Corporate values can sometimes be easier to draw up than to embody and live. At Research Consulting, we have four fundamental values (connection, quality, integrity, and trust) that set out how we aim to work – and the experience that our clients should receive. The second of these key corporate values, quality, is about “pursuing excellence in all that we do”. We are keen to ensure that these values are not just statements that exist on our website but values that we live by, day after day, week after week.
We have found that a useful way of demonstrating and delivering our commitment to quality has been through the application for and successful accreditation of the BSI ISO 9001 quality management standard. Originally granted to us in 2016 when we were still a relatively young and smaller company, we have to be recertified annually and, following an audit in October, have once again obtained accreditation. As we said in our blog post on this topic six years ago, when gaining accreditation for the first time, ISO 9001 is probably the most valued and sought-after quality certification standard in the world.
This award demonstrates that we have a top-to-bottom focus on quality, with a quality manual and standardised systems and processes in place, so that regardless of the employee or employees working on any particular project, our clients can expect the same high standards of work every time. Working in a way that is conducive to ISO 9001 means that we have consistency in how we think about, approach and deliver our client projects.
We aim to see that quality runs through everything we do. The positive testimonials we regularly receive is evidence that this approach is appreciated by our clients, but consistently gathering client feedback and sharing that transparently across the team helps us to continually improve.
Through delivering quality in all our work, in ways that are fully supportive of ISO 9001, we are able to build trust (another of our core values) among customers and stakeholders, now and into the long term.
A previous post considered our values from the perspective of ‘connection’.
