The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an independent, non-government agency that develops sets of global standards for companies, aiming to make products compatible, define an international code of practice, improve business processes and facilitate the collaboration between companies across the globe.
The Most Popular ISO Certifications
ISO has defined tens of thousands of standards throughout its activity, which are grouped in families, according to the specific aspect they refer to. Some of the most popular families of ISO standards, which you might’ve heard of already, are the following:
- ISO 9001: the ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) for business, a system that can be applied to any industry. Small and big businesses alike can get ISO 9001 certified.
- ISO 27001: very popular in our days, this family of standards deals with information security for any business that collects or manages informatic data on its customers, employees, business partners, etc.
- ISO 14001: with climate change affecting the entire globe, a sustained effort at an international level is needed to reduce our impact on the environment. The ISO 14001 standard defines good practices for business when it comes to environmental issues.
- ISO 45001: This ISO standard can enable businesses to create a better and safer work environment for their employees.
These are only a few examples of the standards developed by ISO, and have been the most popular over the years because they are general enough to be followed by businesses in various industries. Sometimes, when ISO standards are a bit too general, industries adapt them to their own sectors and come up with ISO-inspired standards of their own.
What Companies Benefit from ISO Certifications?
As you can see, there is a great variety of aspects ISO focused on when setting these international standards. Some of them are very general, as the ISO 9001 standard, while others are highly specific.
The bottom line is, if you want to gain your customers’ confidence and see a continuous improvement of customer satisfaction with your product or service, do consider getting ISO-certified. Amongst the benefits of ISO 9001 2015 certification and other sets of standards is getting in the supply chain of bigger companies.
What set of standards is right for your business depends on the industry you are active in, and how important it is for you, your customers, and your business partners to have such a certification. In some cases, the law requires you to be certified, while other times it’s imposed by business partners who only work with certified companies.
The first step in determining which certification you are ready for is to perform an internal audit focused on your processes: your quality control system, risk management process, and information security. Taking a close look and also a full-picture view of how your business performs will give you insight into what your strong points are and where you need to improve.
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Contact an ISO Certification Consultant
As ISO only develops the standards but doesn’t offer certifications itself, you will collaborate with third-party agencies like certification bodies and consultancy firms. We at Best Practice can work with you to get your business ready for an ISO certification, after determining which set of standards would be most beneficial for your company.
Contact us today at +61 1300 402 602 to learn more about the certification process and how we can help.
