Management system guidance
8.2 Requirements for Products and Services
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8.2.1 Customer Communication
This requirement is directly comparable to ISO 9001:2008 Clause 7.2.3 Customer Communication, which covered product information, enquiries and order handling, and customer feedback including complaints. The 2015 edition added communication about customer property and contingency actions. Under ISO 9001:2026, your communication with customers needs to cover:
- Information about your products and services;
- Dealing with enquiries, contracts and orders, including any amendments;
- Getting customer feedback on products and services, including complaints;
- How customer property is handled or controlled;
- Where relevant, information about contingency actions, including any disruption to the supply of products or services.
What changed in ISO 9001:2026: item e) has been reworded and expanded. The 2015 edition asked organizations to establish specific requirements for contingency actions; the 2026 edition instead asks you to give customers information on contingency actions where relevant, including information about disruptions to supply (for example delays, outages or a key supplier failing). A new note also confirms that communication can be indirect as well as direct. Items a) to d) are unchanged.
Communication does not have to be face to face. Meetings, emails and shared documents count, and so do your website, brochures, social media posts, FAQ pages and any training you give customers. Some or all of the following specific customer communication should be observed and evidenced:
- Marketing information;
- Quotations and order forms;
- Information related to products and services;
- Confirmation of authorized orders and amended orders;
- Delivery notes and certificates of conformity;
- Invoices and credit notes;
- E-mail and general correspondence;
- Site visit reports or notes to/from customer;
- Notices about contingency arrangements and any disruption to supply;
- Customer feedback and complaints management process.
If you need a procedure to help manage and control your business’s customer communication process, click here. You should ensure that your organization has established effective arrangements for providing the customer with product information, a means of handling enquiries and orders, a method for handling customer comments that includes both compliments and complaints, and a way of telling customers promptly when supply is disrupted. Establish processes for communicating with your customers:
- Develop a process to control communications with customers;
- Implement your customer communications process;
- Communicate with your customers;
- Keep documented information on key communications.
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