Many businesses regularly review their operations to look for cost savings and efficiencies. Although essential to many businesses, ISO certification comes with a significant cost and resource overhead which can become a burden if not managed properly.
In this article I look at ways to reduce the cost of running your ISO management systems and maintaining ISO certification.
Outsource Compliance Management
In the SME market ISO responsibilities can often be added on to someone’s existing job role affecting resources required for other functions, whereas in larger companies there may be an employed compliance manager or team that come with their own overheads.
At Assent Risk Management we have seen an increase in clients outsourcing some, or all, of their compliance management to our multidisciplinary team – reducing costs and overheads greatly. Read about Outsourced ISO Manager Service.
This saves significantly on headcount while also greatly expanding a company’s access to a wider range of expertise.
Outsourcing an important function such as compliance must be handled carefully and we are experienced in managing the risks associated with a transition from in-house to outsourced.
Integrate Systems and Frameworks
Throughout an organisation there may be multiple ISO certifications and other compliance frameworks which have common requirements. However through different departments or personnel managing those requirements there may be duplication of effort.
Looking at ways to integrate the common requirements of different systems and frameworks provide an opportunity to save cost and resources.
Assent consultants can perform a gap analysis to identify opportunities to integrate systems which may also lead on to reduction in external auditing time.
Review your Certification Scope
In mature systems, ie those that have been running for a number of years, it’s not uncommon to find the scope of your ISO certification needs to be reviewed to ensure it’s fit for purpose.
Scope often includes the products and services you deliver, your locations, the number of Staff and I.T systems involved. As these change so should your certification scope. Occasionally this can lead to a reduction in audit time.
Transfer to Another Certification Body
Although it might seem disruptive, there is a structured set of rules allowing you to transfer your ISO certificates to another certification body, thus creating a competitive market.
As with all organisations certification body prices can increase over time, So, it is certainly worth speaking to your existence certification body as well as alternatives to make sure you’re getting this price. Assent’s certification management team can take care of this process for you.
Utilise Tools and Technologies.
Many years ago compliance moved from paper-based ring binders to electronic documents. Another shift is happening now towards tools and technologies that can improve efficiency.
Many of these tools you may already have available to you in your existing software stack such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
And with the adoption of AI based tools there are many opportunities to improve your compliance operations.
However, a word of warning: while these tools can help, it’s important to retain human oversight of the outputs to ensure that you remain compliant.
Start looking for efficiencies today
Contact our office for a free consultation on how you could reduce the cost of running ISO management systems and improve efficiency.
