You have seen so many products and services around you that are ISO-certified. But what does ISO-certified mean?

The International Organization for Standardization, commonly known as ISO, is an independent and non-governmental organization that develops and delivers standards for various products, services, and systems to ensure their quality, safety and reliability, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.

The international standards developed by ISO enhance a business organization’s operations and procedures, aligning with the industry and global businesses. They guide your employees and departments on how to develop and fulfill not only products but also customer satisfaction.

The standards help your organization unlock the chance to accelerate business worldwide, enhance quality management systems, ensure information safety and security, promote occupational health and safety, and prevent environmental damage as well. Basically, ISO standards help your business organization beat your competitors and future challenges.

The ISO works with 169 national accreditation bodies now. Accreditation bodies are the authorities that represent ISO standards in their own countries, and each country should have only one accreditation body. Remember that ISO does not issue certificates; it just develops standards—national accreditation bodies issue ISO certificates.

Importance of ISO Standards

The ISO standards have some key implications that have made them globally acceptable. Some of the importance of ISO standards are:

• Defined Work Process
• Improved Credibility
• Global Trading Facilities
• Customer Satisfaction
• Strong Branding

The Benefits of ISO Certification for Businesses in Bangladesh

Are you the company owner or representative? You can boost your business and expand market access not only in Bangladesh but also around the world by availing of the benefits of ISO certification.

Here are a few reasons why your company should get ISO-certified:

1. If your company passes the ISO certification process and gets certified, it will have the chance to improve the quality of its products, services, and so on. This will increase customer satisfaction.
2. A defined work process is another reason your company should choose ISO certification. You will get a clear scenario about the requirements and effective actions that must be followed to enhance employees’ performance. This will help you identify and solve related problems.
3. ISO certification will help your company enter new markets and expand its business globally. ISO standards mean the safety and reliability of products and services that introduce more customers. And more customers mean more revenue.
4. ISO standards are globally acknowledged and recognized. An ISO-certified company is mostly eligible to collaborate with other organizations around the world for intra-border or cross-border business.

These are enough reasons to choose ISO certification. You will unlock more benefits once you get certified.

ISO Consulting Service Overview

Are you looking for ISO consulting services in Bangladesh? Now, I will present a brief overview of the consulting services. You should check this out before choosing a consulting partner.

What Are ISO Consulting Services?

ISO consulting services mean assistance and guidance to achieve and maintain ISO certificates. Generally, individuals and firms offer these services to businesses interested in getting ISO-certified.

These services include identifying issues to be solved, internal auditing, and fixing document-related complexities and requirements. We are going to understand more about it in the next paragraph.

The role of ISO Consulting Firms in Helping Businesses achieve ISO certification

Are you interested in achieving ISO certification under low pressure? Then an ISO consulting firm can help you get things done very smoothly. Here are some of the roles of ISO consulting firms in this case:

• Guidance: An ISO consulting firm’s most important role is to guide you on which standards are best for your business, how they benefit your business, and what requirements and processes need to be certified. They make it easy with their experience and knowledge.
• Internal Auditing and Gap Analysis: Another weighty support that firms provide is internal auditing and gap analysis. ISO official bodies perform an audit before certification. Before that, consulting firms conduct a gap analysis of your current business process to find out the gap between your strategies and ISO requirements. They often perform pre-auditing assessments (known as internal audits) to ensure your company’s readiness.
• Documentation Support: Most of our companies suffer from the organization of documentation. A good ISO consulting partner will assist your company in managing and organizing all necessary documents (including audit reports, strategic plans, quality manuals, copies of PAN cards, procedures, etc.) to meet ISO requirements.
• Implementation Support: Consulting firms also guide your company, its employees, and internal departments in implementing ISO standards in existing processes. They also help identify necessary changes to be made to comply with standards.

Some other tasks done by ISO consulting firms are customized solutions, risk management, post-certification support, etc.

Importance of Choosing The Right ISO Consulting Partner

If you fail to choose the right ISO consulting firm, you will suffer instead of achieving certificates. There are many ISO consulting firms in Bangladesh. But only some are good consulting firms. Among them, Hermitage of Management & Standards Ltd. is the best one in Bangladesh.

Choosing the right consulting firm will benefit you in some ways:

• Easy, smooth, and fast processing
• Customized solution
• Cost-effective solution
• Hassle-free service
• Post-certification support

ISO Standards for Business in Bangladesh

In January 2024, the ISO has 25120 international standards covering all aspects of business, technology, and management. But most of them are not commonly used in our local businesses. Here, I am going to provide a shortlist of the most popular ISO standards for business in Bangladesh.

