An increasing number of companies, both nationally and globally, are seeking International Organization for Standardization(ISO) certification. The most common ISO, ISO 9001:2008, allows companies to monitor their quality management system, and ensure that customers receive the highest quality products and services. This certification can be obtained by large or small companies in any industry, from auto manufacturers to hotel management.
EAGLE Certification Group is a strong supporter of ISO 9001.
“The ISO 9001 Standard provides any business the tools to efficiently and effectively manage the process to produce quality products and services”, stated Chris Miller, Chief Technical Officer for EAGLE Certification Group. “Companies will benefit from the principles of strong customer focus, support from top management and the focus on continual improvement.”
U.S.-based company, Amulet Technologies, recently publicized their ISO 9001:2008 certification. The graphic interface solutions company wanted to upgrade their timely delivery services, and increase customer satisfaction, and decided that ISO certification was the best way to do this. The company gives their clients ways to integrate interfaces found on smartphones into microcontroller-based products. Its development tools help customers achieve this in weeks or days, and the ISO certification is an effort to ensure both speed and quality.
Voiceworks, a U.K.-based mobile and web-based communications provider for businesses, also announced its recent ISO 9001 certification as a way to improve their customer relations, by evaluating its efficiency improvements, service level agreements, and knowledge-sharing platforms. The company has also mapped out key performance indicators that have proven successful, and utilized this information to enhance their business strategy and customer outreach. With the ISO certification, they are hoping to continuously improve their processes.
The ISO has four different quality management certifications that are part of what it calls the “ISO 9000 family.” ISO 9001:2008 outlines the requirements of a quality management system, ISO 9000:2005 talks about the concepts involved in the process, ISO 9004:2009 covers efficiency and effectiveness of a quality management system, and ISO 19011:2011 explains internal and external audits associated with these systems. Companies often seek ISO certification to let their customers know that they have met specific international standards for production.
But an ISO certification is not a one-time solution. It requires constant audits to ensure that a company’s quality management continues to meet ISO standards. These can be done in-house or outsourced to an independent, external certification body that can verify the authenticity of a company’s ongoing quality management system. The auditor analyzes several different areas of a company from human resources, to product realization, to customer relations and production, and gives the go ahead for new certification, or re-certification accordingly.
With the help of an ISO certification, businesses can be sure that they are offering their customers the best quality products and services. For this reason, an increasing number of companies are becoming ISO certified, looking for more efficient, customer-centered ways of doing business.