The exchange of compliance data is supposed to keep supply chains running smoothly, but for many suppliers it’s a source of pressure that creates backlogs and strains their internal resources. Sharing compliance declarations, even though it’s business-critical, feels like a burden because of the amount of effort and time that’s required to gather and validate data.
From last-minute customer requests to changing regulatory requirements, staying on top of compliance data with traditional data management systems may seem an insurmountable task. But it doesn’t have to be. With Assent, you’ll get more time back in your day to focus on critical, revenue-generating tasks by shifting the manual, time-consuming tasks to us.
Pulled in Too Many Directions?
Suppliers play an essential role in the global supply chain ecosystem. They’re critical to keeping the parts and products businesses need flowing smoothly, and a key player in determining compliance for their customers. But they’re overburdened. On top of responding to data requests, you also need to proactively meet your customer’s needs, manage multiple inboxes, locate siloed or missing data, and educate yourself on changing regulations to support data correctness. Oh, and you have a whole business to run as well.
Modern compliance data requirements are complicated. They take time, extensive regulatory knowledge, and the right data to ensure you are responding with the correct information to protect your customers from non-compliance. Being pulled in too many directions doesn’t give you the chance to keep up with these requests, let alone get ahead of your obligations or focus on your own business.
Inefficiency Makes Compliance a Full-Time Job
With today’s ability to communicate instantly, sharing compliance data request-by-request using outdated processes is just plain inefficient for you and your customers. With siloed data and no central location to manage and validate it, you’re never sure if you have current data, making responding to your customers feel like a guessing game. You’re one last-minute request away from derailing your in-house team for weeks so they can search for missing part data locked in a spreadsheet. Automating and centralizing data is essential to scaling to meet your customer’s requests without giving up too much time in your day.
Manual Compliance Declaration Sharing Costs More Than You Think
It’s clear that a manual compliance declaration approach has its downsides. Here’s what we’ve heard:
Errors and Bottlenecks
Manually gathering accurate, compliance-ready data for regulations that change all time is an error waiting to happen. Even the most diligent compliance teams may not realize the data they need already exists in a silo somewhere, or that critical parts of the data are missing. Each error subsequently results in delays to responding to your customers, and risks eroding their trust. Gathering and verifying data manually takes weeks, and that assumes it’s correct the first time.
“In the past, we spent a lot of time collecting information and verifying if it was reliable or not. And in order to prepare a declaration, we spent more or less 3–4 weeks. Now we spend minutes [with Assent].” —Massimo Magi, QHSE Assurance & Sustainability Manager, Elica
Limited Time
Your team only has so many hours in a day, and a seemingly endless to-do list filled with more than just compliance management tasks. Considering it can take 24 to 48 hours to respond to a single request, scaling to meet customer requirements with your in-house team is virtually impossible.
“The biggest challenge as a fabricator/supplier is keeping up with the demand of the customer requests regarding regulations. It takes approximately 24 to 48 hours to respond to a request, depending on the workload, but we always prioritize the customer’s needs. It’s crucial to reduce response times since a declaration could mean closing a deal or even obtaining a certification.” —Javier Cardenas, Bethlehem Industries Inc (Supplier)
Duplicative Work
When you combine manual processes, an endless stream of requests, and changing requirements you don’t have time to learn about, you end up spending a lot of time duplicating your work. In a constant state of reactively responding to data requests, it can take up to 30% of a full-time employee’s work week to respond to them all. It becomes impossible to determine what information can be reused across customers and if the data you’ve collected already exists in another part of the business.
“Replying to customer requests generally takes up about 30% of my work week. Saving time on customer request responses would be very valuable to me, as I could focus more time on other needs.” —Leanne Boers, Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry
Take Your Time Back With Assent
With the Assent Sustainability Platform, you have access to the smarter, more scalable approach to product compliance and supply chain sustainability management. Leverage one system to respond to all product and company-level requests, sharing information once while responding to numerous requests. With Assent, you eliminate repetitive uploads and duplicated work, streamline responses, and get back to your customers faster.
“Assent has helped me to streamline my compliance requests, making it much easier and taking less time to complete them for my customers.”
— Adam Carver, Presrite Corporation (Supplier)
We’re transforming manufacturing relationships, providing real-time supply chain visibility, and reducing the effort needed to stay compliant. We’re ready when you are.
Book your demo today to learn more.
FAQ: Improving Customer Request Management for Suppliers
Compliance managers face constant pressure to respond to shifting regulations and nonstop customer data requests. This FAQ breaks down the most common challenges and how technology can simplify and strengthen your compliance process.
