ISO 9001:2015 is an internationally recognised standard which is based on a number of quality management principles, including a strong client focus, a structured and efficient management process and the motivation and commitment of our top management to continual improvement. We were first awarded ISO 9001 in 2001, and we have maintained this standard for almost 2 decades.
What’s covered by ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 covers:
- Consistent, high quality products and services
- Engagement of our team at Acuigen
- Process approach to deliver consistently high quality results
- Continual improvement to drive and enhance innovation
- Evidence based decision making, based on the analysis of data
- Relationship management
The scope of our certification
We hold 2 scopes for ISO 9001:
- Research and feedback interviewing services (face to face, telephone and web surveys), including;
- International and multilingual research and client feedback
- Qualitative and quantitative methodologies
- Mystery shopping
- Customer opinion tracking studies
- Data modelling
- Design and development of research software (including the hosting of internet services)
- Customer relationship management
- Project management
- The design and development of;
- Multilingual research software
- Multilingual CRM software
- Database and system design and development
- Interactive web questioning technology
- Business solutions in multilingual environments
- Hosting of internet services
Independent Assessment
As part of our ISO 9001 certification, we undergo an annual in-depth independent assessment, conducted by MQA (Marketing Quality Assurance). Our most recent assessment visit was in February 2021.
What are the differences between ISO 9001, ISO 20252 and ISO 27001
ISO 9001 is a quality system that ensures that clients receive a great service, and that our service and products are continually improved. We define the internal quality systems and ensure that we deliver to them for the 2 certified scopes (research and software development/hosting of services). ISO 9001 takes a risk assessment and mitigation approach to managing quality.
ISO 20252, by contrast to ISO 9001, is a ‘best of class’ prescriptive standard that defines standard ways and standards dependent upon the appropriate research methodology. For example, when undertaking telephone interviews the standard defines the minimum number of interviews that have to be validated per interviewer and the methods of assuring the quality of their work.
ISO 27001 is an information security standard that uses a risk assessment and mitigation approach in the same manner as ISO 9001. An information security management system (ISMS) is set up within which 114 controls (listed in ISO 27002) are established to cover areas of risk, including; staff recruitment, access control, network, cryptography, physical security, supply chain management, compliance and incident management.
Market Research Society
Acuigen is a company member of the Market Research Society (MRS). The MRS’ Code of Conduct and rules guide us on the ethics and practicalities of our work, and in particular provide guidance on the interpretation of data protection and privacy in the context of research.
UKAS Accreditation
MQA’s ISO certification process is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) – the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom, appointed by the UK government, to assess organisations that provide certification. UKAS is a signatory to international accreditation agreements which provide for mutual recognition.