ISO 9001

Not only in Bangladesh, but ISO 9001 is the most popular standard all over the world. This is the Quality Management System (QMS) that is used to maintain the organization’s internal working processes, ensure customer satisfaction, and meet regulatory requirements. From tech to health, small to large, all types of businesses use this international standard. The current version of this standard available is 9001:2015.

ISO 14001

This standard refers to the Environmental Management System (EMS). This is used to minimize the negative impact on the environment of maintaining an EMS. ISO 14001 focuses on reducing air and water pollution and waste. The current version available of this standard is 1400:2015.

ISO 27001

This is an Information Security Management System (ISMS). One of the most important assets of a business organization is information. To protect internal information from unauthorized uses, modifications, or changes, ISO 27001 provides a framework. The current version of this standard available is 27001:2013.

ISO 45001

Manpower is the most important element in running any kind of organization. ISO 45001 focuses on the occupational health and safety management of employees, ensuring a work-friendly environment, and preventing workplace injuries. Most of the companies are using the 45001:2018 version today.

ISO 22000

This international standard is used by the organizations that are involved in producing and selling food products. It uses Food Safety Management Systems to ensure food safety and maintain hygiene from production to consumption. The currently available version of this standard is 22000:2018.

The standards mentioned are very few of those available and commonly used in Bangladesh. Other popular standards are ISO 5001, ISO 26000, ISO 21001, ISO 31000, etc.

Benefits of ISO Certification for Bangladesh’s Businesses

In Bangladesh, an ISO-certified business organization can avail of many benefits. The first and foremost benefit ISO standards carry is the maximization of customers. The standards increase customer confidence and trust with proof of quality and safety. More customers drive more production and revenue.

ISO certification will enhance your business reputation and turn your organization into a brand. It will help your business beat competitors and widen its operations globally. ISO standards not only develop customer satisfaction and revenue but also make your employees more strategic. Employees learn the effective and efficient way of maintaining qualities. They also get a work-friendly office environment, safety, and encouragement.

If I conclude the benefits of ISO certification for Bangladeshi businesses:

• Enhanced Customer Trust
• Employee Engagement
• Operational Efficiency
• Global Recognition
• Large Market Access
• Increased Revenue
• Risk Management

Factors to Consider When Selecting An ISO Consulting Partner

Now look at some key factors when you are choosing a consulting partner:

1. Reputation
2. Industry Experience
3. Wide Range of Service
4. Service Customization
5. Effective Communication
6. Accessibility and Availability
7. Cost-effectivity
8. After-service Support

You should go for an ISO consulting firm that meets all the criteria mentioned above. 

Why choose HMS as an ISO Consulting Firm in Bangladesh?

Have you decided to go with an ISO consulting firm for your business? Hermitage of Management & Standards Ltd. (HMS) is the best option to choose. Here are some features you will experience through our services:

• Customer-focused Service
• Committed to Quality
• Focusing on Developing Management Systems Rather than Obtaining certificates
• Availability of Technical and Domain Experts
• Quick Response and Proactive
• Flexible, Agile, and Cost-effective
• Develop Members of Your Organization for Long-term Sustainability
• Long-term Relationship Approach

Our ISO Consulting Services:

Let me introduce some of the services we offer:

• ISO Certification Consulting: We consult with you on the most suitable ISO standards for your business. We discuss your needs and requirements to provide the best output.
• ISO Compliance Assessment: Our experts perform a thorough checkup and analyze your current business processes, strategies, and policies. They point out gaps, fix them, and ensure assignment with ISO requirements.
• ISO Documentation Assistance: The right kind of documentation can make your job easier. We will guide you in organizing and managing the required documents. We often do this by ourselves on behalf of your company.
• ISO Internal Audit Support: Before getting started with auditing by an ISO body, we conduct a thorough audit to identify issues for readiness. Corrective actions will be taken by our experts as well.
• ISO Gap Analysis: Imagine a bridge between your existing work process and ISO requirements. Our Gap Analysis service includes addressing the gap, analyzing the best solution, and fixing it. So that you don’t need to worry about certification.
• ISO Risk Management: Like other jobs, achieving ISO Standard Certification has possible risks too. We assist you in identifying risk factors, reducing potential risks, and passing the ISO inspection successfully.

Conclusion

ISO standards and certifications unlock many benefits that help grow your business operation and dominate the industry with a reputation. In this article, I tried to present the key points and insights about ISO standards and their importance.

An ISO consulting service will help your company get certified and become an important participant in the global business war. In Bangladesh, HMS is the best option for choosing an ISO consulting partner. Because we are experienced, we are committed to quality services.