How to write an ISO 9001 clause 9.1.2 procedure for monitoring customer satisfaction
A clause 9.1.2 procedure sets out how you find out what customers think of what you delivered: who is asked, when, how and with which questions, who reviews the results, and what happens when a customer is unhappy. For most companies it fits on one or two pages.
Below: the nine things it should cover, an example you can adapt, and the mistakes that turn a procedure into a finding.
What the procedure should cover
- Purpose and scope
- What the procedure is for, and which products, services and sites it covers.
- Responsibilities
- Who runs the survey, who reviews results, who follows up unhappy customers. Roles, not names.
- Who is asked
- The rule for which customers receive it. A rule applied to everyone, not a list someone picks.
- When and how
- The trigger (after each delivery, each visit, each quarter) and the channel (link, email, QR code).
- What is asked
- The questions, or a reference to the current questionnaire, and how each score is calculated.
- Other sources
- Complaints, compliments, customer meetings, returns: anything else you count as customer perception.
- Negative feedback
- What happens when a customer is unhappy, and how that connects to complaints and corrective action.
- Analysis and review
- How often results are reviewed, by whom, and how they reach management review.
- Records
- What is kept, where, and for how long.
An example procedure
An illustrative example. Everything in square brackets is a commitment you choose. Write what you actually do: a procedure that promises a 2-day follow-up you do not achieve is worse than one that promises 5 days and keeps to it.
[Company name] · QP-[xx] · Issue [1]
Monitoring customer satisfaction
1. Purpose
To obtain, monitor and review customers’ perception of whether their needs and expectations have been met, and to use the results to improve.2. Scope
All customers of [products and services] supplied from [sites], within the scope of the quality management system.3. Responsibilities
The [Quality Manager] owns this procedure, maintains the questionnaire and reports results. [Site / account managers] follow up unhappy customers at their sites. [Top management] reviews results at management review.4. Method
4.1 Who is asked. Every customer who receives [a delivery / a completed service] is invited to respond. No customer is excluded on the basis of expected satisfaction.
4.2 When. The invitation is sent within [2 working days] of [delivery / completion]. [Key accounts are additionally asked about the overall relationship every [6 / 12] months.]
4.3 How. By a [single-use link sent to the named customer contact / QR code at the point of service].
4.4 What is asked. The questions in [questionnaire reference, version]. Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is the percentage of responses rating 4 or 5 on the overall question.
4.5 Other sources. Complaints (see [complaints procedure]), compliments, and notes from customer review meetings are also treated as customer perception information.
5. Responding to negative feedback
A response rating [2 or below] on the overall question is followed up by the [site / account manager] within [5 working days]. What was done is recorded against the response. Where the feedback shows a nonconformity, it is handled under [nonconformity and corrective action procedure].6. Analysis and review
The [Quality Manager] reviews results [monthly], by site and by product or service, and records the trend, notable comments and any actions proposed.7. Management review
A summary of customer satisfaction and customer feedback, including trends and actions taken, is presented as an input to each management review.8. Records
Responses, follow-up records and review summaries are retained for [3 years] in [system].9. Related documents
[Customer satisfaction questionnaire], [complaints procedure], [nonconformity and corrective action procedure], [management review procedure].
Which questions to put in the questionnaire referenced in 4.4 is covered in the 9.1.2 survey template. If you are weighing CSAT against NPS for the calculation, see NPS and CSAT for ISO 9001.
Mistakes that turn a procedure into a finding
- A consultant’s template nobody follows. Auditors compare the procedure with what happened. A generic document that describes a survey you never run is evidence against you.
- Commitments you cannot keep. “Every complaint answered within 24 hours” is a promise an auditor can test. Write the time you actually achieve.
- No link to complaints. Negative feedback that goes nowhere is the gap auditors look for. Say where it goes.
- No owner. “The company will review results” means nobody does. Name the role.
- Changes that are not recorded. New questions or a new scale are fine; changing them silently makes this year incomparable with last year.
To check the finished procedure against what an auditor will look for, use the clause 9.1.2 audit checklist.
Where Customer Feedback Simplified fits in the procedure
It can be the system named in sections 4, 5 and 8: it creates a private single-use link for each named customer, or a QR code for a counter, asks your questions, calculates CSAT, NPS or CES, and raises a browser notification when a response matches a rule you set. Whoever follows up records what was done against the response, and it cannot be closed without a note. Responses and follow-up records export together for any period.
It does not write the procedure, run your management review or track corrective actions. Those stay in your QMS.
Questions about the procedure
How long should a 9.1.2 procedure be?
One or two pages is typical. Long enough to describe what you actually do, short enough that the people doing it will read it.
Who should own it?
Usually the quality manager, with named roles for follow-up at each site. What matters is that someone is clearly responsible for it running, not only for the document.
How often should it be reviewed?
Whenever the method changes, and as part of your normal document review otherwise. A procedure that still names a channel you stopped using is an easy finding.
Related guides
- ISO 9001 clause 9.1.2 customer satisfaction evidence (2015 and 2026)
Where the product fits in your QMS, and what it does not do.
- Clause 9.1.2 customer satisfaction survey template
The questions to ask, on which scale, and why each one earns its place.
- Clause 9.1.2 audit checklist
What an auditor looks for, the questions they ask, and where findings come from.
- NPS and CSAT for ISO 9001
Whether an auditor will accept either score, and which suits a certified company.
Clause numbers on this page are the same in ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 9001:2026, except in clause 10: what was 10.3 (continual improvement) in 2015 is 10.1 in 2026, and the 2015 edition’s 10.1 (general) is merged into it. Nonconformity and corrective action is 10.2 in both. ISO 9001:2015 certificates are expected to remain valid until 30 September 2029 (subject to confirmation by the accreditation bodies). From around 31 March 2028, new certifications are issued to ISO 9001:2026 only. Confirm dates with your certification body.
Clause details are based on published summaries of ISO 9001:2026; verify against the standard before relying on them. Requirements are paraphrased on this page, not reproduced, and your certification body’s reading is the one that counts. Last reviewed 2026-09-30.
Evidence that collects itself
Customer Feedback Simplified runs your satisfaction questions continuously, per location, and keeps every response with its date. When a response matches a rule you set, a browser notification arrives with the customer’s words attached; you record what was done about it, and the export puts that record beside the score.
No card required.