Most organisations are familiar with ISO 9001 for quality management, or ISO 27001 for information security. But there is one ISO standard that is unique to the contact center industry — and it is the most meaningful signal of professional service quality for any organisation evaluating an outsourced contact center partner.
What is ISO 18295-1:2017?
ISO 18295-1:2017 is the international standard for customer contact centers. It was developed specifically to define what a well-managed, customer-focused contact center should look like — covering everything from how agents are trained and managed, to how service performance is measured and how customers can provide feedback.
Unlike quality or security management standards — which can be applied to almost any industry — ISO 18295-1 was written exclusively for contact centers. This makes it the most relevant and credible certification a contact center can hold.
Key Requirements of ISO 18295-1
Customer Commitment
Published service commitments covering response times, accessibility and service availability.
Workforce Management
Structured recruitment, training and ongoing development for all contact center agents.
Performance Measurement
Defined KPIs for service quality, measured and reported at regular intervals.
Customer Feedback
Formal mechanisms to capture, analyse and act on customer feedback and complaints.
Agent Wellbeing
Active monitoring of agent satisfaction, workload and working conditions.
Technology & Infrastructure
Appropriate systems and infrastructure to support service delivery targets.
Why ISO 18295-1 Matters to Buyers
When evaluating a contact center outsourcing partner, ISO 18295-1 certification means the provider has been independently audited against a recognised international standard for contact center operations. It removes subjectivity from the evaluation process: you do not have to take the provider's word for it — a certified third party has already verified their systems and processes.
For government and public sector organisations conducting formal procurement, ISO 18295-1 is an objective, auditable criterion that can be included in tender requirements without ambiguity.
ISO 18295-1 and Call Center Cyprus
Call Center Cyprus holds ISO 18295-1:2017 certification, certified by EUROCERT. This is combined with ISO 9001:2015 (quality), ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (information security) and ISO 22301:2019 (business continuity) — making Call Center Cyprus one of the most comprehensively certified contact centers in Cyprus.
Certified to ISO 18295-1:2017
Review our ISO 9001, 27001, 22301 and 18295-1 certifications and how they support your contact centre requirements.