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The new version of ISO 9001:2026 will have a particularly significant impact on service companies — accountancy firms, consultancy firms, law firms and specialist service providers — where quality is primarily about the customer experience rather than a physical product. In these sectors, processes are less repetitive, the customer has direct contact with the service, and errors have an immediate impact on reputation. The standard now requires organisations to demonstrate that service quality is consistent, measurable and continuously improved, which means a greater focus on people, data from customer interactions and process flexibility.
In the service sector, there is no production line, so ISO 9001:2026 requires companies to collect data from real-world interactions — response times, customer satisfaction with consultancy, the number of corrections in reports, or the effectiveness of meetings. An accountancy firm will have to demonstrate how long it takes to close the books at the end of the month and how it minimises errors in tax returns, whilst a marketing agency will need to show how it measures campaign ROI and post-project feedback. This necessitates the implementation of simple CRM tools or service surveys, which will demonstrate that service processes are under control and deliver consistent results. The growing importance of data, metrics and customer experience is in line with new trends in quality management, which will shape the future of ISO systems.
The biggest change concerns the people — consultants, lawyers and accountants must be part of the quality system, as they are the ones who deliver the service. The standard emphasises a culture of quality, where everyone understands how their decisions affect the end client and regularly reports risks, such as project delays or conflicts with expectations. In a consultancy firm, this means training in process-based thinking, records of ‘near misses’ and personal targets linked to the client’s NPS. Service companies that still treat ISO as mere ‘red tape’ will have to transition to a model where quality is the team’s day-to-day responsibility, rather than just a manager’s task.
ISO 9001:2026 positions the service client as a co-creator of quality — companies must analyse their expectations in real time and flexibly adapt services on an ongoing basis, rather than sticking to rigid procedures. In IT support, this means implementing precise SLAs with response times (e.g. 2 hours for critical incidents), reports on resolution times, and automatic tickets with feedback following every support request. In a law firm — systematic follow-ups after consultations, using surveys to measure the effectiveness of advice (e.g. ‘Did the recommendations resolve your problem?’) and records of changes to litigation strategies resulting from client feedback.
A new feature is the specific emphasis on the risks associated with non-standard assignments — the service provider must demonstrate that even one-off, non-routine projects (such as rapid due diligence or a pilot project) are managed with the same level of care as routine services. This is achieved through detailed pre-start checklists, mandatory post-project debriefings (“What went wrong and why?”) and the archiving of “lessons learnt” in a central knowledge base accessible to the whole team. In a consultancy firm, this means, for example, templates for every type of project featuring a ‘client risks’ section and a mandatory post-project review report.
Why is this groundbreaking? Services become predictable and scalable, which, in sectors such as consultancy, audit and specialist services, opens the door to larger contracts and framework agreements. The client ceases to be merely a ‘service recipient’ and becomes a partner — their feedback drives process improvement, and the company can present the auditor with hard data: ‘98% of clients rated the service above 4/5, with response times below the SLA in 95% of cases’. This not only ensures compliance with the standard but, above all, builds a real competitive advantage through trust and consistent quality. Given the growing importance of customer experience and relationship management, service organisations should start preparing now for the changes that ISO 9001:2026 will bring.
To implement the changes smoothly, it is worth starting with a few specific actions.
A list of actions to implement immediately:
These steps will enable service companies not only to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2026, but also to tangibly improve their competitiveness and client loyalty, particularly in sectors where quality is primarily about trust and predictability.
The changes to ISO 9001:2026 mean that service organisations must focus even more strongly on measuring quality, managing the customer experience and improving processes. If you want to prepare your organisation for the new requirements, find out what implementing ISO 9001 looks like in practice.
DJB DORADZTWO
Marcin Chorąży
