Achieving ISO 9001 certification can be a challenging undertaking, and given the costs and other requirements associated with getting certified, some business owners do find themselves asking: is ISO certification really worth it?

Obviously, the answer to that question ultimately depends on the exact nature of your organisation (what you do, how many people you employ, what sort of customers you serve, and so on). However, in the vast majority of circumstances, ISO 9001 certification is very worthwhile.

Here are some of the benefits that certified companies enjoy:

• Increased customer confidence. Achieving ISO 9001 accreditation demonstrates your commitment to quality and to outstanding customer service. Potential clients will take this into account, and in the end, it may well be the thing that drives them to choose you over one of your competitors.
  
  
• New opportunities. ISO 9001 is a requirement for many organisations, and you will need to hold ISO certification if you wish to win work from any of these businesses. Getting certified will open new doors for your company and allow you to take on contracts that would otherwise have gone to somebody else.
  
  
• Better, more efficient processes. In order to achieve ISO 9001 certification, you will need to plan and implement an effective QMS (Quality Management System) within your organisation. No matter how large or small your company is, a good QMS will reduce wastage and improve every part of your operation, enabling you to work better as a business and deliver a higher-quality service.

If you're thinking of applying for ISO 9001 certification, remember that ISO Accelerator is the quickest, easiest, most cost-effective way to do it. Our fast-track ISO certification service eliminates many of the costs and delays that come with getting accredited - click here to learn more.

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ISO Accelerator has been accredited by USAS to provide certification for ISO 14001.

Following the successful launch of our USAS-accredited fast track ISO 9001 certification programme, we are pleased to announced that ISO Accelerator has now been accredited by USAS to provide ISO 14001 certification services in the UK.

This means that, in addition to helping you achieve ISO 9001 certification for your quality management system (QMS), we can now also help you to get certification for your environmental management system (EMS).

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems. An EMS is a set of processes that reduces waste and minimises the environmental impact of an organisation and its operations. Gaining ISO 14001 certification is the best way to demonstrate to consumers that your company works hard to be environmentally friendly.

In order to meet USAS requirements and provide this service to UK organisations, we at ISO Accelerator had to meet a strict set of internationally-recognised standards. USAS apply these standards to ensure that accredited certification bodies maintain their high standards in other territories.

Our website will be updated shortly to reflect this achievement and the fact that we now provide this additional service. In the meantime, if you're the owner of a UK-based organisation and you're looking to achieve ISO 14001 certification, please get in touch to find out how we can help you to make this process as quick, as affordable, and as easy as possible.

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Based in Hamble, not far from Southampton, Saunders Morgan Harris Ltd are an international surveying company who provide technical consultancy services for yachts and other marine craft. Founded in 2005 by Duncan Saunders and Hugo Morgan-Harris, SMH specialise in new build projects, restorations, loss adjusting, and non-destructive testing.

The SMH team have fine-tuned their business processes over the last decade or so, but while they themselves were confident that they knew how to achieve the highest-quality outcome for each customer, they decided that they needed ISO 9001 certification to demonstrate their quality and efficiency to potential clients.

And that's where ISO Accelerator came in. Our fast-track online certification service made it easy for SMH to get certified without the time-consuming process that this usually entails. Here's what Duncan Saunders had to say once the company had secured ISO 9001:2015 certification:

"Being an established SME, we knew that we had robust processes in place, but we needed a way to communicate this and to give confidence to new clients. ISO Accelerator's ISO 9001 certification process fitted perfectly with our needs. The process was simple, and the team at ISO Accelerator helped us to develop a QMS that meets the requirements ISO 9001:2015 while seamlessly integrating into the way that we currently work." - Duncan Saunders, Director

Want to get ISO certified quickly and easily? Click here to apply for fast-track certification with ISO Accelerator.

If you want to achieve ISO 9001 certification, you will first need to plan and implement a strong quality management system within your organisation.

A quality management system (QMS) is simply a set of processes and procedures that are designed to improve customer satisfaction. A strong QMS will make your customers happier while also serving to drive continuous improvement of your operations by reducing wastage and streamlining everybody's efforts so that all workers are striving towards the same goal.

Where does ISO certification come into this?

ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems. When planning a QMS, the goal should be to create a system that complies with ISO 9001 requirements and will qualify for ISO 9001 certification once in place.

Further reading: What is ISO 9001?

When you choose to apply for fast-track ISO accreditation via ISO Accelerator, we will work with you remotely to help you develop a QMS that meets all ISO 9001 requirements.

Click here to get the process started >

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When company owners consider whether or not to get ISO certified, the one factor that most frequently affects their decision is time. A lot of people choose not to bother with ISO 9001 certification simply because they fear that it will take too long - time is money, after all.

But the ISO certification process doesn't necessarily have to take all that long at all. Yes, it can involve a lot of time-consuming consultations and visits to your premises, but it's actually possible to skip all of that and get your company certified in as little as 7 days.

The fastest route to ISO certification

Here at ISO Accelerator, we specialise in getting small- to medium-sized businesses certified within the shortest possible timeframe. Here's how our service works:

• Start by filling out our online application form.
  
  
• We will work with you remotely, helping you to develop a QMS (Quality Management System) that meets ISO 9001 requirements.
  
  
• Next, you will need to implement the QMS within your organisation, ensuring that its requirements are met.
  
  
• You will then be issued with a Self-Declaration of Conformance. You fill this in yourself to state that you have properly implemented the Quality Management System Manual.
  
  
• Finally, you send the Self-Declaration to us - once we receive it, we issue your ISO 9001 certificate. You will need to self-certify annually to maintain your ISO certification going forward.

And that's all there is to it! Typically, it takes just a week to get ISO certified via ISO Accelerator, greatly reducing both the cost and the duration of the accreditation process.

Click here to apply for online ISO 9001 certification >

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