Key Takeaways
- ISO 18295-1 is the international reference standard for customer contact centers. It defines service requirements to guarantee optimal service quality and measurable customer satisfaction.
- The standard imposes a framework, not fixed KPIs. Performance indicators are to be defined between the contact center and the Client Organization, according to the business context.
- Quality assurance of interactions (section 7.4) is a central requirement: each center must evaluate the quality of exchanges with customers.
- AI conversational analysis enables automation of this evaluation on 100% of interactions, where manual methods are limited to 1-3% of conversations.
- Raisetalk offers an ISO 18295-aligned evaluation grid with 30 criteria across 7 categories, directly usable to prepare a certification audit.
What is ISO 18295?
ISO 18295 is the international standard that defines quality requirements for customer contact centers.
Published in 2017 by the International Organization for Standardization, it replaces the former European standard EN 15838 (ex-NF 345). It applies to all customer contact centers - whether internal or outsourced - regardless of their size, industry, or multichannel communication channels (phone, email, chat, social networks).
The standard consists of two complementary parts:
| Part | Target | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 18295-1 | Contact centers | Service requirements, interaction quality, agent skills |
| ISO 18295-2 | Client Organizations | Requirements for companies that mandate a contact center |
➜ The objective: create a management system that guarantees a better customer experience at each interaction, while establishing a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
Quick Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ISO 18295-1 | International standard defining service requirements for customer contact centers |
| ISO 18295-2 | Complementary standard defining requirements for Client Organizations |
| CCC | Customer Contact Center - term used in the standard |
| Client Organization | Company that mandates a contact center to manage its customer interactions |
| Quality monitoring | Process for evaluating the quality of customer interactions |
| FCR | First Call Resolution - first contact resolution rate |
| AHT | Average Handling Time of an interaction |
| CSAT | Customer Satisfaction Score |
| NPS | Net Promoter Score - customer recommendation indicator |
| Normative annex | Mandatory part of an ISO standard |
| Informative annex | Recommended (non-mandatory) part of an ISO standard |
| Gap analysis | Analysis of gaps between current situation and standard requirements |
Why Get ISO 18295 Certified?
ISO 18295 certification is a strategic lever to demonstrate your quality commitment and differentiate yourself in a competitive market.
Concrete Benefits
For outsourced contact centers (service providers):
- Enhanced credibility with Client Organizations
- Competitive advantage in tenders
- Structuring framework for operational teams
For internal contact centers:
- Measurable performance and objectivity
- Process optimization for customer relationship management
- Reduction of customer complaints through controlled quality
For Client Organizations:
- Guarantee of exchange reliability with their end customers
- Secured data protection (GDPR alignment)
- Data governance and interaction traceability
➜ Certification involves an initial certification audit, then an annual surveillance audit for 3 years before renewal. This improvement cycle ensures requirements are maintained over time.
What Are the Main Requirements of ISO 18295-1?
The standard structures its requirements around 6 key areas, from customer relations to technical infrastructure.
Section 4 - Customer Relations
The heart of the standard. The contact center must:
- Provide accurate, relevant and understandable information
- Implement customer experience measurement systems
- Establish an effective customer complaint handling process
- Guarantee data protection and ethical behavior (no forced selling)
Section 5 - Leadership
Management must:
- Define the desired customer experience with the Client Organization
- Agree on appropriate performance indicators
- Regularly measure internal user (agent) satisfaction
Section 6 - Human Resources
Operational teams must have:
- Defined skills (customer posture, technical, business knowledge)
- A continuous agent training program
- A work environment conducive to engagement
Section 7 - Operational Processes
This is where quality assurance comes in:
- Documented and monitored processes
- Workforce planning (workforce management)
- Quality evaluation of customer interactions ← central requirement
Section 8 - Infrastructure
The center must guarantee:
- Support for all channels (customer accessibility)
- Customer data security
- Service continuity
Section 9 - Relations with the Client Organization
Regular communication, operational performance reviews, and compliance with contractual commitments.
What KPIs Are Imposed by ISO 18295?
No numerical KPIs are imposed. The standard provides a framework - indicators are to be defined according to your context.
This is a frequent question, and the answer often surprises: Annex A of ISO 18295-1, which lists indicators, is informative (recommendations) and not normative (mandatory).
The standard explicitly states:
"CCC leadership and the Client Organization shall agree on appropriate performance indicators"
This means that:
- There is no "minimum answer rate" imposed by ISO
- There is no universal "CSAT target"
- KPIs are to be defined together according to sector, channel, and Client Organization expectations
Recommended Indicator Families
| Category | Example Indicators |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Answer rate, service level, abandonment rate |
| Time | AHT, waiting time, response time |
| Resolution | FCR (first contact resolution), transfer rate |
| Contact quality | Quality score, procedure compliance, empathy |
| Satisfaction | CSAT, NPS, complaint rate |
| Employees | Agent satisfaction, turnover, absenteeism |
➜ What's important for the audit: demonstrate that you have defined indicators, that you measure them, and that you act on gaps.
