Customer Satisfaction and ISO 9001 certifications

Customer Satisfaction is a business driver in any industry. In the Construction Industry such pursuits are channeled through Quality Management Systems. One of the mechanisms that Construction Companies use to introduce QMS is through ISO 9001 standards. The ISO 9001 standard introduces a quality management system that has been widely claimed would reduce the costs of business. One of the ways it does this is through a reduction in quality costs. The ISO 9000 quality management system establishes work procedures that reduce deficiencies and defects.

Some of the of the characteristics a Quality Management System (QSM) are as follows

• Set Quality Goals
  
• Ensure customer requirements are understood and met
  
• Train employees
  
• Control your production processes
  
• Purchase from suppliers that can provide quality product
  
• Correct problems and make sure that they do not happen again
  

Being ISO registered is not just a Marketing plot, a logo that you put on your stationary; it is constant work and dedication.

Having an ISO 9001 program in your organization means having an effective QMS leading to many improvements to the Organization, but the question is:

1. How are these improvements being measured?
   
2. Are there technologies in place to allow these measurements?
   
3. Are employees being trained regularly?
   
4. How do you manage your suppliers, vendors and subcontractors?
   

 

I don't have all the answers, nor do I consider myself an expert on the issue, I but I think that if in fact customer satisfaction is a business driver, it should be on the Senior Management's Agenda to monitor the successful implementation and the constant monitoring of QMS, and make everyone at the Company a key element of it.

In future Blogs I will attempt to answer the questions that I asked earlier, stay tuned.