BSI Case Study

on the Benefits of

ISO 9000 Registration

Garden State Consumer

Credit Counseling

The Benefits The Organization

Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling provides consumer
• Received 19% less credit counseling and education to families and individuals in

client inquiries need. The non-profit agency employs 95 people and is based
in Freehold, New Jersey, USA with satellite offices nation-wide.

• The average response

time to client inquiries has
been reduced by 16%
• Over 100% more clients
have been educated
since certification
The Issues
The primary driver for Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling
to seek ISO 9000 accreditation was to concentrate on a high
level of quality and service to, not only clients, but also creditors.
In addition, it wanted to have a structured system for quality
management, and to have an approach to control and monitor
the system.

• Since implementation, Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling is the first credit

the organization has counseling agency that achieved ISO 9000 accreditation. The
registration process took only 2.5 months
re-instated 21% more
clients and is able to
help 20% more of their
new callers

• New business generated

over 1000 additional calls
per month
BSI Case Study
on the Benefits of
ISO 9000 Registration
Garden State Consumer
Credit Counseling
The Benefits
ISO 9000 provided the structure for the quality
management system. An advantage of ISO 9000 was
that it supplied an approach about what needed to be
followed, rather than a strict system that dictates how it
needs to be done.
Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling already had
70% of the ISO 9000 system covered with its existing
quality management system. However, the additional
30% gained by the ISO 9000 standard made a huge
difference in terms of better structure, control and
monitoring. Furthermore, it improved what was already in
place.
Using ISO 9000 standards led to the development of a
matrix form, now used monthly to record and monitor
every problem. If a trend occurs, then re-training is
introduced. Every 6 months all the matrix forms are
analyzed and a report written. This process resulted in
the re-writing of procedures. It is believed that without
ISO 9000 registration this structured process may not
have occurred.
Since the implementation of ISO 9000, Garden State
Consumer Credit Counseling has received 19% less
client inquiries, and the average response time, for
enquiry’s, has reduced by 16%. An inquiry is defined as
any client issue pertaining to their debt management
plan. In addition, the organization has re-instated 21%
more clients, is able to help 20% more of its new callers
and over 100% more clients have been educated.
Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling has recently
been chosen by a major creditor who decided to pass
clients on to it, generating over 1000 additional calls per
month. This was a major step forward, since the
organization relies mainly on creditor contributions and by
becoming certified, it helped improve its reputation.
Creditors noticed efforts were being made and feedback
has been positive.
Using ISO 9000 standards has also led to the
development of documented procedures for customer
satisfaction. For example, the organization now has
documented client surveys and feedback/complaints
processes in place. Feedback forms are taken to the
Vice President of Administration for review, and has
resulted in the implementation of approximately 50% of
the suggestions generated by this process.
BSI’s Role
The decision to use BSI was researched thoroughly and
has since been confirmed by continual improvement of
the quality management system. BSI is highly committed
to the needs of Garden State Consumer Credit
Counseling, and is easy to contact and always available.
Because BSI is the world leading ISO 9000 registration
body, it was thought that this reputation would be linked
to the companies they serve, thus improving the image
of Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling. It was
also felt that BSI reduced levels of stress during the
registration process due to the competence of its
personnel. BSI always pointed out the right direction.
Overall, employees have responded positively to the
changes instigated by ISO 9000, although people felt a
bit nervous at the beginning. BSI supplied a lot of
literature that helped in education and training, thus
making the transition more smooth. The documents also
helped improve training processes for existing and new
employees, leading to increased employee involvement
and job satisfaction.
By improving processes, BSI helped enhance the
effectiveness of operations, and procedures run more
smoothly and efficiently. Garden State Consumer Credit
Counseling now has a constant monitoring process that
helps to detect potential problems before they arise.
BSI Case Study

on the Benefits of

ISO 9000 Registration

Garden State Consumer

Credit Counseling
About the System
Since ISO 9000 implementation Garden State Consumer
Credit Counseling has a quality management team that
consists of the Vice President, Assistant Vice President,
Education Specialist, Media Consultant and the Quality
Control Co-ordinator. Every team member is an
accredited internal auditor and familiar with the entire
audit process, because roles within audits are alternated
within the team.
A new preventative action process includes “spot
checks”, which are carried out in between internal and
external audits. It contributes to continuous improvement
by checking if procedures are working and by detecting
potential problems.
The information supplied in this case study was from
Garden State‘s Quality Control Coordinator,
Gina McCullough. For further information on their
Quality Management System, please call 1-732-409-6283
or email the Quality Control Coordinator at:
GinaMcCullough@gardenstateccc.org.