |
We collaborate well to resolve issues when they arise. | Risk Management |
Risks are allocated in a fair and reasonable way. | Risk Management |
We provide strong support during incidents or escalations. | Risk Management |
We adapt plans quickly when problems occur. | Risk Management |
“When issues have arisen, how have you felt about our response and how could it be improved?” | |
Our expectations around ESG and sustainability are clear. | Sustainability & Ethics |
Our sustainability goals align with yours. | Sustainability & Ethics |
It’s easy to meet our compliance and reporting requirements. | Sustainability & Ethics |
We are committed to ethical and responsible procurement. | Sustainability & Ethics |
“What could we do to better align with your sustainability or ethical standards?” | |
We make you feel valued as a supplier. | Customer of Choice |
We treat you fairly and with respect. | Customer of Choice |
We follow through on the commitments we make. | Customer of Choice |
We are a desirable partner for the long term. | Customer of Choice |
We make it easy for suppliers to share innovations. | Customer of Choice |
We help you achieve your business goals | Customer of Choice |
“What would make us stand out as a ‘Customer of Choice’ for you?” | |
Overall, I’m satisfied with the relationship. | Overall Experience |
I would recommend working with us to others. | Overall Experience |
How to Use These Questions Internally - Voice of the Supplier Survey Questions
You can use these Voice of the Supplier Survey questions as part of an internal supplier feedback initiative, through a survey tool, structured interviews, or supplier review meetings. Even a small pilot with a handful of key suppliers can yield valuable insights.
Here are a few tips to get started:
Be clear on purpose. Let suppliers know why you're asking for feedback and how you'll use it.
Keep it confidential. Suppliers may be more honest if they know their responses won’t be attributed directly to them.
Share what you learn. Reflecting back on what you’ve heard and what you plan to change, builds trust and accountability.
Avoid one-and-done. Make it part of a regular rhythm, not a one-off initiative.
But there’s also another option one that brings even greater insight and candour.
Why Use a Third Party?
While internal efforts are a great starting point, suppliers often hold back from being fully open, especially when giving feedback directly to their customers. This is where a neutral third party adds value.
Here’s what a third-party-led VoTS can offer:
Increased honesty. Suppliers are more likely to share the truth, good or bad, when their feedback is anonymised and collected independently.
Better benchmarking. With a third party, you can compare your results to industry peers or aggregated benchmarks, adding valuable context.
Professional analysis. Expertise in survey design, supplier psychology, and SRM maturity means better questions, sharper insights, and actionable recommendations.
Deeper Insights: Through our reports you see the benchmarking data vs the primary categories and further secondary categories, including;
Responsiveness
Transparency & Fairness
Support & Enablement
Collaboration
Trust
Proactivity
Governance & Compliance
Adaptability
Supplier-Led Innovation
Unbiased facilitation. External partners can surface uncomfortable truths you might not see or that internal teams might unintentionally filter out.
Why SRM Tribe?
At SRM Tribe, we specialise in helping organisations elevate their Supplier Relationship Management capabilities. Our Voice of the Supplier offering is designed to go beyond just a scorecard. We deliver insight-rich, anonymised feedback across strategic, operational, and relational dimensions of your supplier partnerships.
With us, you get:
A fully managed and GDPR-compliant survey process
Tailored analysis based on your supplier base, industry, and SRM maturity
Confidential reporting and debriefs with clear actions
Optional workshops to co-develop improvement plans with internal teams or even jointly with suppliers
The ability to track change over time because supplier relationships are never static
Whether you're trying to strengthen your top-tier strategic suppliers, diagnose issues in a particular category, or develop a more supplier-friendly culture, we can help you hear the voices that matter most; clearly, candidly, and constructively.
Ready to Listen Differently?
If you’re serious about becoming a customer of choice, or simply improving how you collaborate with the suppliers who power your business, don’t just guess what they think. Ask them.
Use the questions above to start the conversation. Or partner with SRM Tribe to take the next step with a trusted, third-party-led Voice of the Supplier programme.