How to Choose a QC Company

When choosing an inspection service provider to provide a service you will use for years to come, you must choose wisely as the investment in such service will eventually become an important part of your import operation.

So, before you choose, you’re going to need a solid verification of the quality of the service and the integrity of the company offering the service. What criteria can you use to determine these qualities?

1.Does the inspection service provider have their own full-time inspectors or hire freelancers?

A trustworthy inspection company uses full-time inspectors only. Outsourcing freelancers whose performance is actually difficult to monitor and control can always result in unstable performance, vulnerability to bribery, frequent quality complaints and lack of accountability. Full-time inspectors, on the other hand, are committed to having a stable career in the industry through high performance, accuracy, responsibility and steady development which all together result in more reliable inspection results.

2.Is the inspection service provider qualified or non-qualified by government and international bodies?

On a fundamental level, accreditation provides support to both the importers and inspection companies by requiring checks and balances that ensure a high level of quality inspection regardless of which individual inspector is working on-site. Qualified inspection companies must have the following accreditations to be able to ensure consistency and accountability at all levels of the inspection service,

• Most Trusted Inspection Company in 2017, 2018, 2020 & 2021
• Accredited by ILAC, our reports are valid and officially recognized globally
• ISO9001:2015 certification for quality management system
• ISO/IEC 17020 & 17025 for qualification and capability of technical & quality assurance level
• Partner-level organizational member of ASQ (American Society for Quality)
• Member of TIC, formerly named IFIA (The International Federation of Inspection Agencies)
• Sedex Affiliate Audit Company (AAC)
• APSCA Member Firm (Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors)
• Member of AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association)

3.Can the inspection service provider provide a transparent inspection process?

Knowing from thousands of miles away whether the inspectors you’ve hired have really visited the right factory and inspected the shipment within the time and quantity of man-days that you have paid for can be tricky if the inspection service provider does not provide a transparent system that allows the customer to be certain on this matter. Check whether the inspection company provides a trustworthy, transparent reporting system that uses built-in GPS to pinpoint the exact location of each inspector, the sites they’ve visited, and where they are traveling while on the clock, and if you’ll have access to the assigned inspector’s clock-in and clock-out time as well as the right location of the inspector which will enable transparency to the process by verifying that your goods are checked at the right location, by the right inspector and during the time hired by you.

4.Does the inspection service provider have a low complaint rate?

Conducting a comprehensive online search for reviews, recommendations and testimonials can be effective to decide whether to work with an inspection company or not. But also checking whether the inspection service provider conducts comprehensive training programs, strict control policies as well as a high standardization of inspection protocols and hiring requirements, can be even more effective if properly checked. For your reference, V-Trust’s complaint rate has always been below the industry’s level. While complaint rate across QC industry averages 3%, V-Trust is proud of setting its own benchmark, remaining its complaint rate always at under 1%.