Gaining an ISO 9001 Accreditation

The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) awards certifications to businesses for quality. The ISO 9001 certification is a worldwide certification which is awarded to companies whose internal quality management systems meet a certain standard. So when a company works to maintain a certain level of quality in providing their product or service, they can be rewarded with an ISO 9001 certification. Whether or not a company will be awarded this certification will depend greatly on customer satisfaction.

Companies with the ISO 9001 certification are seen as reputable companies that are providing quality to their customers. This is probably the biggest benefit of having this certification. Customers are greatly impressed by this and that will lead to higher levels of confidence when it comes to doing business with your company. Many local authorities will require that companies tendering for contracts with them have this certification so it is definitely worthwhile having it.

Businesses will reap the rewards of having the ISO 9001 certification because it ensures that your business is running effectively with quality in mind, improves customer satisfaction and will give your business an improved status. There are other ISO standards which can also be integrated with the 9001 standard such as those for information security, environmental or health and safety and this will further improve your business’s reputation.

You will have to do some research if you are thinking of implementing procedures for gaining ISO 9001 certification. The first thing that you should do is to check the ISO website to see how to start the whole process and what is involved. Get as much information as you possibly can before you begin your application so that you are better prepared for what is ahead. Once you are ready and have applied, then you will be appointed with a Lead Assessor. The lead assessor is responsible for guiding you through the process of getting your accreditation. Any questions you have can be put to your lead assessor.

The first thing your lead assessor will do to get your ready for certification is to do a pre-audit assessment. He or she will visit your company and will make a list of everything that you will need to do in order to become ISO 9001 certified. You will receive a report from the assessor and you can set a time frame for completion of the required elements.

Once you have implemented all the improvements that the assessor has recommended you will be ready for your actual audit and this will be set up by the assessor. The auditor will come to your business and will carry out the audit for the ISO 9001 certification. Before leaving the auditor will inform you of his recommendations and if you are successful you will receive your ISO 9001 certification. If you have been awarded this certification, you will have to be audited every year so it is up to you to maintain the standards that you have set.