Establishing a predictable, repeatable process for responding to RFPs is vital for your team to work efficiently and win business. And as your organization grows, your team evolves, and you become more experienced in responding to RFPs, your process may need to change – for the better of course!
Responding to a 500-question RFP is tedious and time-consuming, to say the least, so it’s extremely important to collect input from the whole team before making any changes to the process that will affect them.
Here are three tips that will help you collect feedback as you evolve your RFP process.
Have a Detailed Plan for Collecting Feedback
The process of managing content and responding to RFPs can vary greatly from company to company. And depending on the size of your organization, a single person to an entire team is assigned to one or more stages of the response process.
So, when it comes to collecting feedback from your team, it is best to split each stage of your response process into organized categories to be discussed. That way, you can ensure that you’re conducting a thorough evaluation and that no stage, step, or team member is overlooked.
Allocate time and physical space to collect your team’s experiences (whether they be positive or negative) concerning each stage of your RFP process.
- Comb through every step, method, and tool your team uses to respond to RFPs
- Ensure you are aiming to cap every problem with a solution
Use the Right Tools
Once you have a plan in place, it’s important to select tools that best suit your organization and team members for collecting feedback.
A great way to start collecting feedback from your team is to send a survey with questions regarding your RFP process. Asking just a few questions about where the team can see room for improvement can go a long way in starting the conversation! You can even send multiple surveys tailored to the specific stages of your RFP response process. There are great online engagement tools for collecting employee or team feedback on any matter, including 15Five, Qualtrics, Impraise, and Google Surveys.
Once you’ve collected everyone’s survey responses, it’s important for your team to discuss the results of the survey together. Schedule a time and place where everyone can hear their concerns and praises be presented to the entire group. If you and your team are able to meet in person, try a team meeting in a room with one or more whiteboards. Have sticky notes, dry erase markers, and even a suggestion box in the room for your team members to write out their pros, cons, and suggestions pertaining to each stage of your response process.
- Whether in person or online, schedule a time for discussion that works for everyone
- Use platforms or spaces that are accessible to all team members
Create a Safe Space for Open Communication
If you want honesty out of your team, you must start by being honest with them and yourself. Open the floor by acknowledging any issues with your existing RFP process, “Yes we’re able to complete all the RFPs that we receive, but some team members are spread way too thin!” Remind everyone that there is always room for improvement, from the team lead down. And as each member begins to voice their opinions and experiences, make sure that you’re receptive to feedback and avoid being defensive.
- Be open, allow your team to appropriately voice their opinions about your RFP Process without repercussions
- Remember, constructive criticism is for everyone!
Get Ahead of the Game
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