A first call with us is a 30–45 minute scoping conversation about how your ISO 9001 document control actually runs today — not a sales pitch, and not a price delivered blind. If you are ready to request an ISO 9001 quote, the honest first thing to know is that we scope and price an automation build only after we have seen your real process, not a generic description of one.
That means the call has a specific job: understand what your document control looks like right now, where the manual work actually sits, and whether what you need is something we can build. It is not a demo of a fixed product, because we do not have one to demo — every build is scoped against your own SOPs.
Why you cannot request an ISO 9001 quote on the first call
We do not publish pricing, and we will not give you a number on a first call either, for the same reason a contractor will not quote a renovation from a photo. The cost of an automation build depends on how many document types you control, how many decision gates your SOP defines, how many registers and distribution points need to stay in sync, and what systems you already run. None of that is visible from outside.
What we can and will talk through on the call is cost structure in general terms — how implementation cost compares to a document controller's ongoing time cost, or how it sits alongside certification body fees you are already paying — so you have a real frame for evaluating any quote, not just ours. A specific number comes after the call, scoped to what you actually described.
What we ask you on the call
The questions are practical, not sales-y. Expect us to ask about:
- Document types and volume — how many controlled documents, procedures, forms, and records you manage, and roughly how often they revise
- Decision gates — who reviews content, who approves it, and whether that is one person, two, or a multi-step sign-off chain
- Where the paper trail lives today — physical forms, Excel registers, a QMS platform, or some mix of all three
- Where the manual work actually hurts — retyping into multiple registers, distribution lists that fall out of date, retention dates nobody tracks until an audit asks
- What systems you already run — Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, an existing QMS tool — because we build around what you have rather than asking you to migrate first
None of these questions are testing you. A QMR who says "honestly, our register is a mess" gives us more useful information than one who presents an idealized version of the process, because the mess is exactly what we are scoping to fix.
What to bring
You do not need a polished presentation. The most useful thing you can bring is whatever you actually use today — a copy of your document control SOP, a screenshot of your master document list, or even a photo of the paper change-request form your reviewers mark up. If your document control process crosses a written SOP and something less formal that lives in someone's head, bring both; the gap between them is often exactly what a scoping conversation needs to surface.
If you are not sure whether your situation calls for a platform you configure yourself, an off-the-shelf tool, or a system built specifically around your SOPs, our comparison of build-it-yourself vs. buy vs. commission is worth a read before the call — it will help you ask sharper questions once we are talking.
It also helps to know which kind of provider you are actually talking to when you are comparing quotes. Certification bodies, software vendors, and implementation firms are structurally different, and we sit in the "commission a build" category specifically — see the real difference between vendor types if you want that landscape mapped out first.
And if you already run a QMS platform, tell us what it currently covers so we do not propose duplicating something that already works. How different types of QMS software compare is a useful primer if you are not sure where your current tool sits in that landscape.
What we do not do on the call
- We do not hand you a price on the spot — see above for why
- We do not pitch a fixed package; there is not one to sell
- We do not ask you to sign anything or commit to anything
- We do not tell you your content or process is wrong — content adequacy is your team's call, not ours, on the call or afterward
- We do not need access to your live systems to have this conversation; a description and a sample document are enough to start
How the call is structured
| Stage | What happens | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | You describe your factory, product, and current certification status | 5 minutes |
| Process walkthrough | You walk us through document control as it runs today — decision gates, registers, pain points | 15–20 minutes |
| Complexity check | We ask follow-up questions to understand scope: document types, systems, integration points | 10 minutes |
| Next steps | We explain what a scoped quote will cover and roughly what we need from you to produce it | 5 minutes |
After the call: how a scoped quote gets built
After the call, we map what you described against a proposed workflow — which decision gates stay exactly where they are, which fields would stop being retyped by hand, and what the register and distribution logic would look like against your own document list. That mapping is what the quote is priced against, not a generic tier.
If any part of your process is unclear from the call alone — an edge case in how external documents get distributed, for instance, or how your retention schedule is currently calculated — we will follow up with specific questions rather than guess and price around an assumption.
FAQ
Is the first call free?
Yes. The scoping call carries no cost and no obligation. It exists so both sides can work out whether there is a real fit before either of us spends time on a detailed quote.
Do I need to prepare a formal presentation?
No. Bring what you actually use — an SOP, a register screenshot, a paper form — rather than preparing something new for the call. The real process is more useful to us than a tidied-up version of it.
What if we do not have written SOPs yet?
That is fine and common. We can still scope from how the process runs in practice; part of the call is establishing what is documented versus what is understood informally by the team.
Will you tell us a price during the call?
No. Pricing depends on details we only get from the conversation — document volume, gate structure, systems in use — so a scoped quote follows the call rather than happening during it.
What happens if we decide not to move forward?
Nothing happens. There is no follow-up pressure sequence. If the fit is not there, or the timing is not right, that is a normal outcome of a scoping call.
Book a free consultation with 1% EVO and bring whatever documentation you actually have, tidy or not — a messy Excel register and a stack of paper forms are a perfectly good starting point. We scope and price the build after seeing how your document control really works, with a live demo before any quote gets discussed.