Start a reliable business contact record
Practical answer: Start a reliable business contact record
Start with one approved business identity and a single enquiry register. Separate the name of the organisation from the person making contact. Record the subject, the requested response and the next review date. A conversation about a possible relationship should remain a conversation until the relevant people agree otherwise.
A new business needs a dependable way to recognise an enquiry before it needs a complicated customer system. In August 2021, changing operating conditions made it useful to record what a prospective contact actually requested and what remained undecided.
Economic context
The RBA’s August 2021 overview described the Delta outbreaks interrupting Australia’s recovery and making the near-term outlook uncertain. Read the RBA overview.
An illustrative example
For example, a supplier introduction can be recorded as “office equipment information requested”, with a contact and review date. It does not belong in a list of contracted suppliers merely because a message arrived. At the end of each week, check that every open enquiry has a next action and a person responsible for it.
Three points to take into the conversation
- Identify the contact
- Record the request
- Assign the next action
Before progressing the conversation, check that the purpose, current information, responsible contact and next review date are clear. For a corporate-information, supplier or partnership enquiry, contact EJN Services through its enquiry page.
The economic context comes from the report linked above. The process suggestions and examples are original editorial guidance, not RBA recommendations or records of EJN Services engagements.
