6 Factors To Consider When Choosing Electrical Parts Suppliers
Whether you’re an electrical service provider or an electrical industry entrepreneur, choosing the best electrical suppliers is important. These suppliers will provide the tools or equipment you need to complete an electrical project or resell to your clients. But with plenty of electrical suppliers on the market, it may be challenging to find which of them fits your needs. Remember, choosing electrical suppliers is more than going for the cheapest.
Your decision should be influenced by several factors such as experience, credibility, quality of service, and much more. Otherwise, sourcing low-quality or faulty electrical parts from unqualified suppliers may put you at risk of electrical mishaps, accidents, fire hazards, or, worst, deaths. Thus, your ultimate goal here is to find a reputable electrical parts supplier that can deliver superior electrical materials at a reasonable price. (1)
To begin, here are six factors you need to consider when choosing electrical parts suppliers:
- Credibility and reliability
Your electrical parts suppliers must sell goods that meet or exceed your needs to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth. So, you need to consider and determine the credibility and reliability of the suppliers.
As a start, you can gather a list of several electrical suppliers and do individual research. Here are some points you need to research to determine their credibility and reliability:
- Experience: Most of the time, electrical suppliers have a website or portfolio wherein you’ll find how long they’ve been in the industry, providing supplies to different customers and businesses. Generally, it’s best to choose an electrical supplier with at least two to three years of experience. The longer these suppliers have been in the industry, the more you can ensure they’re up to date with better and more innovative sets of electrical parts supply. (1)(2)
- Certification or licenses: Another factor to consider to measure a supplier’s credibility and reliability is their business certification or licenses. With appropriate certificates and complete permits, you can guarantee that a supplier and their electric parts currently comply with the local or state regulations. (1)
- References or reviews: You can get a good overview of the supplier’s reliability through the references and reviews of their past customers. If you see more positive reviews, it’ll be possible for you to trust them and source your electrical parts from them.
- Insurance: An excellent electrical parts supplier must offer insurance for their customers. This legal requirement will protect you in case you encounter any problems while using their electrical equipment.
- Supplier’s business location
Another factor to consider when choosing your potential electrical parts supplier is their business location. Partnering and transactions with long-distance suppliers are costlier due to their high transport costs. Furthermore, since they need to travel long distances, you can expect slower delivery times, which may adversely affect your business supply and make it impossible for you to provide the urgent needs of your clients. (2)
Preferably, go for an electrical supplier that’s relatively close to your site. If this is impossible, you may still opt for long-distance suppliers but ensure to check their delivery process and average delivery time first to assess if they can keep up with your bulky orders on time.
- Availability and consistency
Your chosen electrical supplier must be available and consistent with their deliveries. For instance, if your customers urgently need some electrical tools, your supplier must deliver at the soonest time possible without compromising the quality of their products.
Remember, if your suppliers fail to deliver quality products or have delayed deliveries, your business will be associated with bad reviews, not your suppliers. So, to compete and stand out from your competitors, choose a consistent electrical supplier that can deliver your needs anytime.
- Competitive prices
The cheapest supplier isn’t automatically the best deal. Suppliers that offer products with too affordable prices could be equivalent to low-quality products and might potentially cost hefty repairs or replacements to your customers. Preferably, try to approach reputable suppliers and request their quotes. Give them a summary of the supplies and the quantity you need. You can also ask for their estimated price during long-term contracts and see if they offer discounts for high-volume orders or allow price bargaining. (3)
Once you’ve gathered quotes and price lists from different suppliers, you can compare and see which of them fits your budget. Although the price is a fundamental factor in choosing your supplier, you shouldn’t rely your decision on the price alone. Make sure to find a balance between the cost, price, and quality.
- Adequacy or quality of the products
To determine your potential suppliers’ adequacy and product quality, don’t be afraid to ask questions and conduct some research about their company. You can ask about their manufacturing process, tools and equipment used, and other materials or steps relevant to creating the electrical parts. Remember, it’s your company’s reputation at stake, so make sure you’re knowledgeable about all the product details of your electrical supplier.
- Excellent customer support and collaborative approach
Your chosen electrical supplier must have excellent customer support for both of you to build a good relationship. With this collaborative approach, you can easily speak with your supplier, open up your needs, and provide you with better support and service.
Bottom line
Overall, these factors will help you find the best electrical parts supplier to cater to your needs and provide you with a profitable deal. You can also negotiate with a few suppliers to have a backup source in case of emergencies or if your main electrical supplier is currently unavailable. Remember, your company’s suppliers, including your electrical supplier, are crucial to your company’s success.
