Word of Mouth
We’ve all heard a story from a friend or family member who is thrilled with a product or service they’ve purchased. There are likely several factors that contributed to the fact that they are a happy customer. But the main thing they probably pointed out is the quality of the product or service, and the good customer service received. With this in mind, this article will delve into quality management, why it matters and why it should be a priority for your organisation.
The Secret Ingredient of Successful Organisations
Quality is undoubtedly the secret ingredient for successful organisations. Let’s say you visited a new restaurant – you receive poor customer service; the food is undercooked and bland, to say the least. Would you return? The answer is probably not… that business has now lost a potential returning customer because of poor quality overall.
The story may be very different if you had excellent customer service and a quality meal. If this were the case, you may have recommended the restaurant to friends, family, and colleagues, who visit the restaurant and recommend theirs. You might even leave a review online, attracting other prospective customers.
The same goes for all businesses, without customer satisfaction, your organisation’s reputation may become damaged, and you are at risk of your sales pipeline becoming bone dry. The way to avoid this? Ensure a high-quality product or service and pair this with excellent customer service, and your loyal customers will drive new business through positive word of mouth!
What Does Quality Apply To? And Who’s Responsible?
In short, quality applies to every aspect of the organisation, and everyone should be responsible. Whether it’s a product, service, process, task, action, or decision, you should ask the questions, ‘how good is this?’, ‘is it enough?’, and ‘how can we make this better?’.
Different people within the organisation may have responsibility or influence over different things that affect the quality of an organisation’s outputs, such as specifying requirements, meeting those requirements, or determining the quality of something. But, everyone from top management to interns all have a part to play in quality.
ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems
If you want to ensure good quality management, your business should consider becoming ISO 9001 certified.
So, what is ISO 9001? It is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems. The ISO is an independent, non-governmental organisation that publishes the standards. Standards exist to ensure quality products and services, eco-friendly practices, good health and safety practices, and more.
Over 1 million organisations are certified to ISO 9001 for many reasons. Some benefits include increased efficiency, productivity, and profit, less wastage, and better internal management.
Some Food for Thought
Ultimately, quality is integral for businesses to be able to survive and thrive. Managing quality effectively can enhance your organisation’s brand and reputation, protect it against risks, increase its efficiency, and boost its profits. All while making staff and customers happier.
Quality isn’t just a box to be ticked though. Failures resulting from poor governance, ineffective implementation, and resistance to change have had detrimental consequences for businesses, individuals, and society.
Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, and Iceland all faced reputational damage back in 2013, when beef products were found to contain horse meat. Had these organisations been managing the quality of their outputs more effectively, the issue would likely not have occurred. However, quality isn’t just about disaster prevention – it’s about achieving great results and demonstrating a commitment to continual improvement.
Getting Started with ISO 9001
If you want to ensure a quality product or service every time, meet customers and other stakeholders’ requirements, and boost profits whilst doing so, then ISO 9001 is right for your organisation.
If you are looking to implement ISO 9001 or another standard, Candy Management Consultants can help. We are a friendly team of experts within the ISO and Health and Safety industries. We serve clients nationwide and make sure all our services are provided promptly and have an 100% success rate. Read what our clients say about us here.
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