Welcome to our monthly update…
The beginning of February marks an end to the first month of lockdown in 2021 and it is safe to say we have kicked off this year ‘full steam ahead’ having already completed 12 days of remote assistance during ISO assessment in January alone. Looking back to 2020, we clocked up a total of 102 Assessment days, compared to 2019 where we assisted with a total of 97 assessment days. The numbers are remarkably similar; however, the big difference was that in 2020 the majority of these were carried out remotely. We look on these numbers positively as even after a testing year we just topped the figures for the previous year. It demonstrates that both ourselves and our customers have been able to successfully carry on throughout 2020 and all parties involved, including the certification bodies, have been able to adapt well to a ‘remote’ way of working.
As consultants we have found that remote assessments (as well as virtual internal audits, management reviews etc.) have all been undertaken without any major problems. This was helped vastly by our Cloud-based ISO management system Titan. During assessment we’ve been able to allow assessors, from varying certification bodies, ‘guest access’ to The Titan System meaning that they have been able to thoroughly investigate the systems in place for a particular company. With all information relevant to the ISO standard stored in one online place, this certainly makes it easier and far less time-consuming for the Assessor, customer, and consultant alike and in turn we have received some very positive feedback.
Working from home? What it has been like for us at Mark1?
As consultants, we do miss being able to interact face to face with both our customers and other members of the Mark 1 team alike. At times it can be tedious working from home but if we try to have a positive outlook, there are some undeniable benefits of home working. Travel costs, for example are at an all-time low, and in 2020 travel was cut by approximately 85%. This meant that not only money, but a great deal of time was saved, not to mention the beneficial impact on the environment due to a vast reduction in our carbon footprint.
As a team we have worked out the best working solutions for everyone and are continuing to embrace a flexible approach that allows the team to manage their own time, enabling us to successfully work from home. We continue to encourage the team to get out and about locally to stretch their legs at least once a day…Getting that blast of fresh air during daylight hours really does the trick!
What’s next….
We are pleased to be able to welcome Jasleen Phull to the Mark 1 team. Jasleen joined us on February 1st and will be with us for 2 months on a Marketing Internship. She will be assisting us in preparation for a Titan re-launch and getting some hands on experience with this real-time project. As some of you may already know, we’ve been busy developing the system over the last few months to give the front end a ‘make-over’ for a fresher, modern look, whilst retaining its much complimented functionality and usability. We look forward to working with Jasleen and introducing the new version of Titan in the not to distant future.
This is what Jasleen has to say about working with us;
“Hi All! My name is Jasleen and I am a marketing graduate from London. I will be working for 8 weeks, alongside Mark and Adelaide to create a marketing scheme to target future Titan users. I have a part time job at a Law Firm here in London where I take on my own case files of residential conveyancing, divorce and crime, although my degree is completely different to what I am currently doing now, it is safe to say that the exposure to both worlds creates a great scope for development and future prospects.”
In all, we look positively as we journey further into 2021; with the vaccination program in the UK well underway, in time, restrictions will be gradually eased. As the late Captain Sir Tom Moore said “Tomorrow will be a better day”.
Thanks for reading our January Update and we wish everyone all the best over the next month.
The Mark 1 Team
