Garden State

BSI Case Study on the Benefits of ISO 9000 Registration

Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling

The Benefits

The Organization Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling provides consumer

• Received 19% less client inquiries

credit counseling and education to families and individuals in need. The non-profit agency employs 95 people and is based in Freehold, New Jersey, USA with satellite offices nation-wide.

• The average response time to client inquiries has

The Issues

been reduced by 16%

The primary driver for Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling to seek ISO 9000 accreditation was to concentrate on a high

• Over 100% more clients have been educated since certification • Since implementation, the organization has re-instated 21% more clients and is able to help 20% more of their new callers • New business generated over 1000 additional calls per month

level of quality and service to, not only clients, but also creditors. In addition, it wanted to have a structured system for quality management, and to have an approach to control and monitor the system. Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling is the first credit counseling agency that achieved ISO 9000 accreditation. The registration process took only 2.5 months

BSI Case Study on the Benefits of ISO 9000 Registration

Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling The Benefits ISO 9000 provided the structure for the quality management system. An advantage of ISO 9000 was that it supplied an approach about what needed to be followed, rather than a strict system that dictates how it needs to be done. Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling already had 70% of the ISO 9000 system covered with its existing quality management system. However, the additional 30% gained by the ISO 9000 standard made a huge difference in terms of better structure, control and monitoring. Furthermore, it improved what was already in place. Using ISO 9000 standards led to the development of a matrix form, now used monthly to record and monitor every problem. If a trend occurs, then re-training is introduced. Every 6 months all the matrix forms are analyzed and a report written. This process resulted in the re-writing of procedures. It is believed that without ISO 9000 registration this structured process may not have occurred. Since the implementation of ISO 9000, Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling has received 19% less client inquiries, and the average response time, for enquiry’s, has reduced by 16%. An inquiry is defined as any client issue pertaining to their debt management plan. In addition, the organization has re-instated 21% more clients, is able to help 20% more of its new callers and over 100% more clients have been educated. Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling has recently been chosen by a major creditor who decided to pass clients on to it, generating over 1000 additional calls per month. This was a major step forward, since the organization relies mainly on creditor contributions and by becoming certified, it helped improve its reputation. Creditors noticed efforts were being made and feedback has been positive.

Using ISO 9000 standards has also led to the development of documented procedures for customer satisfaction. For example, the organization now has documented client surveys and feedback/complaints processes in place. Feedback forms are taken to the Vice President of Administration for review, and has resulted in the implementation of approximately 50% of the suggestions generated by this process.

BSI’s Role The decision to use BSI was researched thoroughly and has since been confirmed by continual improvement of the quality management system. BSI is highly committed to the needs of Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling, and is easy to contact and always available. Because BSI is the world leading ISO 9000 registration body, it was thought that this reputation would be linked to the companies they serve, thus improving the image of Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling. It was also felt that BSI reduced levels of stress during the registration process due to the competence of its personnel. BSI always pointed out the right direction. Overall, employees have responded positively to the changes instigated by ISO 9000, although people felt a bit nervous at the beginning. BSI supplied a lot of literature that helped in education and training, thus making the transition more smooth. The documents also helped improve training processes for existing and new employees, leading to increased employee involvement and job satisfaction. By improving processes, BSI helped enhance the effectiveness of operations, and procedures run more smoothly and efficiently. Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling now has a constant monitoring process that helps to detect potential problems before they arise.

BSI Case Study on the Benefits of ISO 9000 Registration

Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling About the System Since ISO 9000 implementation Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling has a quality management team that consists of the Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Education Specialist, Media Consultant and the Quality Control Co-ordinator. Every team member is an accredited internal auditor and familiar with the entire audit process, because roles within audits are alternated within the team.

A new preventative action process includes “spot checks”, which are carried out in between internal and external audits. It contributes to continuous improvement by checking if procedures are working and by detecting potential problems. The information supplied in this case study was from Garden State‘s Quality Control Coordinator, Gina McCullough. For further information on their Quality Management System, please call 1-732-409-6283 or email the Quality Control Coordinator at: [email protected].