Funny how everybody is suddenly talking about quality? Takes a collapsing economy to make us rethink what's important. We've had a decade of shoddy service, poor products and low standards. But now consumers want more. I've been banging on about quality for years and I'm relived to say there's a whiff of change in air. A silent revolution. We've had enough of being had over.
But through all the greed, profiteering and corner-cutting of the last ten years, the British Standards Institution has been diligently testing stuff to make sure its safe reliable and does what its supposed to. That tiny Kitemark triangle is this country's most trusted quality benchmark and one that I'm enormously proud to be associated with. BSI raises standards and makes things better. They're quiet guardians of quality.
And in our brave new world of change BSI is going to make sure this quality revolution gets some deep traction. I want to see UK consumers getting world-class products and services by demanding that they're properly assessed and tested. I want that Kitemark on as many things as possible. From garages and body shops to solar panels and energy efficient windows, in 2010 quality should be a given. And that's where you come in.
Ask for the Kitemark by name and try, whenever possible, to choose products and services that have been through the BSI testing processes. Because, and here's the thing, if enough people start demanding quality, that silent revolution will become a strident noise. Standards will shoot up, services will improve and we'll all feel much more reassured. And a culture of quality is precisely what we need to help pull us out of this recession. Bring it on.
