Fitnut

Fitnut have been operating for over 13 years and have built a client base that includes firms employing more than 100,000 staff. In a competitive industry, the company is constantly looking at ways to improve in order to remain leaders in what they do.

With a strong reputation to uphold, Kelly Guerin was recruited by Fitnut to take on a Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) Manager role, and take a lead on major projects.

Kelly’s positive experience of management systems whilst at university meant ISO 9001 was an obvious choice for her and the company in order to help them work on typical issues they faced as a growing business. She explained the motivations further;

We found that we were frequently wasting time and energy searching for documents, which then resulted in unnecessary re-work and frustration due to a lack of document control. Whilst we were keen to change, we wanted to make sure ISO 9001 worked for us. BAB gave us the confidence that we could tailor the service to our requirements.

Fitnut’s ethos has been to improve the way they do things for the ultimate benefit of their clients. ISO 9001 proved the stimulus for Kelly and the rest of the team to review how their existing systems were benefitting customers and where improvements could be made. The certification process started with a ‘Stage 1’ Audit with BAB to establish the company’s current position against the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard. Kelly recalled the experience, saying;

The audit was well organised and being sent preparatory information I was aware of what to expect.  The auditor was very knowledgeable and took time to understand our business, sharing some best practice ideas for us to consider.

Without any external pressure on the company to achieve certification, Fitnut were able to take their time in ensuring their management system really worked for the business ahead of the formal Stage 2 Audit. Kelly commented;

In total, the process took us approximately 6 months. As with most companies, we had various processes and procedures that had been introduced over the years that required review in order for us to reap the benefits. Having finished implementation, we know exactly where to go and what to do – it is so relaxing!

Already a YMCA accredited learning provider, Fitnut now have another feather in their cap in the form of internationally-recognised ISO 9001 certification. Kelly shared how this has impacted them;

Having the ISO 9001 certification has made us step up and work more efficiently as a company. Examples are too numerous to list but there isn’t any aspect of our business – whether Financial, HR, Business Development, Operations or Service Delivery – that hasn’t been improved by implementation of the standard.  It is the best thing that we have ever done for our business.

Of course, their motivation was also for the process to make an impact on their clients. Kelly described how ISO 9001 has played its part, saying;

We’re proud to say that our processes have been verified by an independent third party. This shows clients that we are truly committed to delivering exceptional service, and do so by design, not by chance. We hope this gives clients the reassurance that we have the right approach and credentials in order to be chosen over our competitors.

Since 1969, we’ve been helping organisations stand out with our assessment and training services. Today, we are an award-winning Certification Body, we have certified thousands to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and OHSAS 18001 internationally recognised standards; achieving an average 99% recommendation rating.