The international PR organisation ICCO International Communications Consultancy Organisation has decided to make the Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) available to PR consultancies in all its member countries. And as if this was not enough: a new version of the standard geared around business improvement, business planning and risk management as well as combining elements of the ISO 9000 standard has recently been launched in London. The new standard was developed by DNV in the UK.
Worldwide Product
Whilst he was Director General of the British PR organisation PRCA, Chris McDowall was the driving force behind the certification scheme. When he took over as Secretary General of ICCO, he was in no doubt that this product could be used worldwide. Fortunately, ICCO's 24 member countries agreed with him. Certification differentiates you from those that are not certified, says Chris McDowall, when asked about the benefits of the standard. It will help consultancies to grow their business in that the PR buyers get a consultancy which, in addition to being creative, is also competent as far as business goes. Such a consultancy won't send you a bill for work that has not been carried out - on the contrary you know that it has a certified system that places emphasis on everything that's important for a public relations consultancy.
Dramatic Improvement
In addition to leadership and communication, business planning, financial systems, campaign management, client satisfaction, new client procedures and development of staff the auditors will now look at continuing business improvement and the agency's approach to risk management. DNV Commercial Manager and Principal Lead Auditor Jon Dillon-Welch explains that, since he began to audit public relations consultancies, he has noticed a dramatic improvement. Before, we were going to consultancies, and while they might have been creatively run, some didn't have structured business plans or methods of managing the business. These days, a typical consultancy is far more structured in what it does from a management system perspective and the Standard has been very instrumental in achieving this, he says. Regardless of the size or type of consultancy, the auditors are generally looking for the same thing: evidence of business procedures and/or processes in place across the eight categories and evidence that these are being adhered to.
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DNV offers certification services worldwide, and holds a wide range of national accreditation. With our global network of local resources, we can provide you with the certification most suitable to your needs, type of business, and company location. Wherever you are, our auditors make it a point to know the business you are in.
