{"id":2669,"date":"2019-03-15T10:40:18","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T10:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/gb\/?p=2669"},"modified":"2023-10-31T14:30:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T14:30:39","slug":"4-step-guide-to-choosing-iso-9001-consultants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/news\/4-step-guide-to-choosing-iso-9001-consultants\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 step guide to choosing an ISO 9001 consultant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The process of your business becoming <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> certified can often be a daunting endeavour. The majority of organisations decide to hire external <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultants because it can ensure the operation is cost-effective and conducted sufficiently.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are lots of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultants to choose from, so how do you make the right choice for your business? You want to partner with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A consultancy that can deliver you <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> certification<\/li>\n<li>A consultancy that understands your business<\/li>\n<li>A consultancy that can offer support and expert advice throughout the process and after certification is achieved<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To make the process easy for you, here\u2019s a simple 4 step guide to choosing the best consultants for your business.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Work out what kind of support and the volume of resources you need<\/h2>\n<p>Depending on where you are in the certification process, there are a variety of different ways an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultant can support you. For example, if you&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are starting from scratch, a consultant can perform a gap analysis on your business to help you plan exactly what needs to be done before your organisation is up-to-speed with ISO\u2019s requirements for certification.<\/li>\n<li>Operate under a management system. However this may not be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a>-approved or properly formalised. Your consultant can provide advice on how to better structure this system in a way that works for you.<\/li>\n<li>Are nearing the finish line, a consultant will review your systems prior to an audit. They will then submit your application ready for an audit or will carry out the audit themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After you\u2019ve estimated the level of support you require for a successful <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> certification, a consultant can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Interpret <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> in the context of your business. They will help you mould the standards into operations suitable for you and suggest ways you can implement this into your day-to-day work.<\/li>\n<li>Manage the subsequent implementation, either in part (alongside your senior management team) or in full before passing on the reins.<\/li>\n<li>Actively support you throughout your certification so you pass with flying colours. As mentioned, they can also perform the internal audit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. Scout out the companies you could source a consultant from<\/h2>\n<p>While there\u2019s options for online vs. offline consultants, a physical visit to your organisation by an ISO 9001 consultant will give them a better picture of how you run your business. They will evaluate what processes and systems are already in place, see the cogs in your well-oiled machine and evaluate where their place in your certification process will be.<\/p>\n<p>While an ISO consultancy will assure you that they&#8217;ll do a great job, the benefits of seeking out testimonials, references and reviews from people who\u2019ve actually used the company for ISO 9001 consultancy are immeasurable. Ask your industry peers for advice and see if any names stand out.<\/p>\n<p><em>Still unsure about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a>? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/news\/iso-9001-your-questions-answered\/\">Here&#8217;s everything you need to know.<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>3. Evaluate the experience, expertise and qualifications of a consultant<\/h2>\n<p>The reputation of a consultant is important to consider. What have you heard about them? Or the certification body they\u2019re coming from? Consider their personal experience, expertise and qualifications as well as that of the business they\u2019re coming from.<\/p>\n<p>Identify the skills you require in an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultant &#8211; maybe you need someone who specialises in environmental measures or health and safety standards. Peel back the different layers of the standard and, for each stage, think about how you can work with a particular consultant to make each requirement work.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond formalities, do you get along on a personal level? Will you work well together? You\u2019ll need speedy but effective communication, continued support and excellent customer service.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Measure how good a fit they\u2019ll be for your business<\/h2>\n<p>An excellent <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultant will be flexible to fit your needs, but you\u2019ll need to consider how their experience will get the best out of your organisation. For example, what size of company are they used to working for and will this affect their approach? If you\u2019re a big business and the consultant you\u2019re after is only used to working with very small companies, though they may be brilliant at this, they may not be best suited for your explicit needs.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> than just achieving certification &#8211; it aims to have a continuous beneficial effect, always improving your management system. Therefore, your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\">ISO 9001<\/a> consultant shouldn\u2019t just support you throughout your certification, but also provide aftercare, assisting you all the way down the line from training staff, to consulting you on how to uphold your standards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"u-TextAlignNone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/iso-9001\/contact-us\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-Image\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.imsm.com\/rwa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/08\/ISO-9001-Get-your-free-quote.png\" alt=\"Get your free quote for ISO 9001\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The process of your business becoming ISO 9001 certified can often be a daunting endeavour. The majority of organisations decide [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[68,6,7,18],"class_list":["post-2669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","tag-consultant","tag-iso","tag-iso-9001","tag-iso9001"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 4 step guide to choosing an ISO 9001 consultant | IMSM RWA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You know you need ISO 9001 but how do you choose the right consultant for your business? 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