What do you know about ISO 9001? If you’re in the manufacturing sector, chances are you’ll be familiar with this industry standard. If not, you may never have come across it before – especially in relation to digital marketing.
That’s because Formation Media is one of just a handful of UK creative agencies to hold industry 9001 accreditation, a standard usually associated with manufacturing processes.
A leading ISO 9001 agency
Formation was one of the first digital marketing agencies in the UK to be awarded ISO 9001 status back in 2018. And five years on, we’ve successfully passed our ISO 9001 quality management audit to retain our certification for another year.
After finding zero nonconformances and zero opportunities for improvement, Paul Francks, auditor for accreditation body Interface NRM, commented: “your Quality Management System (QMS) [is] very robust”.
So, what does this mean for our clients, exactly? Why would a creative agency boast of a quality management certification more befitting a factory wall?
Here are five reasons why we at Formation are ISO 9001 certified and the benefits you can look forward to working with us.
Proven processes
Like a leading manufacturer, Formation Media is a highly process-driven organisation. We seek to achieve a consistently high standard of quality in our workflow and output just as a factory strives for perfection in the production of their components.
Being ISO 9001 certified proves our process-driven and quality-assured methods, assuring clients their standard of work will always be high.
This manufacturing mindset may seem too regimented for a creative marketing agency. In fact, ISO 9001 has been largely rejected by this sector until recently for fear it may stifle creativity.
But, speaking from experience, we can say this is not the case. At Formation, we’ve found a process-driven approach supports and encourages all our existing creative processes.
From the development of initial ideas to clarity of messaging and timely delivery of an effective campaign, our full-service agency team communicates seamlessly with one another, like a well-oiled machine.
We chart the progress of every job that comes through our doors, monitoring and checking it at every stage to ensure your project consistently adheres to the highest possible standards in every department.
Accountability
In the manufacturing and industrial sector, ISO 9001 certification has become almost standard. It’s a mark of quality and accountability that assures clients a supplier is not only actioning best practice but also holds itself accountable for its own processes and the delivery of a consistently high standard of service and product. So why not apply it to digital marketing?
Our quality management certification makes us accountable to our clients and ourselves. “Everybody within the organisation here at Formation owns our quality management system,” explains HR & Quality Director, David Dunlop.
“It means we all carry a responsibility to continually seek to improve, consequently improving our products and services which are delivered to our valued clients.”
“We are reforming through a consultative approach to account management and proven knowledge within the industry. Not only do we identify and learn from mistakes internally, but we make ourselves accountable to our clients for a high standard of work.”
Continual improvement
Adhering to ISO 9001 industry standards allows us to improve our processes continually, adapting and learning from mistakes and responding to client feedback.
Our agile approach to self-assessment and outside auditing gives us continued opportunity to recognise areas of improvement within the business. This helps us to develop our systems, identifying areas where things can be done better and more efficiently and then acting upon our findings.
Once a change has been brought in, we continue to assess the results of its implementation, further refining our processes. As a client, this continual feedback loop in line with ISO 9001 practice means you can trust you’re partnering with a company that strives to continually improve its services, evolving and adapting in response to your needs.
Manufacturing marketing, aligned with our clients
Formation Media is one of the largest digital marketing agencies servicing the manufacturing and industrial sectors. ISO 9001 aligns us with the industry and our current clients, demonstrating a commitment to achieving and maintaining an internationally recognised standard of quality.
While we have a depth of experience undertaking projects for the legal, financial, and estate planning sectors, and B2B and public entities like the NHS and Police, Formation's marketing expertise lies in collaborating with and assisting the engineering and manufacturing industry.
It’s only logical, therefore, that we’ve established and continue to uphold consistent quality management systems like ISO 9001 that align with our primary sector while benefitting our wider client base.
Formation Media is dedicated to providing innovative marketing and corporate solutions tailored to the industrial sector, for big-name clients such as Q8Oils. We boast a well-documented track record of fostering business expansion for these prominent industry leaders and our ISO 9001 accreditation cements this.
“Our ISO 9001 certification brings Formation to par with our prestigious clients in the manufacturing sector,” says Director, Martin Gordon.
“It provides them with peace of mind and formally demonstrates to others our commitment to our clients. Allowing them to engage the web design and software development skills of a fellow ISO-certified organisation. A real rarity within the field.”
Quality guarantee
Formation treats all clients as our number one priority, always. Under an ISO 9001 quality management system, we can consistently deliver our established services to clients at an exceptional level of quality every time, guaranteeing an unrivalled standard of work and service.
Having ISO 9001 is all about the client journey, ensuring every aspect of your experience of working with us, from initial enquiry right through to your end product, is the very best it can be, every time.
“As a business, we pride ourselves on continuous improvement and increasing customer satisfaction,” says David Dunlop.
“Commitment to excellence has always been a core principle for Formation, and it is officially documented and validated through our certification.”
“ISO 9001 ensures a strong customer focus throughout the company and gives our clients peace of mind that they will always receive high-quality, consistent products and services with Formation Media.”
Contact us to find out more about how our manufacturing- inspired ISO 9001 approach to digital marketing can support your business.
