ISO 20252 Market Research

If you carry out, commission or buy market research, demonstrating best practice is a powerful driver to potential clients, consumers and competitors.

ISO 20252:2006 market, opinion, social research, vocabulary and service requirements is the new international standard that unites and supersedes existing national standards and sets a common level of quality for market research globally.

Driven by the global market research industry and professional and trade associations, including European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR) and Market Research Quality Standards Association (MRQSA), the standard provides an internationally recognized framework for market researchers to work to.

Cultural, social and behavioural differences between countries make conducting, monitoring and relying upon international research very difficult. The implementation and certification of a quality management system based on ISO 20252 enables you to regulate these differences and carry out cross-border, multi-country research studies with the assurance that working procedures are compatible.

Who is it relevant to?

It is suitable for any organization that undertakes research, both nationally and internationally. It is particularly relevant for organizations that currently certify to their national standard, such as BS 7911 in the UK, as the national standards on this subject will be removed by 2008.

The most common business sectors implementing and certifying to the standard tend to be in healthcare, automotive, finance, media and social research.

A quality management system for market researchers based on ISO 20252 provides a number of benefits for organizations commissioning, buying and carrying out market research and opinion polls.

It establishes the terms and definitions as well as the service requirements for organizations and professionals conducting market opinion and social research, especially when operating on an international scale. Other benefits include:

• Maximizing revenue
  By gaining worldwide market access
• Overcoming barriers to trade
  By demonstrating local requirements have been met
• Encouraging international growth
  Facilitates business development and growth between different national and regional markets
• Building brand reputation
  Independent certification provides confidence that any sub-contracted work will be undertaken to a good standard and you are an organization that can be relied on to deliver accurate results
• Enabling increased risk management
  Ensuring research is carried out in full accordance with the relevant legislation
• Improving efficiency
  By streamlining business processes and eliminating waste
• Ensuring compliance
  With regulations and professional codes (such as MRS Code of Conduct) in a cost-effective manner

As founders of the original market research standard BS 7911, you can be confident in our knowledge of the standard and our ability to fully maximize the benefits of implementing and certifying a quality management system for market researchers.

We are experts in training as well as assessment and have a range of courses dedicated to teaching you the skills you need before, during and after certification to ISO 20252 Market Research. Please contact your local training representative for more information on the courses available.

For further information about specific training on this subject, please call us on
(+44) (0)845 086 9000 or enter your details in our enquiry form.

If you’re already certified to BS 7911, upgrading to ISO 20252 is simple and unlikely to impact on day-to-day operations.  The main differences are between market opinion and social research and other activities such as direct marketing.

1. Make contact

Get in touch and tell us what you need, so we can sort out the best services for you. We’ll then give you a proposal detailing the cost and time involved.

2. Consider training

Whether you’re seeking to implement a quality management system for market research or would like to increase your general awareness of the standard, please contact your local training representative. Read more about training.

3. Meet your assessment team

We’ll assign you a Client Manager, who will be your main point of contact through the process – and beyond. They’ll have an excellent understanding of your industry and will support you as you move forward to the assessment and certification of your management system.

4. Review and assessment

We’ll do a desktop review of your management system against ISO 20252 and identify any omissions or weaknesses that need resolving before formal assessment. Once these have been addressed, we’ll conduct a full on-site assessment.

5. Certification and beyond

Once the assessment has been successfully completed, we’ll issue a certificate of registration, clearly explaining the scope of your management system. The certificate is valid for three years, and your assessor will visit you regularly to help you make sure you remain compliant, and support you in the continual improvement of your systems.

Other related services

Quality management BenchMark for market researchers
A new premium assessment option that allows you to measure where you are now and where you want to be in the future, by evaluating and scoring your organization’s performance.

Next steps

For further information or a "quick quote" please call us on (+44) (0)845 080 9000. Alternatively enter your details into our enquiry form and one of our advisors will contact you.