Are you a tiny bit curious about enlisting the external help of an ISO 9001 Consultant? If the answer is yes, you’re far from alone. In fact, more than 50% of SME’s turn to a consultant for outsourced expertise. And the stats are even greater for some of the more niche ISO systems.
The thing is that ISO 9001 quality management systems are becoming as highly desirable as they are necessary. No longer are they just bone-dry regulatory and statutory benchmarks they’ve long been perceived as. They’re now also recognised more and more as brand superchargers and must-have sales tools.
Samantha Waites told thought-leading publication Tweak Your Biz, “If you have it, and people know it, your sales will increase. If you keep your company up to the standards that have been set, and if you retain the certification, your sales will continue to grow.”
“Being on the top of the industry that you are in starts with implementing ISO 9001 and ends with having an outside company inspect and certify your operations. From there you will continue to gain customers and grow profits by maintaining the level of excellence that you have achieved.”
But there’s just one small catch. ISO 9001 can be a notoriously complex process to grapple with. Fear not! A leading-edge Consultant ticks multiple boxes for thousands of different businesses that are wrangling with the process.
And here is why…
Why Use an Outsourced ISO 9001 Consultant?
An outsourced ISO 9001 Consultant brings many different elements to the table, for example –
- Expertise – The ISO auditing processes are renowned for their toughness. After all, ISO 9001 certification wouldn’t carry much gravitas if it was handed out like sweets at a kid’s party. It can thwart first-timers and even second or third-timers. You might even have hands-on ISO 9001 experience from previous roles. But it doesn’t automatically mean your proficiency levels are up to project managing an application to success. To this end, working in partnership with a great ISO 9001 Consultant is game-changing for many businesses.
- Simplicity – The mountains of documentation around ISO 9001 can be Herculean. There’s good news though. Using a first-rate ISO 9001 Consultant eradicates the need to plough through it all. There are, of course, many things you need to know about and understand. But, your Consultant reduces the mental Pilates by ensuring you’re adequately appraised – minus the information overload.
- Economy – Enlisting the services of an ISO 9001 Consultant is a savvy and cost-effective option. Your Consultant will be delighted to provide their expertise as and when you need it. So, you can agree needs-based terms on a short, mid or longer-term basis to suit, without any additional cost implications of salaries, tax and NI contributions, holiday pay and sick pay.
- Pace – Bear in mind that an experienced ISO 9001 Consultant has hand-held many businesses of different shapes, sizes and sectors through the process. So, you’re probably looking at an expedited process, besides a more effective one. No more holding things up, because you don’t have enough hours in the day to put serious weight behind your ISO ambitions. It’s a Consultant’s job to advise about the whys and whens, getting you certification-ready as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
- Insight – The wealth of experience that a credible ISO 9001 Consultant brings with them can support your broader business objectives. How so? Well, bear in mind that the ISO 9001 system is about ongoing improvement, not just reaching the standard and then forgetting all about it. A skilled Consultant has first-hand experience of what other businesses are doing – for better or worse – to continuously evolve. So, in this respect, they’re trusted business advisors for much more than ISO 9001.
At Brookfields Consultancy, we’re proud of our 100% success rate of our clients achieving certification. Meggan Polston-Edwards is a certified lead auditor turned talented ISO 9001 Consultant. This unique insider experience makes her exceptionally well-placed to provide expert guidance.
Are you ready to embark on your ISO 9001 journey? Or, have you made a tentative start? But you could use some help to get fully on board? Get in touch today for an initial non-obligatory chat.
Source: How Can an ISO Certificate Boost Your Sales? Samantha Waites, Tweak Your Biz
