In the wake of the ten year anniversary of Eurojuris' ISO certification, our network went through a new audit to make sure that we still respect its criteria. This is the occasion to learn more about what ISO means...
Christophe Marfoutine has been working for Eurojuris International for several years now, and last month he received an unusual visit. “Every year,” he says, “someone comes to check that we are still up to the ISO standard. Every three years, it is an even more complete audit: I had to spend the entire day with an inspector from a company accredited by the Belgian certification authority.” For a whole day, Christophe and the inspector undertook a review of Eurojuris' activities.
Think this sounds like a tedious process? Quite the contrary: ISO certification is the proof that Eurojuris is doing proper, reliable work, and it is a good occasion to check that everything is up to date.
“It is more subtle for a service provider like us,” he explains, “than it would be for, let's say, a canned peas factory! If we were a producer of peas, it would be very easy to just check the size and colour of our peas. But how do you check the level of quality of a service provider like us?”
To be able to discuss with the inspector, Christophe had to follow a special class. “For a year, I have been attending lessons in, as they called it, 'quality coordination'. It is much more exciting than it sounds: you learn how to turn ideas into reality. For example, the most important service that Eurojuris provides is a comprehensive phonebook of the most reliable lawyers everywhere, so you know where to find someone to trust with your cases. That's all good on paper, but how do you turn this into reality? I had to learn the mechanisms to make it a procedure that never fails and is easy to double-check”. When the inspector came, Christophe was able to discuss matters on the same level as him.
The verdict? Eurojuris was confirmed in its ISO certification: no major issues, no non-conformity problems. “He just left with a handful of recommendations but on the whole it was a very nice contact,” says Christophe about his day with the inspector. “Of course, he is not here for joking, but it was nice overall. He appreciated our extensive use of digital databases, because this way we can track down any problem to its source and solve it more easily.”
So, as Eurojuris is about to celebrate ten years of ISO certification, this proves to be more than a label. “It proves that we are not a white elephant,” says Christophe. “That is, we’re not riddled with folders and folders of poorly worded procedures, but rather, we have an efficient structure with short and clear guidelines”. ISO certification is definitely more than three letters...
Any comment on our certification? Did you have to go through a similar process and want to share your experience? Please write to us at journalist@eurojuris.net
