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ISO 9001 is a powerful improvement tool for any business. The importance of ISO 9001 is highlighted by the fact that over one million organisations globally have adopted ISO 9001 certification. It’s used by businesses in every sector to continually monitor, manage, and improve the quality of their product or service, to not just meet but also exceed customer expectations.
So, why is ISO 9001 important? Well, that’s what we’re here to explain in our article. We’ll look at the central elements covered by this quality assurance system and examine how these are practically applied in modern commercial and industrial environments.
What is ISO 9001 and why is it important?
ISO 9001 is a Standard that sets out the requirements for a quality management system. It helps businesses and organisations to become more efficient and improves customer satisfaction.
A quality management system is a way of defining how an organisation can meet the requirements of its customers and other stakeholders with an investment in the outcomes of its activity. ISO 9001 is a flexible Standard capable of assuring quality through a process of continual improvement.
ISO 9001 doesn’t specify what the objectives relating to quality or meeting customer needs should be but requires an organisation to create targets for improvement based on growth or increased satisfaction rates. Each related internal business process then undergoes an iterative system of measurement and refinement until the target is achieved.
ISO 9001 started out as a tool for manufacturers, but it’s now relevant to organisations of all sizes and sectors. In fact, one of the key improvements of the revised ISO 9001:2015 Standard was to make it more applicable and accessible to accommodate every type of enterprise. It also focuses on allowing smaller companies lacking dedicated quality-centric employees to still enjoy the benefits of implementation.
The ISO 9001 quality management system covers eight key business principles:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Involvement of people
- Process approach
- System approach to management
- Continual improvement
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
It’s been well documented that by managing the processes in a business together as a unified and interlinked system, efficiency across your business will be improved and objectives more easily attained.
Measuring and evaluating these processes helps to identify areas for improvement, and the essential framework for assessing vital business metrics is supplied by ISO certification.
Why do I need ISO 9001?
Regardless of your business or industry, ISO 9001 certification is a globally recognised Standard for a quality management system.It provides the key to attaining customer retention levels that help your business grow and expand, helping businesses of any size ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders.
Essentially, ISO 9001 is the framework you need to have in place to ensure consistent quality across your business. It can help your organisation improve efficiency, streamline processes, reduce errors, and free up valuable time. Gaining ISO 9001 certification demonstrates the quality of your processes to clients and customers, and showcases your commitment to continual improvement.
Five ISO 9001 benefits for your business
Any business owner or employer wants their business to thrive, and ISO 9001 provides the platform for that and much more! Check out five key benefits that ISO 9001 certification can bring to enhance your organisation.
Increase profits and save on costs
Streamlining processes and increasing efficiency reduces waste, helping you to cut down on unnecessary spending. ISO 9001 also gives you the perfect framework to grow your business, leading to increased revenue and profit.
Improve customer satisfaction
ISO 9001 reduces errors through a ‘right-first-time’ attitude, resulting in fewer queries, complaints and returns. From on-time delivery to service quality, the clear improvements enhance the efficiency of your business, allowing you to continuously improve what you do and how you do it.
Expand into new markets
ISO 9001 certification is recognised globally as a mark of quality. Some organisations even require ISO 9001 before agreeing to do business with you. Achieving ISO 9001 certification could be a game-changer, helping you to win more tenders and grow your business further.
Boost your business reputation
Because of its global recognition, ISO 9001 certification is a trusted shorthand that shows the world you’re dedicated to your customers and that you provide high-quality products and services.
Confident customers
By proving you do what you promise and reacting quickly with solutions if something does go wrong, you can boost your customers’ confidence showing that you’re a reliable, trustworthy business. With your customers’ needs at the heart of what you do, they’ll want to buy again, leading to positive reviews and referrals.
Check out more information on ISO 9001 benefits.
The ISO 9001 Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology
The ISO 9001 Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is an established quality control procedure. It’s one of the ISO 9001 principles, helping to promote a process-driven culture across your entire organisation. PDCA is a proven way of ensuring a business plans, resources, and manages its processes and interactions effectively.
As demonstrated by our graphic below, the PDCA concept is a cycle of implementing change. When successfully followed and repeated, it promotes continual improvements within a specified management process. This process is a cornerstone of the ISO 9001 management Standard, delivering a system that will allow your company to target excellence.
ISO 9001 uses this cyclical process to power real business evolution. Non-conformity reporting and trend analysis helps identify areas for improvement for businesses, ensuring processes are followed by the appropriate teams. This reduces the risk of delivering low-quality products or services to clients by establishing conformance with processes set out by the management system.
Obtaining ISO 9001 certification with Citation ISO Certification
ISO 9001 keeps up with our rapidly changing world and is perhaps more important than ever today, providing businesses with a tool to be more resilient, so you can run your business much more effectively and save costs. By helping your business grow and meet changing needs, ISO 9001 evolves with your business enabling you to achieve your goals more easily.
At Citation ISO Certification, we support you and carry out the leg work so you can spend more time growing your business and refining your processes and procedures. We’ll create a digital management system tailored to your business, providing guidance and support on any changes you need to make through our integrated digital management platform.
Atlas is our bespoke digital platform with real-time reporting, external task notification, automatic document controls and templates – all of which will help you to easily maintain compliance.
So, if you’re ready to achieve ISO certification and join the millions of businesses already benefitting, then why not request an ISO 9001 Certification quote today? We also provide ISO 9001 training for businesses to help your team and employees become familiar with the requirements of the Standard.
You can also contact us and speak to a member of our friendly, professional team who will explain all the benefits of ISO 9001 and how Citation ISO Certification will help you gain that all-important certification to help your business boom!
If you’re a smaller business, then why not check out out our blog post below?
