Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. has gone to great lengths
to ensure that consumers receive superior service for all
of their debt counseling needs, as well as the education
necessary to help them reach their financial goals. In
2001, Cambridge completed a year-long process to officially
become an ISO 9001:2000 registered organization. Unlike
other accreditation services that are recognized only in
the United States and Canada, ISO 9000 is recognized and
accepted worldwide.
The International Organization for Standardization is an
organization made up of members from nearly every country
in the world. One of the accreditations that this company
offers is “ISO 9001:2000.” The various standards
that exist within ISO 9001:2001 were developed so that
companies in all industries, product or service related,
could benefit from the implementation of a Quality Management
System (QMS).
Registration to the ISO 9000 family of standards is not
a simple undertaking. Not only did Cambridge undergo a
rigorous registration audit of our entire QMS (by an accredited,
independent, third-party auditing agency), we will continue
to be audited bi-annually by the same accredited auditing
agency. Also, every five years, the ISO 9000 standard is
reviewed and updated as necessary by the IOS. This begins
the registration process anew, thereby necessitating the
continuous auditing of our QMS.
Achieving registration to the ISO 9000 family of standards
signifies that we have implemented and effectively maintain
a Quality Management System focused on customer satisfaction
and the continuous improvement of our service.
Our Management's Commitment
The commitment of Cambridge's top management team is
crucial to the success of ISO 9000. A company cannot
operate effectively if the decision makers are not
involved in quality management. ISO requires that company
managers are involved in all decisions that affect
the Quality Management System. To ensure that this
is the case, all elements of the QMS are discussed
in Management Review meetings. The following are topics
typically discussed during such meetings.
| • |
Follow-up
actions from previous meetings |
| • |
Results
of Internal Audits |
| • |
Status
of Corrective & Preventative Actions |
| • |
Project
Status |
| • |
Process
Performance |
| • |
Customer
Feedback & Customer Satisfaction |
| • |
Continuous
Improvement |
The theory behind the importance of
management's involvement is that if a decision must be
made to enhance the quality of our service, or if a Project
Plan for improvement is to be reviewed, the people in
the position to approve the process are already involved.
This results in timely action.
All of these aspects allow us to ensure that our Quality
Policy is maintained.
Our Quality Policy is as follows:
Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp.
is an ISO 9000 registered credit counseling agency,
dedicated to educating consumers on the importance
of sound financial management and to providing financially
distressed individuals and families with the appropriate
education, financial management tools and budgeting
skills necessary for them to become more financially
responsible consumers.
Code of Practice
In 2005, Cambridge became accredited to the Code of Practice,
which consists of rules that strictly govern the actions
of debt counseling agencies. Among other rules, the
Code of Practice requires that:
| • |
The
agency’s counselors are certified by a qualified,
independent authority |
| • |
Counselors
fully evaluate a client’s situation before
recommending a course of action. |
| • |
The
agency maintains a diverse Board of Directors that
reflects the interests of its constituents |
| • |
The
agency provide education to the community |
| • |
The
agency maintains a system of fiscal integrity that
is audited annually by an independent certified
public accountant. |
During a typical ISO audit, the third-party auditor
will verify whether Cambridge is meeting all of the
standards
of the Code. They will conduct in-depth interviews
with counselors and other representatives to make sure
they
are assisting consumers according to the Code’s
standards. They will review Cambridge’s documentation
to ensure that our performance claims are legitimate
and verifiable.
If
you have any questions regarding our accreditation,
please forward them to iso@cambridgecredit.org.

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