When evaluating the quality of a mailing house, look no further than its compliance with ISO standards. A mailing house who possesses all three ISO accreditations, like Snapmail, does so through maintaining the highest of standards and subsequently passing rigorous inspection and auditing.
What are ISO Accreditations?
Like any industry, the mailing industry has regulatory bodies that set legal and operational standards to adhere to. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an organisation that develops and publishes international standards across a wide range of industries. Being awarded an ISO certification is proof that you comply with an ISO management standard.
There are over 22,834 ISO standards worldwide across many industries, but there are 3 particularly important ISOs relevant to a mailing house. These are;
- ISO 9001 – Quality
- ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
- ISO 27001 – Information Security
The Importance of ISO 9001
ISO 9001 is the quality management standard of the ISO that aims to ensure that an organisation “products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.” It can instill trust that customers are going to be provided consistent, high-quality service that will bring many business benefits.
From a mailing house with ISO 9001 you can expect;
- Customer and employee satisfaction
- Continual improvement in service
- Quality IT and data security
The Importance of ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS). Globally it is the most used EMS, with over 14,000 businesses in the UK certified. In practice this ISO specifies that an organisation or a mailing house like ours formulates and maintains an EMS, enabling for better control over the environmental impacts of everyday business.
ISO 14001 compliant mail houses uphold high standards with regards to;
- Energy usage and power consumption
- Recycling materials where possible – for example polywrapping, ink cartridges, paper etc.
- Preference of sustainable materials i.e. choosing to use biodegradable materials like paper over pollutant plastics
The Importance of ISO 27001
The ISO 27001 is a standard specifying a high-quality information security management system (ISMS). For a mailing house to obtain this ISO, their information security management system has to be audited, thereby demonstrating the rigid controls and risk management in place.
When working with a client on a direct mail campaign, a mailing house has to instill confidence in handling sensitive data. A mailing house possessing the ISO 27001 demonstrates;
- Independent certification of compliance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Sophisticated, up-to-date IT systems
- Dedication to protecting your business’ data
Snapmail is proud to possess all three of the above ISOs and works hard in maintaining the highest of standards. If you’d like to launch a direct mail campaign or have any questions about ISOs related to a mailing house, please get in touch with our team via the enquiry form below or our contact number above.
Our Accreditations