We have made no secret of our pride in the independent quality accreditations we hold at Winster. Winning and retaining ISO 9001:2015 or any other accreditation involves a lot of hard work, and attention to detail, not just when the assessor arrives, but throughout the year. However, we believe it is important for our business, and more importantly for our customers.
As a current or possible future customer of Winster, what does our ISO 9001:2015 accreditation actually mean to you?
There are now several studies of companies before and after acquiring accreditation, which consistently show that ISO 9001 accredited companies deliver superior performance and outperform their competitors.
The first of the seven ISO 9001 quality management principles is Customer Focus. The organisation is required to make customer focus a priority. There is an emphasis on understanding the needs and expectations of customers; meeting all their requirements and creating value for customers. We regularly contact customers to gather their feedback on our service to them.
Another of the core principles is to develop a culture of Continuous Improvement. In practice this means reflecting on processes, analysing data and making changes to improve results. For our customers, this means we don’t repeat mistakes and we are always looking for ways to make our service better.
Engagement of People is also a principle of the ISO 9001 quality management. It is important that an organisation recruits, develops and retains people with the skills and experience to deliver what the customer requires. Each member of the team should be encouraged to create and deliver value to customers. Our tight-knit and experienced team at Winster pride themselves on their customer relationships and always go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.
The final principle is Relationship Management. ISO 9001 accreditation requires organisations to build long-term relationships with all stakeholders. At Winster, over 90% of our hose is sourced from suppliers we have been using for over 15 years and 75% of sales are to customers who have bought from us for over 10 years. Our supplier relationships help us ensure the quality of our products and continuity of supply, and our customer relationships are testament to our ability to remain competitive and keep our promises.
Many customers find that purchasing from ISO 9001 accredited suppliers reduces the amount of work they have to do around the due diligence of selecting a suitable supplier and on-going checking of their working practices.
In a world where your customers have increasingly high expectations of your business, using ISO 9001 accredited suppliers can give you valuable peace of mind and reduce the risk of losing valuable custom.
If you would like to discuss how an ISO 9001:2015 accredited hose and accessory supplier could benefit your business, please call us on 01902 606010 or use the contact form on our website.