Publicatie van de maand

Publicatie van de Maand: Maart 2001

	Tekst overgenomen met toestemming van: ISO-BULLETIN, maart 2001 (COMMENT) Geschreven door: Dr. Nils Ringstedt Chairman, COPOLCO

The need for International Standards for services has been identified - now we need solutions. Standardization is the process used when provisions for common and repeated use of a product or process are established. A standard is, as we all know, the composite result of the approval of all interests concerned - not least the consumer. The fact is that standards concern services as well as products. Various services have experienced enormous growth in recent years. In fact, inadequate services have become one of the main causes of consumer complaints, and are therefore the object of consumer concerns. One way to help dissatisfied consumers is to extend standardization to include services. The need for international standards for services was identified by ISO/COPOLCO (the ISO Committee for Consumer Policy) at its workshop in Beijing 1995. Since then, COPOLCO has followed the development of the service sector, and noted various types of services where standards are needed to facilitate life for consumers. ISO, in collaboration with the WTO (World Trade Organization), held four regional seminars in 1998 on services in Singapore (Hotels, Tourism, Exhibition Management), Argentina (Banking and Tourism), USA (Engineering Consultancy) and France (Business and Consumer Services) to determine those areas where standards were most in demand. COPOLCO's Group on Priorities has noted that with the increasing globalization of trade, consumers may be unable to purchase or use a service in another country without subscribing to fundamentally different conditions of consumer protection. The group takes the view that consumers are justified in expecting safe services, information on services, good complaint handling/customer services, and after-sales services of various kinds, among other requirements. More specifically, the growth in cross-border tourism has resulted in considerable growth in consumer complaints due - partly -to different expectations as to what "quality standards" and systems implies. Problems can be substantially reduced by the provision of comprehensive, comparable and transparent information. Making available such information on the various aspects of services is thus crucial. Financial and banking services are big issues where standards can support existing legislation. Of interest, too, is to identify horizontal, generic elements in standards regarding services - elements that may be used when drafting standards in various service areas. COPOLCO at its forthcoming workshop on services in Oslo in May 2001 will discuss these areas with a view to suggesting solutions to ISO for consideration. Why is it important that standards for services be international? The globalization we all see taking place - in trade, communications, technology, etc. - makes it really necessary in future to think internationally, as opposed to thinking in regional and national terms. Global standards can have a direct impact on the market, society and on prosperity. Widespread adoption of International Standards in the field of services would mean that suppliers could base the development of their activity on specifications that have worldwide acceptance. This would be to the advantage of both consumers and businesses. The use of International Standards to harmonize services will provide opportunities to promote the liberalization of the services sector. At the same time it will help ensure that we attain the levels of consumer protection we have a right to expect. Consumer requirements as regards services must be identified and taken into account when drafting International Standards. ISO standards for services will become in the future, I sincerely hope, ever more important instruments in increased consumer protection. However, as consumers are important stakeholders in international standardization, they must be invited to participate in standardization work. And, finally, it is - of course - crucial that good standards for services be applied when they reach the market!