How to Communicate Effectively With Vendors in India

More United States-based companies are going to India than in years past. These companies find that the post-British occupation Indian population is more educated and prepared to work in a Western world. Learning how to communicate effectively with vendors in India can be a challenge, however, as cultural and geographic obstacles abound. Read on to learn how to communicate effectively with vendors in India.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Find a liaison. The key to working with people in any international location is to have someone who is familiar with the people and their customs. This person should be able to speak all languages involved well and should be quick at communicating any needs or problems from either end.

2. Study Indian culture. Far from being a monolithic society, India consists of provinces. Each province comes with cultural and language quirks that you should understand well. For example, in many parts of India, the prevailing sentiment is to agree with any request of a boss or contract company whether those requests can be met or not. Knowing how to navigate these differences in culture is vital to a good partnership.

3. Use an RFP. A Request For Proposal is the document you must have to find a vendor in India. This document, which should be thorough, will give potential vendors a description of exactly what you need and what you expect from your vendor.

4. Visit. Going to India is one of the best ways to establish a rapport with your vendors. You can communicate effectively if you know each other.

5. Make use of all available communications tools. The Internet has multiple options for effective communication. Email is the most obvious, but video conferencing, private message boards and internal content management systems also are possibilities.