What quality standards are relevant in services exporting?
The best way to assure potential customers that you can deliver quality services is to be registered to one of the international quality assurance standards: ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 (for environmental management services). In most markets, registration to these standards is not required; rather, it provides you with a competitive edge. Certain industries are beginning to require additional standard requirements, including testing laboratories, automotive, information technology, and aerospace. Your business may have initiated other quality-related processes such as business process re-engineering (BPR), continuous quality improvement (CQI), or total quality management (TQM). While these processes will help you identify what you need to do to improve quality, provide a particular level of service, or meet a particular level of customer expectations, they will not necessarily give you international recognition.
