With so many ISO consulting services to choose from, how can you decide the best one? Let us first begin by understanding that there is no “best ISO consultant in Australia,” rather, there exists a consultant that is the “perfect fit” for your business. Your focus should be to find an ISO consultant that matches your style of working, ethics, values and has experience in your industry sector, so that your certification process is not only easy, but you also reap long term benefits from your association.
In this article, we will outline how you can choose an ISO consultant that is a right match for your organisation, going on to define a list of criteria that you should factor in.
What is ISO certification?
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops standards for organisations to create effective, flexible and sustainable management systems that can enhance their business efficiency, transparency and cost savings. These standards are created by amalgamating the recommendations from industry leaders, technical experts, financial analysts, union leaders, consumers and other eminent individuals.
The purpose of combining recommendations from different fields is to create a standard that is broad enough to be applicable to different organisations, but specific enough to benefit every organisation within the industry.
How to get ISO certified?
In order to get ISO certified, you need to build a management system as per the recommendations of the chosen ISO standard. After implementing a management system and sorting your documentation, you need to observe your processes for 3-6 months, so as to ensure that they are running as intended. If no issues are found, you can apply for an external audit by a third-party certification body.
As per your performance in the external audit, you are granted a certificate or you are given time to modify your processes. Understanding the ISO certification process and preparation is very important to obtain ISO certification. By using ISO consulting services, you can get ISO certification as soon as possible with a detailed planning and basic implementation.
Role of an ISO consultant
Implementing your management system and sorting your documents is easier said than done. This is because the recommendations in ISO standards are written in such a manner that they are generic, yet specific. The purpose of utilising such quasi-legal language is to allow organisations of all sizes, complexity and nature to adhere to the recommendations.
As a result of this technicality, business owners find it difficult to implement the management system on their own. Even if they are able to implement one, it is always rudimentary, non-compliant and ineffective.
An ISO 9001 consultant will not only help you understand the requirements of the management system, but will also help you build, monitor, evaluate, modify and troubleshoot one.
The ISO consultant will act as a bridge between your current management system and the one that is required for the certification, giving you recommendations and corrective actions, so that you can refine your processes.
Additionally, the consultant will conduct many assessments within your organisation to identify any gaps in the documents, processes or the training capacity of your personnel, so that these deficiencies can be addressed before the external audit.
Best ISO consultant in Australia
As mentioned above, there is no such thing as “best ISO consultant in Australia,” but, there exists a consultant that is a perfect fit for your organisation. To find this right match, there are specific considerations that you need to factor in, including:
1. Experience
If you select a consultant that is a novice, he/she will simply not have the experience to implement the best-practises of your industry or to assist you in troubleshooting. Experience allows consultants to identify areas that are not necessarily non-conformances, but are weaknesses, and would benefit greatly from minor tweaking.
2. Specialisation
You must select a consultant who has experience and training in your specific industry, so that the best-practises that are utilised by the industry giants can be implemented in your organisation.
3. Reputation
If you select a consultant that is ill-reputed, you may acquire your certification but your brand credibility will not go up, especially amongst your peers and stakeholders.
4. Ethics
This is one of the most overlooked factors when selecting an ISO consultant. If your consultant shares the case studies of his/her past clients, see this as a wake-up call. Privacy is the right of every client and it is unethical to share confidential data. Any consultant that chooses to indulge in such unethical practises would definitely short-sell you.
5. Customisation
This is one of the prime considerations that you must factor in. You will not benefit from generic management systems, you require a consultant that will customise the management system in accordance to your unique needs. Not only do you achieve certification due to customisation, but you also reap benefits such as better operational efficiency, more management visibility and enhanced cost savings.
Obtaining ISO certification using ISO Council services
The ISO Council consultancy services are different as we focus on customisation. Our three piers of service are :
- A to Z Service: We do all the work, you don’t lift a finger
- Fast Results: Get certified in record speed
- Zero Risk: Full refund if we don’t deliver
You can get more information about the process, how to implement, required documents and the cost of ISO certification by visiting isocouncil.com.au website.
