ISO 9001:2000 boosts drive for accountability in public relations

摘要

Paradoxically, the public relations (PR) profession sometimes suffers from a poor image: that of providing lots of "froth", but little real content. i&e, one of the French market leaders, has pioneered ISO 9000 implementation in the sector to demonstrate that PR can be compatible with customer requirements for clear objectives, transparent processes and detailed reporting and evaluation, leading to better accountablility and increased customer satisfaction. Quantity or quality? The age-old question has never been more relevant, as cash-strapped businesses seek greater control over performance with measurable return on all investments. For public relations (PR) professionals, an ongoing challenge is how to convince customers of the value of communications actions, when their "soft" methods have traditionally been hard to measure, or at best considered in terms of volumes of "noise" generated. As the PR industry makes headway with research and evaluation techniques, ISO 9001:2000 offers a concrete method for practitioners to improve the processes that lead to better accountability and increased customer satisfaction.