This article is based on an interview with Brian Taylor - ISO compliance officer for PYB.
ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems (QMS). The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) sets the criteria for the best QMS. Any organisation can use it, regardless of their size or industry. It covers critical areas such as continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and process efficiency.
A clever way to boost compliance with ISO 9001 is to work with a HubSpot partner that has certification in it. A company with this crucial hands-on experience with ISO 9001 can help you stay compliant. Every interaction focuses on reaching your compliance objectives and improving your business. This article explains the challenges of ISO 9001 and how HubSpot helps.
To understand ISO 9001 is to understand what quality means for this standard. Indeed, the definition of quality here can apply to all the ISO standards. The ISO’s definition of quality is the “degree to which a set of inherent characteristics (or distinguishing features) of an object”, such as a person, process, product, organisation, resource, system, or service, “fulfils requirements”.
Here are the areas where organisations face challenges in this respect:
Some organisations wrongly believe the requirements are about quality testing. Quality management entails “looking at your full process and ability to deliver what you say you can deliver to the customer”. You must do quality checks and reviews to check everything within this area. Things to consider include:
The standard’s purpose is to create a scope. The scope states what processes your business delivers. Also, it highlights whether you cover the requirements.
A company with ISO 9001 certification has had an external auditor, such as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), test the processes and see if they are consistent. They also check that the methods effectively deliver customers' products or services. This quality assurance reassures customers that the organisation has processes to provide the product or service.
There are two main problems with documentation and record keeping. Some organisations will review ISO 9001 and write a document covering every aspect. Consequently, the document ends up “looking like a university assignment” and is so big nobody reads it.
In reality, the standard does not require you to document everything. It requires you to understand how to implement it and control the process. For example, if you have a sales process, you must write everything down at every stage. You must also update it manually as you go along, which is time-consuming.
It’s worth noting that you might need different information and requirements. It all depends on whether you are a product or service organisation. You must also show how you control these processes and records. You can also use a CRM system, such as HubSpot, to help you manage everything.
Training is vital to managing ISO 9001. Your documentation needs to be at a level where any person working for an organisation can look at somebody’s job and know what to do next. One easy way of looking at it is, “Write down what you do so that anybody can do your job.”
An example would be purchasing something for your company from another organisation:
The company must train people in these different processes. Once trained, they do not have to refer to the document that details everything. The document is an ideal aid to ensure that training is the same for everybody.
Companies must remember that work processes can change for different jobs at this stage. Someone who does a job repeatedly may change it slightly. An audit can determine what has changed. The company can update the process in the documentation.
The ISO 9001 standard stipulates that management must provide the right resources for the employees to do their jobs and meet the standard. These resources can include the correct forms or certain people available for the tests.
Instructing people to carry out tests or paying external companies can cost businesses money. Using HubSpot may seem expensive for companies. However, what it gives businesses back in return is a more cost-effective way to manage compliance for companies.
For example, with HubSpot, companies can use it as a collaborative tool to:
Compliance can be challenging for companies if they don't have a CRM. Some may still be using spreadsheets and other legacy tools. Also, if somebody goes on holiday, you might be unable to access their desktop. Nobody can do anything for the customer until your colleague returns from holiday and can update everybody.
Using HubSpot allows you to manage multiple touchpoints and demonstrate compliance with ISO 9001. Once you have set everything up correctly, you can conduct regular internal audits to ensure compliance.
Continuous improvement is a crucial area of the ISO 9001 standard. Companies must act on things they say they will do. For example, employees in company meetings can sometimes say they will do something to improve the business. However, sometimes, this needs to be followed through.
Creating a continuous improvement culture at work can help you identify essential gaps in your processes. It’s an excellent way to keep your commitment to ISO 9001 by continually looking for ways to improve. You can then take the necessary steps to integrate it into your business.
For example, create an area in the CRM for customers to bring up issues via tickets. This process can help you identify areas you have missed. Also, other areas of information management on the CRM can send notifications before things become outdated so you can take quick action.
Also, whenever you hire a new supplier, you must check their compliance criteria for ISO 9001. You can integrate your suppliers into your HubSpot CRM to ensure they meet all requirements. With suppliers and in all areas, HubSpot can give you a feedback loop so you can continually improve your compliance measures.
As a Diamond HubSpot partner, we know how to use HubSpot to meet ISO 9001 compliance. We are HubSpot experts, but our ISO 9001 certification gives us an edge. We love helping clients discover HubSpot’s unknown capabilities and boost QMS compliance.
Here is an overview of how integrating HubSpot can help streamline your business process and boost your ISO 9001 compliance:
Excellence in quality management is the main goal here. You can boost compliance and gain even more for your business when you achieve that. HubSpot can help you get there. You can also improve customer satisfaction, enhance collaboration, and boost communication. Additionally, you increase efficiency and productivity and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Working with an ISO 9001-certified partner gives you access to quality management expertise. Your compliance with ISO 90001 will be more than boosted; it will be spot on. You can also enjoy standardised processes and enhanced marketing and sales efficiency. All these areas lead to improved business performance and increased sales.
So, what’s stopping you? Contact us at PYB to discover how ISO 9001 certification and HubSpot can help your company. This standardised approach can lead to compliance brilliance!
If you’d like to learn more about ISO accreditation for your business, please get in touch with brian@isoguy.com.