Why ISO 9001 Is Good For Your Organization

WHAT IS ISO 9001

ISO 9001 aims to provide a practical and workable Quality Management System for improving and monitoring all areas of your business.

Achieving the ISO 9001 standard is not about establishing a set of procedures that are complicated and difficult to manage. The aim is to provide a workable management system that is suitable for your organisation. With the right support and the knowledge of your employees, you will end up with a system that will improve all areas of your organisation.

Implementing an effective and robust ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) will help you to focus on the important areas of your business and improve efficiency. The management processes that are established throughout your business will provide a sound foundation, leading to increased productivity and profit. This in turn will improve your customer acquisition and retention.

Some of the main benefits of ISO 9001 certification include:

1.Suitable for both small and large organisations

2.Better internal management

3.Less wastage

4.Increase in efficiency, productivity and profit

5.Improved customer retention and acquisition

6.Consistent outcomes, measured and monitored

7.Globally recognised standard

8.Compatible with other ISO standards

7 ways ISO certification can help your business

1) Promotes Best Practices

ISO and other standards give you access to internationally recognized best practices across your business. Standards exist for everything from quality management to environmental performance, information security, food safety, risk management, and health and safety.

2) Helps you become more productive

Adhering to standards requires you to clearly define, document and monitor your business processes. You also need to set objectives for your company and measure your progress. This work is critical to building a lean, productive business.

3) Keeps customers happy

Standards help keep customers satisfied by improving complaint management, quality control and client satisfaction monitoring. Research indicates one of the top benefits from certification is reduced customer complaints.

“Every business wants more clients, but if you don’t keep them satisfied, you’ll just get more unhappy clients,” Ledoux says.

4) Improves revenues

Certification can help your bottom line. Three in five companies that adopted ISO increased their revenues, according to a 2015 analysis of 92 studies. The revenue increase was significantly higher than for non-certified companies.

The best performance results happen in companies that make a sustained effort to improve operations—not just before the next recertification audit. “It’s a good investment, but you have to put in the effort,” Ledoux says.

5) Opens doors to new markets

Standards gives your business access to new markets. For example, you may be eligible for government contracts that require adherence to certain standards. Or, maybe, you’ll be able to join the supply chain of a larger company or a megaproject. Many standards are recognized worldwide and can increase your credibility with customers in international markets.

6) Fosters team commitment

—Meeting ISO standards can help you foster a more engaged and productive workforce. Certified businesses report better job satisfaction, turnover, absenteeism, employee motivation and manager-employee communication, according to the 2012 research review.

The process of certification brings together managers and employees to work toward common objectives, using consistent processes. “Managers and employees develop more commitment to improving the business,” Ledoux says.

7) Applies to all sizes

Certification is useful for business of all sizes, even those with only a few employees. Smaller businesses sometimes pursue certification because of supply chain requirements or when they want to adopt best practices in their operations.