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Many funeral homes around the world, especially the largest ones, have already obtained the ISO 9001 quality certification. This standard guarantees that the funeral services offered in these companies are subject to a Quality Management System, so customers know that they are much more likely to be satisfied.
If you would also like to benefit from the advantages of being a funeral home with an internationally guaranteed quality standard, in this article we explain how to achieve the ISO 9001 certification and the necessary requirements.
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 certifies that your funeral home works to achieve quality customer service through the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS). It is an international certification that can be obtained by any company, regardless of its size or sector, and it is a worldwide benchmark for quality with more than one million certified companies. This means that if your funeral home obtains the ISO 9001 certification, any customer will know that they will receive a standardised and guaranteed quality service at an international level.
ISO 9001, as well as increasing the quality standards of your funeral services, will increase customer satisfaction, improve your image and make you stand out from your competitors. The key is the implementation of a Quality Management System, which provides more efficient working techniques, minimises errors, optimises resources and, as a result, attracts more customers and increases profits.
Remember that once you have achieved ISO 9001, the real work begins: to maintain it. The certification is a tool for continuous quality improvement and is valid for three years. After this period your funeral home will have to undergo a new external audit to certify the Quality Management System and the improvements made since the previous audit.
Iso 9001: requirements to obtain the quality certification
ISO 9001 sets out a number of requirements to obtain the quality certification, however, it is very flexible with regard to the internal processes of each company to meet these conditions, although most companies use an auditing service.
Firstly, it is necessary to keep a record of all procedures, objectives and how they are to be addressed. While ISO 9001:2008 required the establishment of a Quality Manual, in the new version, ISO 9001:2015, it is no longer necessary to maintain this structure and, although quality control is required to be documented, each company decides on the best method to do so.
Among the requirements to obtain the ISO 9001 certification, it is necessary to have suitable funeral facilities for the activity to be carried out. Likewise, it must be explained how the maintenance of the cremation and corpse treatment rooms and equipment is carried out. In addition to assessing whether the funeral home has the adequate facilities to offer a quality service, the working environment is also assessed in terms of occupational health and risk prevention.
Obtaining the ISO 9001 certification also requires a thorough analysis of the suppliers and the quality of the products we purchase, as well as the services we may have subcontracted. You must evaluate all those products, people and equipment that interfere in any way with the funeral services you offer.
Your record should also include the results you are getting with the methods you are using and whether the desired goals are being met. If not, it is up to you to think about what improvements you are going to make in your funeral business.
How to certify your funeral home with ISO 9001
You should bear in mind that the implementation of a Quality Management System according to the ISO 9001 standards involve a financial outlay or investment on the part of a funeral home due to the costs of resorting to a specialised consultancy or implementation consultancy, as well as the costs of the certification audit itself.
The ISO 9001 standard has been developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, non-governmental body with more than 70 years of history that currently brings together more than one million companies and organisations in more than 170 countries around the world.
Nevertheless, this organisation is not in charge of issuing certificates. For this you have to rely on external certification bodies that follow the standards created by the ISO Conformity Assessment Committee (CASCO). You can find the accreditation body in your country at the International Accreditation Forum to get a recommendation for an official body.
