While ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification is certainly not the only thing that should be examined when you are evaluating potential corporate partnerships, it is an indicator that a company has invested significant time and effort to implement an objective quality assurance program.  To ensure that an ISO system is being effectively implemented, companies that seek certification must commit themselves to monitor, control and attempt to improve quality.  Audits must be implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the effort, and identify any shortcomings that need corrective action.  You should be aware that certification is not necessarily companywide; different practice areas may need to have individual certification.  So simply because a company states that they are ISO 9001:2008 certified doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ISO 9001:2008 certified in the area that provides the services you seek.

ISO Certification can provide benefits to both a company and its customers.  A 1995 study on "The Benefits of ISO 9000 Certification" (ISO 9000 was the predecessor of ISO 9001) by J.E. Alcorn was published in Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings.  Alcorn wrote that benefits were found in diverse areas including customer satisfaction, interdepartmental communications, and customer/supplier partnerships.  As Alcorn noted, these benefits were the result of substantial efforts to comply with quality standards and gain certification.  The hard work pays off, not only by imparting a competitive advantage to the ISO certified company, but also to the benefit of its customers.  After certification, Alcorn found a significant improvement in quality and, as one would expect, a reduction in customer complaints.  In the end, increased customer satisfaction is the most meaningful measure of the value of ISO certification, and while ISO certification of a company does not guarantee that you will be a satisfied customer, the evidence strongly suggests that the chances are improved.

Sophia Zhou

www.EPMSolutions.com