Since the beginning of March, Edelman has been one of the first agencies in Germany to be certified according to the Consultancy Management Standard III (CMS III for short). Edelman thus meets the high requirements of the industry association Gesellschaft der führenden PR- und Kommunikationsagenturen in Deutschland (GPRA for short).
Only last year, the GPRA adapted the previous quality management system internationally in order to meet the changed requirements of clients with regard to transparency and uniform criteria in the communications industry. The standard not only makes the quality of agencies more transparent for external clients, but also easier to assess. In March of this year, Edelman successfully completed the extensive certification process and thus meets the high standards required by the seal of quality. Due to the pandemic, the certificate was now handed over virtually by Alexandra Groß, Deputy President of GPRA, to Christiane Schulz, CEO Edelman Germany and President of GPRA.
"I AM PROUD THAT OUR TEAM AND OUR WORK PROCESSES ALREADY REFLECT A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND THAT WE ARE NOW ALSO CERTIFIED WITH THE CMS III. THE INTERNATIONAL SEAL OF APPROVAL OFFICIALLY CONFIRMS THAT WE, AS EDELMAN, MEET THE MEASURABLE QUALITY STANDARD WITH OUR WAY OF WORKING. OUR CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS CAN SEE THAT WE CLEARLY MEET THE HIGH PROCESS AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS WITH OUR WORK.”
SAYS CHRISTIANE SCHULZ.
The internationally valid standard is a quality management system that requires PR and communications agencies to go through an elaborate process to assess whether work processes in eight different criteria – such as leadership and communication, personnel management, client satisfaction and project management – meet quality standards and specifications. GPRA has been the only official awarding body for the quality seal throughout Germany since 2020. The CMS III certification is checked by independent external auditors.
GPRA's goal is to have all member agencies certified by 2023.
