Vendor Satisfaction Surveys: The 7 Questions Every Indian Manufacturer Must Ask Their Suppliers

Vendor satisfaction surveys administered internally almost always return scores in the 75–85% range, regardless of actual supplier sentiment. The reason: suppliers filling out the buyer's own survey know their answers are read by the procurement team that controls their order volumes. Independent third-party administration changes the dynamic completely.

Asking the right questions today ensures seamless operations and manufacturing growth tomorrow. A resilient supply chain isn't built on comfortable data; it’s built on honest conversations.

Here are the seven questions that, asked through an independent channel, generate the most actionable intelligence:

Question 1: On a scale of 1–10, how would you rate this company as a customer to work with, compared to your other major buyers?

Question 2: How reliable is their payment against agreed terms?

Question 3: How much advance notice do they give when plans change?

Question 4: Do you feel your technical inputs and suggestions are valued and acted upon?

Question 5: How likely are you to prioritise this company's orders during a capacity constraint? (The resilience question, reveals your actual standing at the moment of truth.)

Question 6: Is there anything about working with this company that you wish they would change? (Open-ended, anonymous, generates the most specific and actionable feedback.)

Question 7: Would you recommend this company as a customer to another supplier in your network? (The supplier NPS equivalent.)

These seven questions, administered independently and analysed rigorously, give procurement leaders a realistic picture of their supply chain relationships and a clear action agenda.

Explore BPMBC's supplier perception and vendor intelligence services:

-Supplier Perception & Risk Intelligence → bpmbc.com/supplier-satisfaction-surveys

-Competitive Benchmarking Research → bpmbc.com/benchmarking-survey

-All BPMBC Research Solutions → bpmbc.com/all-solutions

-Contact BPMBC → bpmbc.com/contact-bpmbc

BPMBC Marketing Research India | Pune | www.bpmbc.com