New startups companies are emerging every day. Strong market demand for innovative products, smart and unique ideas, willing investors, utilization of data, and the growth of technology are helping startup founders to propel their young businesses to the next level. However, steering a startup in the right direction is not an easy feat. While 80% of startups make it to the second year, less than 30% make it past ten years. After acknowledging these figures, startup founders should actively look for solutions to help their infant businesses to stay afloat and succeed in the long term. One option that can help you is the ISO 9001.
What Is ISO 9001?
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001 is a globally recognized quality management system standard. This standard lies within the ISO 9000 family, and the last version was created in 2015. It’s the only standard that can be certified in this family, making it a critical addition for your business. Currently, over a million businesses across the world have been issued with ISO 90001 certificates. For your company to be certified to this standard, you need to comply with the requirements stipulated in it. The requirements include:
- Demonstrate that you develop products and services that constantly meet customer needs and regulatory conditions.
- Show that you strive to enhance customer satisfaction and conformity with regulatory bodies through continuous improvement of your systems and processes.
This standard provides a framework that places great emphasis on several principles. They include; satisfying the customer and other stakeholders, involvement and motivation of the top management, the process approach, and continuous improvement. After every three years, your business needs to be recertified. The standard can be utilized by any company regardless of its size or industry. It’s also compatible with other management systems.
Why Startups Should Consider ISO 9001
There is a lot your startup can gain by acquiring an ISO 9001 certification. Here are some benefits.
1. Processes And Product Improvement
ISO 9001 introduces a continuous improvement culture into your business. Here, all the processes are formalized and documented. It ensures that the methods used to develop a product or deliver a service have been carefully designed to guarantee a quality end-result. This is essential for the day to day running of the business, as it makes sure that the processes are effective and efficient, thus yielding excellent end results each time. Operations are streamlined, errors rectified, and costs reduced, allowing your business to be more resilient and sustainable. By adhering to ISO 9001 requirements, your processes, products, and performance will improve.
2. Customer Acquisition
When your business is in its infancy, finding clients is not always a walk in the park. Most consumers are hesitant to work with a relatively new company. Even though you have a great product and a talented marketing team, you need much more to gain the trust of your customers. Attaining ISO 9001 certification is exactly what you need when you want to cultivate credibility. The certification will not only appeal to customers but also convince them that you are the right business to partner with for a long time to come. Certification shows that you are committed to your customers and the future of your company, thus giving your startup an image boost.
3. A Powerful Marketing Tool
Marketing an ISO certified product is easier compared to an ordinary product. An ISO product quickly wins over customers since it answers many questions at once. ISO is an indicator of quality management, continuous improvement, and dedication. Today, many tender specifications require the bidders to have an ISO certification. ISO 9001 will open the doors for you and help you remain ahead of your competition.
4. Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty
Whenever your operations are designed with customer satisfaction in mind, your clients will always be happy. ISO 9001 principles ensure that your methods are customer-oriented. Compliance will keep you on toes, ensuring your product always fulfills the customers’ needs and guarantee that your services are constantly reliable. Customer satisfaction transpires to customer loyalty and increased revenue. With this certification, you won’t struggle to retain your product subscribers.
5. Risk Management
ISO 9001 actively promotes risk management. The standard requires you to constantly review your processes and eliminate any threats that may derail your project. By complying with this standard, you will assess, analyze, and rate risks, and find appropriate ways to mitigate them. When a risk morphs into a real threat, ISO 9001 will help you address it with a more professional approach instead of acting out of emotions. This will maximize your chances of reaching your full potential.
Bottom Line
ISO 9001 will give you a headstart in the race to making your startup successful. With this certification, your business’ performance will be enhanced, your product will be better, customers will be happier, risks will be well-managed, your brand image will get a boost, and you’ll gain a competitive advantage.
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