Maintaining viable provider-client relationships

A process to aid a product or service provider in maintaining a viable relationship between the provider and a client, the process comprising:

• conducting a customer service audit by an independent consultant, the audit including conducting interviews with employees of the provider and conducting interviews with employees of the client;
• collecting feedback data regarding the relationship from the perspective of employees of the provider and employees of the client into a database;
• analyzing feedback data from the database via a computer implemented program configured to develop metrics representative of positive and negative aspects of the relationship;
• providing real time feedback to employees of the provider based on the analysis;
• developing a strategy, based on results of the analysis, to enhance positive aspects of the relationship and mitigate negative aspects of the relationship;
• and
• implementing the strategy in the relationship between the provider and the client.

A process for mitigating risks of termination of a relationship between a service provider and a client, the process comprising:

• receiving via a machine interface a first data set from employees of the service provider regarding service provided by the service provider to the client;
• receiving via a machine interface a second data set representing a client viewpoint regarding services provided by the service provider to the client;
• implementing an analysis of the first and second data sets via a computer programmed to compare the first and second data sets and assess areas of similarity and areas of difference between the first and second data sets;
• developing a strategy, based on the analysis, for the service provider to mitigate risks of termination of the relationship by enhancing areas of similarity and reducing differences between the first and second data sets;
• and
• implementing the strategy in the relationship between the service provider and the client.

A process for risk mitigation and assessment in a relationship between a service provider and a client, the process comprising:

• receiving via machine interface a first data set from employees of the service provider regarding services provided by the service provider to the client;
• receiving via machine interface a second data set from employees of the client regarding service provided by the service provider to the client;
• implementing an analysis of the first and second data sets via a computer programmed to compare the first and second data sets and assess areas of similarity and areas of difference between the first and second data sets;
• developing a strategy, based on the analysis, for the service provider to assess and mitigate risks to the relationship between the service provider and the client;
• and
• implementing the strategy in the relationship between the service provider and the client.

A process for a product or service provider to increase the probability of maintaining a contractual relationship between the provider and a client, the process comprising:

• securing, by the provider, the services of a third-party consultant;
• obtaining, by the provider, authority from the client for the consultant to interview employees of the client regarding aspects of the product or service provided under the contractual relationship by the provider;
• interviewing, by the consultant, employees of the provider associated with the contractual relationship;
• collecting, by the consultant, feedback data from the employees of the provider regarding aspects of the product or service and the contractual relationship;
• identifying, based on interviewing employees of the provider by the consultant, employees of the client associated with the contractual relationship;
• interviewing, by the consultant, at least the identified employees of the client associated with the contractual relationship;
• collecting, by the consultant, feedback data from the employees of the client regarding aspects of the product or service and the contractual relationship;
• providing to the provider, by the consultant, interim reports to the provider regarding feedback data received from the employees of the client;
• identifying, based on feedback data from the employees of the provider and the employees of the client, positive and negative aspects of the contractual relationship;
• developing, by the consultant, reports categorizing feedback data into positive and negative aspects or the contractual relationship, highlighting areas of concern to the probability of maintaining the contractual relationship, and establishing actionable items to increase the probability of maintaining the contractual relationship;
• assigning the actionable items to management teams of the provider for discussion with the client;
• and
• identifying, by the consultant, aspects of feedback data collected from the employees of the provider and the employees of the client relevant to bids by the provider for renewing a contractual relationship with the client.