How to Evaluate Customer Interaction Quality?
ISO 18295 requires "quality assurance relating to customer interactions" (section 7.4). This is the heart of quality monitoring.
The standard explicitly cites conversation analytics as a valid method to measure and control customer experience (section 4.3). Other mentioned methods include:
- Internal quality evaluation (listening)
- Staff feedback
- Voice of the customer (surveys)
- Complaint analysis
- Social media reactions
The Problem with Traditional Methods
| Method | Coverage | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Manual double-listening | 1-3% of calls | Unrepresentative, time-consuming |
| Post-call surveys | 5-15% response | Declarative bias, delay |
| Mystery shopping | Occasional | Expensive, not scalable |
The Contribution of AI Conversational Analysis
Artificial intelligence enables evaluation of 100% of interactions according to a homogeneous criteria grid. Each conversation (call, email, chat) is analyzed on:
- Procedure compliance
- Agent posture (listening, empathy, tone)
- Quality of response provided
- Regulatory compliance
➜ This approach directly addresses the measurable performance and continuous improvement requirements of the standard.
How Does Raisetalk Facilitate ISO 18295 Compliance?
Raisetalk automates quality evaluation of conversations on criteria aligned with standard requirements.
What Raisetalk Covers
| ISO 18295 Requirement | Raisetalk Functionality |
|---|---|
| 4.3 - Customer experience measurement | Automatic scoring of each interaction |
| 4.3 - Conversation analytics | AI analysis of transcripts (calls, emails, chats) |
| 6.3 - Agent skills evaluation | Score by criterion and by agent |
| 7.4 - Quality assurance of interactions | Customizable evaluation grids |
| Annex A - Contact quality KPIs | Dashboards and reporting |
The "ISO 18295-start" Evaluation Grid
Raisetalk offers a grid of 30 criteria across 7 categories, aligned with standard requirements:
| Category | Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome & Handling | 4 | 10% |
| Listening & Understanding | 4 | 20% |
| Response Quality | 5 | 25% |
| Procedure Compliance | 5 | 15% |
| Difficult Situation Management | 4 | 10% |
| Conclusion & Closing | 4 | 10% |
| Communication & Posture | 5 | 10% |
➜ This grid is customizable: you can add criteria specific to your sector (banking, insurance, energy, healthcare...) or your Client Organization's requirements.
What Raisetalk Does Not Cover
Let's be transparent - some standard requirements fall under other tools:
| Requirement | Appropriate Tool |
|---|---|
| Telephony KPIs (answer rate, SL) | ACD / Telephony solution |
| Declarative satisfaction (CSAT, NPS) | Survey tool |
| Employee satisfaction | HRIS / HR surveys |
| Workforce management | WFM solution |
| Service continuity | IT infrastructure |
➜ Raisetalk integrates into your existing ecosystem to cover the quality monitoring aspect - the heart of requirement 7.4.
How to Prepare for an ISO 18295 Audit?
The audit evaluates your management system, not your numerical results. You must demonstrate that you have processes in place.
Preparation Steps
- Define the scope: which sites, which channels, which Client Organizations?
- Conduct a gap analysis: identify gaps with requirements
- Document your processes: procedures, quality grids, indicators
- Implement: train teams, deploy tools
- Measure and adjust: collect data, analyze, correct
- Mock audit: simulate the audit to identify final gaps
What the Auditor Verifies
| Area | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Customer relations | How do you measure customer experience? Show me your results. |
| Quality | How do you evaluate interaction quality? On what sample? |
| Complaints | What is your handling process? Show me examples. |
| Skills | How do you train your agents? How do you evaluate their skills? |
| Improvement | What actions have you implemented following identified gaps? |
The Advantage of AI Conversational Analysis
With a tool like Raisetalk, you can present to the auditor:
- Evaluations on 100% of interactions (not a 2% sample)
- Objective trends over several months
- Documented evidence of continuous improvement
- Complete traceability of evaluations
Conclusion
The ISO 18295-1 standard provides a structuring framework to professionalize customer relationship management in customer contact centers. It does not impose fixed KPIs, but requires a rigorous management system with performance indicators that are defined, measured and managed.
Quality assurance of interactions is at the heart of the requirements. AI conversational analysis directly addresses this need by enabling evaluation of 100% of conversations objectively and homogeneously.
Raisetalk supports contact centers in this process with a ready-to-use conversational analysis solution, including an evaluation grid aligned with standard requirements.
Are you preparing for ISO 18295 certification? Discover how Raisetalk can automate your quality monitoring and facilitate your audit:
This article was written based on analysis of official ISO 18295-1:2017 and ISO 18295-2:2017 texts.