The Role of Customer Satisfaction in ISO 9001 Certification Processes

Customer satisfaction is vital for a business to continue thriving. Gone are the days when people barely knew other options as monopoly was the name of the game; with multiple competitors vying to get a dip from their wallets,  the interest of today’s customers have become volatile as vapor on a hot summer day. Customer satisfaction is inarguably a key indicator of a business’ health.

Basically, more customers mean higher sales. The benefits of customer satisfaction, however, go far beyond the initial purchase; it creates resonance that can increase profits for your business. A Forbes.com article citing Larry Freed’s “Innovating Analytics” says that not only do businesses benefit from customer satisfaction through retention and product upsell, they also attract more customers through “word of mouth”, when customers talk positively about them in channels of wide coverage like social media.

Customer satisfaction in ISO 9001

If you’re targeting ISO 9001 certification from companies like International Standards Authority, it’s important to understand that even though it’s centered on processes, customer satisfaction is still a fundamental. What the customers actually want may not be exactly what the business has been offering. The standards for customer satisfaction can only be set and monitored as soon as the customer requirements are established.

In ISO, “customers” does not merely refer to the end consumers; it includes every member of the supply chain such as the assemblers, dealers and distributors. Each contributes to the creation of the final product and its movement from the manufacturer down to the final user.  You need feedback from each of these customers to determine whether or not you satisfy the specified and perceived requirements. These requirements may relate to your manufacturing, servicing and delivery systems, communication and financial requirements, etc. The satisfaction of each collectively determines the effectiveness of your Quality Management Systems (QMS).

Customer satisfaction is primarily gauged using feedback, which may be gathered through customer complaint forms, direct communication, questionnaires and surveys, outsourced data collection and analysis service, and media and industry research. Methods initiated internally use certain performance indicators to gauge the effectiveness of customer satisfaction-related processes. Data collected can help improve your QMS and provide ideas on how to further enhance your product’s value.

Registrars, such as International Standards Authority, that provide ISO certification 9001 requires continual gathering of information to be analyzed and evaluated against the set standards during audits. Your chosen registrar will also expect reports detailing how you define customer satisfaction indicators, your data collection methods and frequency, review and evaluation, rooms for improvement, timeline, delegation and follow-up. Routinely review your customer feedbacks and trends and do the necessary improvements to maintain the ideal customer satisfaction rating.

(Source: Customer Experience Controls Business Growth Today, Forbes.com)