28 April 2020. Sage, the world leader in cloud management and accounting solutions, has become one of the first companies in Spain to obtain certification based on the UNE-EN ISO 9001 standard on Quality Management Systems through an audit carried out 100% remotely by AENOR.
The current situation, caused by the COVID-19 crisis, has prevented the performing of the usual on-site audits, but thanks to the availability of all the cloud based services of both organisations, it has been possible to carry this process out virtually.
The remote audit has been carried out completely, making it possible to review all the aspects planned by AENOR, which accepted Sage's transition proposal, moving from on-site audit in its entirety to a fully remote one. Throughout this process, the auditor highlighted the organisation's high degree of operational digitisation, as well as the professionalism, availability and timeliness of the people audited and Sage's interest in improving on all the points noted. According to Javier Gallardo, Quality and Customer Experience Manager at Sage, "Sage and AENOR have been able to adapt swiftly and effectively to unexpected circumstances, which opened up the way for many other companies to adopt the remote route as a solution to certifying their quality systems. "
In addition, the meetings with auditors were even more effective than those held in person, by eliminating delays of people and by taking shorter and scheduled breaks.
The entry into force of the state of alarm poses new and pressing challenges that are addressed as is habitual by AENOR: with the utmost rigour and security to continue contributing to generating trust between organisations and people. In the area of compliance assessment, the audits planned can be carried out remotely, an alternative that shortens delays in the audit process and places organisations in a better position to recover normal activity as soon as possible once the COVID-19 crisis has been resolved.
At AENOR, as in the rest of the world, an exceptional time is being experienced that obliges us to adapt and adjust working methods, in a way that guarantees the safety of workers while maintaining all the services that the environment permits. As a result of prior intensive and rigorous work, all the activities that AENOR can carry out remotely are being performed efficiently through an effective and comprehensive deployment of telework, which, among other things, maintains 100% of all the digital services it provides.
Sage is an organisation with an important digital culture in which all its employees are used to working effectively in digital and collaborative environments, which has made the audit process much easier to conduct. In recent years, the company has also managed to ensure that 100% of employees are equipped with a laptop and a virtual private network (VPN), tools that have made it easier for its workers to become accustomed to teleworking and therefore better able to deal with the current situation.
As a result of this, business activity has been able to carry on as usual, and service and customer service have not been altered.
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