Benefits of Selecting a Local ISO Consultant

There are several reasons for selecting a local ISO consultant to assist your company or organization in achieving an ISO 9001, 14001, 13485 or AS9100 quality management system certification. Availability and cost savings are two prime examples. Familiarity with state incentives is another. Plus, there are significant benefits to supporting your local economy.

To begin, let us define “local” as an ISO consultant who offices reside within the same state as your facility. It would be nice if a qualified consultant was also located within your immediate community, but that is realistically not always possible.

Obviously, utilizing a local ISO consultant will reduce travel expenses which you, the client, are likely responsible for reimbursing. It is far less expensive to drive (or fly) to a location within a state rather than cross country, for example. Too, fewer overnight stays, which incur costs for lodging and meals, will probably be necessary. It is simply a matter of convenience for both the consultant and the client.

Availability also plays a big role in ISO consulting assignments. The ability to quickly respond to communications or emergencies cannot be overrated. Trying to reach a consultant in a different time zone can be taxing. And it is nice to know that if you really need to see your ISO consultant on short notice, he may be able to drive or take a short airline hop to your facility.

Local ISO consultants are also more likely to understand the social and economic factors affecting your business. They are part of your state culture and are aware of the pressures on state organizations, as well as possible growth opportunities. You talk the same language and share common knowledge.

Moreover, many states or regions offer incentive programs to retain jobs. Typically, these address a portion or all of the training costs. Often these public funding programs can be utilized to finance a consultant’s work in training your employees, which thereby upgrades your competitiveness.

For example, California offers public funding incentives in the form of the Employment Training Panel (ETP), which provides financial assistance to California businesses to support customized worker training to:

·         Attract and retain businesses that contribute to a healthy California economy;

·         Provide workers with secure jobs that pay good wages and have opportunities for advancement;

·         Assist employers to successfully compete in the global economy; and

·         Promote the benefits and ongoing investment of training among employers.

Employers match training funds awarded by ETP for training existing workers, making these projects true public-private partnerships. Since its inception in 1983, ETP has reimbursed employers $1.2 billion for training over 760,000 workers in 77,000 businesses.

A California-based ISO consultant would obviously be better equipped to assist clients in exploring and acquiring ETP funding than a consultant from the mid-west or the east coast.

And then there are the benefits of supporting your local economy. Every dollar spent within your state helps to stabilize the local economy, create more jobs and enhance consumer spending power, all of which will likely benefit your business. “Support your local economy” is more than just a slogan.

Sure, there are qualified ISO consultants nationwide. However, selecting a consultant from within your community or state offers significant benefits that should not be overlooked. It is just good business sense to use local resources whenever possible.