If you’re an importer with a supplier in China. You may be well familiar with the fact that not all orders that you place with them. Turns out exactly how you would want them to be, Quality Control Issues occur. Perhaps you were under the impression that your Chinese supplier was meeting his expected timeline perfectly. And you would receive your shipment just as planned. Only to find out that he has encountered some last minute problems that would result in a month’s delay.
Or perhaps even, you were assured by your Chinese supplier that he has perfectly understood all your product requirements. And the shipment would turn out exactly how you have asked it to be. Once again, you’re disappointed to see that the products do not meet your specifications as required. And has resulted in a loss for you as well as unsatisfied customers. Who do not receive what they asked from you.
Quality Issues
Although there can be numerous reasons. Why things might not turn out close to perfect in the manufacturing side of your business,. There are certain elements that appear to stand out amongst the Chinese suppliers. That cause misunderstandings and quality issues when dealing with offshore clients such as yourself.
These elements have their roots embedded in the very vastly different culture. And values that china has compared to countries in the West. Although several companies in china have years of experience dealing with their clients in the West. Their predominant culture still causes them several issues when it comes to meeting client’s expectations.
Three Most Important Cultural Barriers
We have outline the three most important cultural barriers between you and your Chinese suppliers. These will help you gain a better understanding of your supplier’s culture and values. And provide you with valuable insight as to what measures you can take to mitigate. These differences as much as you can, resulting in lesser quality control problems.
By making sure that you understand your Chinese supplier’s culture fully. You can even help to bridge any communication gap that exists. Between the two of you and thereby actually improve your product quality greatly. Therefore, it is extremely valuable for you to invest time into learning more. About these main cultural barriers between you and your Chinese suppliers.
1. The Culture Of ‘YES’ In China
One of the most integral issues that importers face with Chinese suppliers is that. They are not always able to fulfill their commitments properly. For example, you might ask your supplier repeatedly before finalizing an order. About whether or not he would be able to deliver the required shipment to you on time- the answer. As you may have noticed, will always be a ‘yes’.
What about when you explain your product requirements to him, and ask if he can replicate these requirements exactly? The answer here, yet again, will most always be a ‘yes’. But when the time comes for you to receive these products, you might find that the supplier is unable to do so. Why is that?
Well firstly
One obvious reason may be that he wishes to win you over as a client. By telling you that he cannot meet the requirements on time. He exposes himself to losing you to some other competitor in a fiercely competitive market.
He wishes to portray himself as an excellent manufacturer who has understood all your requirements. And demands so that you sign him up as your supplier. This is something that can be found all over the world when it comes to manufacturers. Trying to win over clients, not really specific to Chinese suppliers.
However, there may be a more cultural reason behind this yes. In Chinese culture, suppliers wish to have a harmonious relationship with their clients. And if they feel that answering in a ‘no’ would result in disrupting this harmony. Between them and their clients, they prefer to answer in a ‘yes’. They priorities having cordial relationships with their clients over everything else. Even if this means withholding any information from the importer that might result in some sort of conflict between them.
Chinese Suppliers
Chinese suppliers will sometimes delay informing you about any disruption in the production process. Just because they wish to solve the problem by themselves first before announcing it to you. This way, they can narrate it as a problem. That they’ve overcome rather than some sort of failure on their part to do their job properly.
However, this might cause more problems than it solves because this way if the supplier is unable to solve. The issue by the time he informs you, chances are that you would have very little time on your hand to solve the problem too. Perhaps if he had informed you about the issue well beforehand, you might have actually helped him mitigate the problem.
How Can You Ensure Direct Communication With Your Chinese Supplier?
High context culture vs. low context culture
It is important to keep in mind the difference in culture between Chinese and Western culture. When it comes to communication, even in highly formal situations. The Chinese culture is considered a very “high context” culture. Such that it is very common to imply indirect and implicit messages. Where certain things remain unsaid and you have to decide them upon your own discretion. Compared to this, countries in the West usually have a more “low context” culture. Where direct messages are most common, with a clear message and little ambiguity.
However, this clash of culture can mean that you expect your Chinese supplier to be very upfront. And vocal about any issues that he might be encountering; whereas he does not necessarily feel this way.
Here are some measures that you can take in order to improve the communication between you and your Chinese suppliers. Which can help you avoid quality issues and even improve the quality of your products:
- Making sure that your Chinese supplier fully understands. That you wish to be taken onboard with any. And all kinds of status updates concerning your order- especially all the bad news.
