ISO 9001:2015 in a Financial Payment Processing Company

[kmyers]

Hi all,

I have been hired to implement a ISO 9001:2015 QMS for a company that processes payments(donations) to non profit charities, also we are starting to get into processing utility payments for some municipalities. I have managed several companies in the past but each of those companies was a manufacturer of a tangible good. Being my current employer is more of a service based company I was wondering what tips you would have on a system for a service based as opposed to a manufacturer.

Thanks,
Kris

 

[Marc]

There isn't much difference. The starting point is to define what your product(s) are. In manufacturing it's usually easier to define your products, but if you think about it a "service" is a "product". It may not be "tangible as in being able to touch it, as in a physical product, but a service is nothng more than a product.

Then, of course, for each product inputs, etc.

If you want to define your product(s) and list them here we may be able to help you out with thoughts about inputs and outputs.

 

[Miner]

Sometimes it is easier to identify the process then identify the outputs of the process that are delivered to the customer.

 

[Richard W]

I did this recently and used SIPOCs , so no matter what the processes you have inputs and ouputs and suppliers of the inputs and customers of the outputs. A lot of the time this is information being passed around in the case of services.

 

[kmyers]

I appreciate the feedback Marc. I have just started so I truly need to learn the company. I am shadowing in each of the departments for the next few weeks to get a better grasp on what each area does.

 

[RoxaneB]

I appreciate the feedback Marc. I have just started so I truly need to learn the company. I am shadowing in each of the departments for the next few weeks to get a better grasp on what each area does.

I don't know what your schedule is for shadowing or if you're observing the processes in sequence, but once you've been introduced to all the processes, following a "product" through the organization could be helpful.

In manufacturing, we can pick a product from a warehouse or inventory and trace it back it through the system (or, if we can't trace it back, we know we have some opportunities ).

A similar approach can be applied in a service industry. In this case, take a record of payment (or a record of non-payment) and follow it back through the system. How were records/systems/institutions updated with the latest payment (or non-payment)? Who touched it? How did the individual know what to do? What prompted the need for payment?

 

[Sidney Vianna]

I second Roxane's suggestion and add that, while you are coming to know the company and it's operational processes, pay a lot of attention to indications of "internal complaints", i.e., downstream processes having problems due to failure by upstream ones. Typically, internal processes have disconnects which tend to lead to quality problems, down the road.

Also, keep your ears and eyes open to external stakeholder complaints. What is leading to customer dissatisfaction? That should give you some insight on what are the early priorities to tackle in the quality system...