ISO 9001 in St. Gallen: certified online, without site visits

ISO 9001:2015 is the world's leading standard for quality management systems. It describes how an organisation can consistently deliver products and services that meet customer requirements and regulatory obligations. The standard does not prescribe what you make or sell. It describes how you manage quality while you do it.

It rests on seven principles: customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making and relationship management. For a small or medium business, this means clear responsibilities, defined processes and a habit of checking results.

The standard is the same wherever you are based. A company in St. Gallen works to the same requirements as one in Zurich or Hamburg. What changes with Zertify is the route to the certificate: it runs online, so your location does not matter.

• ISO 9001 at a glance
• ISO for small and medium businesses

Eastern Switzerland has a broad mix of manufacturers, trades, service firms, IT companies and consultancies. ISO 9001 suits all of them, because it is not tied to an industry. The request for a certificate usually comes from outside the company. These are the common triggers:

Customer or tender requirements

Larger customers and public buyers often ask suppliers to show a quality management certificate. Check with your customer which requirements apply to you.

Supplier assessments

Manufacturers and trading companies regularly review their suppliers. A certificate with a public verification page answers many of the first questions.

Growth and delegation

When a company grows, knowledge that sat in the owner's head has to move into processes. ISO 9001 gives that work a structure.

Trust with new customers

Service firms, IT companies and consultancies use the certificate to show new clients that their way of working is documented and reviewed.

• Guide for small and medium businesses

Many companies in St. Gallen assume that an ISO certificate means weeks of preparation and an auditor visiting the site. That is how the classic route works. Zertify offers a different route, based on an online self-assessment.

• Compare the certification routes
• Certification without an on-site audit

The whole process is online. You need a browser and a little time to answer honestly. You do not need an account to buy.

1. 01

   Take the self-assessment

   Answer 30 yes/no questions about how your company manages quality. It is free and needs no registration.

2. 02

   Reach the pass threshold

   You pass with 20 of 30 points. If you fall short, you see where your quality management still has gaps.

3. 03

   Confirm and pay

   Choose your certificate and pay online. Billing is an automatic yearly subscription.

4. 04

   Review and issue

   SICE reviews every assessment. The certificate is issued by G6 Agency AG under licence from SICE, within 4 hours after you pass and pay.

5. 05

   Share and verify

   Every certificate can be verified publicly by number and QR code. Your customers can check it themselves.

• Start the free self-assessment
• How it works in detail

The self-assessment follows the requirements of ISO 9001:2015. If you already run your business in an orderly way, much of it will be familiar. These are the core points:

Context (clause 4)

Understand and document your organisation, its interested parties and the scope of your quality management.

Leadership and policy (clause 5)

Management defines a quality policy and measurable objectives and takes responsibility for them.

Risks and opportunities (clause 6)

Assess risks and opportunities systematically and plan how to deal with them.

Support and operation (clauses 7 and 8)

Ensure resources and competence, and define and control the processes that deliver your products and services.

Evaluation and improvement (clauses 9 and 10)

Monitor performance, review results and improve continually.

• Requirements of ISO 9001

Zertify is an online service. We have no office in St. Gallen and no local auditors. We do not need them, because the assessment, the review and the issue of the certificate all happen online.

The price is stated openly: 599 CHF in the first year, then 399 CHF per year including the yearly online re-audit. In euros it is 599 EUR, then 399 EUR. The certificate is valid for 3 years and confirmed each year by the short online re-audit. Prices for customers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein include 8.1% VAT.

Billing is an automatic yearly subscription. You can cancel at any time in your customer account, effective at the end of the current year. If you cancel, the certificate ends with the paid year. If you need several standards, the multi-standard discount is 20% for two and 30% for three or more, also on the yearly fee.

• ISO 9001 certificate
• Prices and discounts
• Start the self-assessment