- You should take additional measures to stay in regular contact with your supplier. This will help ensure that you remain up to date regarding the supplier’s progress in the production process. As well as the comparing the current schedule with the expected timelines. It is also recommended to set up weekly. Biweekly, or any other customized follow up plans depending upon your individual requirements. This will help you and your supplier remain on the same page regarding all matters concerning your business.
- You should use multiple channels of communication to stay in touch with your supplier; these include email, phone, and several instant messaging apps such as Skype and WeChat.
2. The dire need to ‘save face’
Western Culture: Let Me Know If You Have Any Questions
In the Western culture, it is fairly common to end any business conversation. Especially on emails, with phrases like “do let me know if there are any questions”. Or “please let me know if you require any clarification regarding something”. And the most common reply that you will receive from your Chinese supplier might be something along the lines of “no questions, thank you”. This might cause you to think that you’ve conveyed your requirements across perfectly. And when the shipment arrives there would be no disparity between the actual product and what you asked for. However, this isn’t sadly the case.
Why Is There Hesitation In The Chinese Suppliers To Ask For Clarification If There Is Any Ambiguity In Their Mind Regarding What Needs To Be Done?
To put very bluntly, they’re saving face: their self-respect, self-esteem and dignity. They do not wish to come across as incompetent by asking questions. They wish to appear as confident in what they’re doing rather than to “lose face”. By admitting that there is some confusion in their mind. You might be wondering why they feel this way. Why is there shame in clarifying something that is integral in making sure that they produce what their customer requires of them?
The answer lies when you take a closer look at the culture these suppliers have grown up with.
Chinese schools
It might come as a surprise to many Western importers who have attended schools in the west when they see the schooling culture in China. Here, students are not encouraged to voice out and ask questions openly- unlike in the West there asking questions is always encouraged to stimulate understanding. Instead, asking questions is a sign that the pupil was not paying attention, and is often scolded by the teacher as a result. This is why Chinese suppliers have developed a tendency to stay quiet even if they have certain confusions in their mind about customer requirements, because they do not wish to appear as impolite and incompetent.
How Can You Make Sure Your Supplier Understands Your Requirements?
- Make sure that you convey your expectations to your supplier early on in the production process so that there is ample time for any required discussion or questions that your supplier might have. This way, you can make sure that your supplier fully understands your expectations.
- Instead of asking if there any questions, ask your supplier to relay back their understanding of your expectations from them. This way, you can figure out if the supplier has understood you completely without compelling them to ask questions.
- Try to keep your emails very concise, each covering a particular point of the product specifications. This way, there are lesser chances of the supplier overlooking something integral as compared to in one long email.
- Make sure you provide your supplier with a thorough and well-drafted product specifications. And quality control inspection requirements in the form of a Quality Control checklist. Be sure to revise this document if there are any alternations in the products. That you wish to make, and always give your supplier an up-to-date version of the checklist.
- Perform the quality control inspections services frequently to make sure that the production process is moving along smoothly. In-line with the timeline given to you by the supplier.
3. ‘Wining And Dining’ With Your Quality Control Staff
It is a very common practice in Chinese culture to invite your clients to some sort of entertainment, dinner or drinks at their own expense to extend cordial relationships. These sort of personal dinners and drinks are carried out in businesses throughout the world, but in China they are a much more elaborate and direct event. It is considered rude of a manufacturer to not cater to his client and his client’s staff. However, where the problem arises is when these friendly gestures become too common- especially for the inspection staff.
It is possible that these elaborate dinner and drinks may bias the decision-making skills of your quality control and assurance staff. The supplier can build a very close relationship with them, which might cause those inspectors to possibly avoid reporting any problems found within the factory just to maintain these relationships at their own end.
How Can You Prevent This From Happening?
- Make sure to rotate your inspectors: this can discourage long term relationship with the supplier and factory staff.
- Send in inspectors randomly with no pre-designed order or pattern: this ensures that the factory cannot plan ahead as to which inspector they expect to have and treat them in time before he sends his inspection report
- Send in a group of inspectors rather than just one: it is much more difficult to bribe a group than a single inspector
- Make sure that your inspection team has a clear code of ethics that outlines punishments for unethical acts such as bribery
- Hire a third-party inspection team that provides factory integrity declaration forms
Conclusion
While it is important for you to expect your supplier to understand your demands and specifications, it is equally important for you to make sure you fully understand the cultural norms of the country you are in business with. Businesses in China operate very differently than those in the West, so it would be beneficial for your business if you understand the differences and plan out ways to overcome them in order to avoid quality control problems and ensure better quality for your products.