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The Importance of ISO 9001

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Wherever you are in the world, ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard of quality management.  This means that your company has been individually assessed and that you have demonstrated your processes and output are of a certain standard. Some consider ISO to be an cost to their business, however, in this post I’ll outline five reasons why your company should get ISO 9001 certified.

ISO 9001 Improves  your Processes

Primarily ISO 9001  was designed to help organisations and firms of any size manage their internal processes better. When your ISO 9001 audit is conducted, you are asked to think about ever part of how your organisation operates; from how you handle new clients or orders, to your complaints procedure and introduction policy for members for staff who have just joined. By taking the time to do this, you will have a new persepctive on your organisation and will be able to be more effective in you processes. 

ISO 9001 Can Save You Time And Money

This is a direct knock-on effect of having more effective procedures. By being more aware of your processes, you have the opportunity to make them more lean and streamlined. 

An Improved Working Environment

With new and more effective internal procedures, it is very likely your workspace will be a better environment for people to work. When there are staffing issues there is a procedure to follow ensuring that all parties know where the boundries are. 

More Customer Trust
Becoming ISO 9001 certified means that you have been audited and approved as an organiation. This is likely to increase the trust clients have in your organisation.

Get Ahead for your competitors
If you are ISO certified and your competiton this will give you a distinct advantage over them. Many large organisations and public sector bodies have a policy of only working with supplier who are ISO accrediated. 

 

About ISO 9001

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Why is it that many companies aim for ISO 9001 certification? The reason is that it is a recognizable standard that proves to clients, customers, partners and suppliers that you live up to the standards of quality that you set in your organization. For manufacturing companies this includes proving that everything you provide to your clients has been quality tested – for more serviced-based businesses, it infers that you have processes in place to deliver high quality services. Processes can include sign-offs and approvals,

ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management, set by the International Organization for Standardization, which works alongside national standards organizations to ensure a homogeneous standard across countries, industries and sectors. When a company becomes ISO 9001 certified, they are assessed in full and their procedures for quality maintenance are recorded in a company manual. Where there are gaps, recommendations are given to meet the standards and once proven, the company will be awarded ISO 9001. The certification is then audited on an annual basis.

ISO 9001 is compatible with a number of other international standards, including ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 27001 for information management. This means that companies for which these are relevant can acquire a number of certifications to prove their standards in other areas in addition to quality.

The value of being ISO 9001 certified is multi-fold. It acts as a ‘seal of approval’, showing your customers and partners that you maintain standards for quality. In addition to being an external tool, ISO 9001 certification can be used internally to cement your processes for quality management. If a business is planning to grow it can be an exceptionally good way of outlining how you will maintain quality as your company expands – avoiding the all-too-typical potholes of loss of customer satisfaction as your company outgrows your current service provision mechanisms. At the same time the ISO 9001 company manual can be used as a staff handbook, for both existing staff and for new recruits. Staff inductions can include a checklist of reviewing quality management processes, so that you know everyone has been fully informed of your expectations. And finally, the certification process can also offer incredible valuable insight into areas of you business that might need attention.