Communicating and Influencing examples

[S] Our department was transitioning to a new digital invoicing system, but one of our key suppliers was resistant to change and continued sending paper invoices, causing delays in our payment processing.

[T] I needed to persuade the supplier to adopt the digital system while maintaining a positive working relationship.

[A] I arranged a call with the supplier's accounts manager and began by acknowledging their concerns about the transition effort. I then tailored my approach: instead of sending a generic instruction, I prepared a short guide showing how the new system would reduce their own administrative workload, and offered to walk them through the first submission over a video call. I also connected them with our IT helpdesk for ongoing support. I followed up with a concise email summarising the benefits and next steps.

[R] The supplier agreed to trial the digital system within two weeks. Their first digital invoice was processed three days faster than their previous paper ones. The supplier's accounts manager later emailed to say the process was simpler than they had expected.