NHS Supply Chain: Hotel Services – You said… we did
Our NHS Supply Chain: Hotel Services team are always striving to improve the services delivered and know that the best way to achieve this is by listening to suggestions and feedback from customers. As this month is centred around how much our #CustomersMatter we thought there was no better opportunity for us to share what changes have been implemented to respond to these suggestions.
You said
“The product images are sometimes lacking, and on occasion those that do have images are of low quality. The images are an important part of the decision-making process and we use them to sense check that we are selecting the correct product option.”
We did
NHS Supply Chain: Hotel Services has been actively working to improve both the quality and number of images for each of our products. Our procurement support team have been auditing the product ranges to identify where improvements or additions are required, and by working proactively with suppliers have managed to double the number of product images in just 3 months. We still have a little way to go, but are keeping up the momentum and working towards having product images for all key product areas.
You said
“It would be really useful if there was an easy way for us to identify at a glance if a supplier has been awarded to your Hotel Services frameworks.”
We did
As an NHS organisation it is not possible for us to share our organisational logo with suppliers to use on resources, websites and in marketing material. However, we appreciate and understand the benefits of being able to easily identify at a glance whether a supplier is awarded to a compliant NHS Supply Chain framework, especially when navigating supplier websites.
With this in mind, and with input and feedback from suppliers, we are currently operating a trial of an ‘awarded supplier logo’ to be used for these purposes. The intention is that customers can recognise this symbol as a trusted emblem that the supplier has gone through the robust public procurement process. As always, we continue to advise customers to work with our team to ensure they are getting the best solution and supplier to meet their needs and to help support you to make the best decision for your trust.
Please note, the awarded supplier logo is to illustrate that the supplier has been compliantly awarded to a framework and does not promote any individual supplier or indicate approval or endorsement.
You said
“We need to be able to see what suitable alternatives are available for products when on the website. Being able to see our options more easily would be really helpful.”
We did
In the current climate we appreciate the importance of being able to see your options at a glance and as such our team have been identifying where products within the range have a suitable direct or indirect alternative. These alternatives are going through a linking process which will work to provide customers with visibility of multiple product options during decision-making.
In addition to carrying out this product matching exercise, many of our category specialists for the consumable product ranges have been working with suppliers to create price ranking templates. Price ranking sheets list all available direct alternatives in order of cost, we currently have two live price rankings for Chlorine Tablets and Granules, and Colour Coded Cloths. We are in the finalisation process for a variety of new rankings and further information will be made available once these are live. All NHS Supply Chain price rankings are available on https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/savings/price-ranking/.
Please note, you will need to be signed in to the NHS Supply Chain website in order to download this information.
If you would like further information on any of the resources outlined previously, or have your own feedback for our team please contact us on HotelServicesSupport@supplychain.nhs.uk.