I've been asked by my clients in the utilities industry what types of communications are our there with resect to two groups: first, vendors/suppliers, and 2nd, customers. My utility clients want to send letters to vendors/suppliers asking what they're doing about y2k, and asking them if they will be compliant by 12/31/99. My clients would also like to send letters to customers updating them on how the y2k effort is going. Also,my clients are asking how to respond to questions from customers and vendors about y2k compliancy. Does anyone have any samples of letters or recommendations for language to use for communications to suppliers and customers, and how to respond to questions about their own compliance efforts. Communication is a big issue since no one wants to be sued for making statements about y2k. There's enough frivolous lawsuits (and too many lawyers) already. Any replies would be appreciated.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 1998

Answers

Communications with both customers and suppliers is a big part of Y2k response in any company that has both.

For examples of what some utilities are doing with customer communications, go to the communications page of euy2k.com.

As far as supplier letters, there are several good examples on the net. Try one of the legal links off of the euy2k.com website. Failing that, go to The Cassandra Project.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 1998

Letters to supplers and vendors can only acomplish so much. If you have a critical system that you are unable to get vendor compliance from, the next step is to pay him a visit. In order for the industry to survive, we need both buyers and sellers. If all the buyers go under because of Y2K, the sellers will be in the same boat. Again it's a matter of working together toward a common goal. I've had clients tell me "I can't afford to do this". My response was simply "You can't afford not to". Lets see if we can get this task acomplished in time and leave nothing for the lawyers.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 1998

The problem you describe goes to the very heart of the Y2K crisis. The networked environment in which we all function demands an open exhange of information. And yet, when we most need information like the kind you desire from suppliers, vendors, and customers, the response is likely to be none at all or else a generic one that is useless. The operative rule seems to be: if you say something, people might hold you to it, and that could spell trouble, and so don't say anything.

One good letter/survey may be found at http://www.yardeni/com/y2kquest.html

Getting a good response, however, is another matter. Bon Chance.

Louise

-- Anonymous, February 25, 1998

Maybe one of the best people on the planet at dealing with the "network of vendors and customers" is a woman in Oregon named Cynthia Beal. She has been a phenomena when it comes to: A) getting her stuff straight; B) getting in touch with and dealing with her suppliers (or "stakeholders" as she calls them); and C) some of theirsuppliers.

When it comes to dealing with y2k, I think she wrote one of the most intelligent things I've read to date. She wrote this in November, just before she started into her whirlwind routine:

"I think it makes sense to look at my biz and its immediate net of stakeholder businesses as an isolatable process that is usefully analyzed as a whole, rather than a few parts, since the failure of one or two could mean difficulty for all of us."

And that's exactly how she went at it... She owns a food store in Eugene, and besides dealing with all her immediate suppliers/stakeholders, she's done things like contact and arrange a walk-through to look for embedded systems (which she was going along on to help) at the food processing plant of one of her suppliers... She was instrumental in arranging a workshop for the people in charge of the power industry in her area at which they got to meet and talk with one of the country's leading y2k/utilities experts... She's gotten her bank on the stick and gotten them active getting other businesses in the area woken up... She's gotten as many of her customers and as much of her community aware and active as she could.

And she did most of the things mentioned here (and many others) in the span of approximately 60 days!!!

She has a web page that describes a lot of it

-- Anonymous, February 26, 1998