Answering your frequently asked questions about quality control analysts

A product or service’s main selling point is its level of quality. When a company’s offerings are proven high quality, they wouldn’t need to spend so much on advertising, publicists, and call center agents to handle customer complaints. To deliver the product quality that companies promise their customers and prospects, they hire a quality control analyst.

Quality is the set of standards established and promised by the company regarding their offered products and services. Their job is to fulfil these set of quality standards that they’ve promised to increase customer satisfaction and retention. This is where the quality control analyst comes in.

What is a quality control analyst?

Quality control is product-oriented. This means that it focuses on identifying and fixing defects found in the end-product. It ensures that the product (or any other deliverable) meets the company’s quality standards and customer expectations. 

Further, a quality control analyst is an employee hired by the company to perform various company-set processes to ensure the quality of the end products that the customers will receive.

A quality control analyst may be a one man team, or he/she could be a part of the firm’s quality control department. Their specific day-to-day responsibilities will definitely vary depending on the industry and products/services offered. There is no one size fits all standard operating procedure (SOP) with quality control. However, rest assured that the company will provide the best methods and training so their quality control analysts can perform their duties well.

What are the responsibilities of a quality control analyst?

A quality control analyst plays a significant role in making sure that customers’ needs are met. They’re primarily responsible for ensuring top quality in the final step in the manufacturing operation. Since quality control is a reactive process, evaluates already finished products/service/software before the company sends them to customers.

Further, here are the responsibilities of a quality control analyst:

• Identify whether the end products are fully functional;
• Evaluate if the end products will fit the quality standards promised by the company to its customers;
• Reject materials and end products that do not meet the compliance or company’s standards;
• Identify remedies in frequently committed product-making errors;
• Find areas for improvement in the products’ manufacturing processes and applied methods;
• Design effective strategies to inspect end products;
• Get ideas from customer feedback to improve products.

What are the skills and qualifications needed to be a quality control analyst?

This role is not for everyone. An employee can be a quality control analyst if they possess the following qualifications and skills needed to be one:

• Prior experience as a quality control analyst is preferred. This way, you’ll only require zero to minimal training and supervision.
• A degree in business administration. A degree in business administration is an advantage, as you’ll be familiar with the processes related to this career;
• Great attention to detail. Quality control analysts are required to have great attention to detail, so they’ll have an easier time finding areas for improvement;
• Analytical skills. Analytical skill is the ability to analyze the information available and solve problems. QC analysts need to possess this skill to figure out better ways to improve the company’s quality control operations. They also need to learn how to leverage customers’ complaints and feedback to enhance the firm’s quality control.
• Empathy and creativity. You need to practice empathy if you want to improve your quality control. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers, and look at your products and services from their perspective. In addition, it’s also best to practice creativity in finding ways to incorporate constructive criticism to the company’s QC processes.

What is the difference between quality control and quality assurance?

Quality control and quality assurance are two varying processes that people often interchange. These sets of processes are both aspects of quality management. Investopedia defines quality management as “the act of overseeing all activities and tasks that must be accomplished to maintain a desired level of excellence.”

Further, quality assurance is a process-oriented, proactive approach to managing the quality of the company’s products and services. It assures that mistakes are prevented before and during the manufacturing process of the product or software. For example, in factories, quality assurance is making sure that workers are following the protocols, wearing the appropriate clothing, and using the best materials.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, quality control is the product-oriented and reactive part of quality management. It makes sure that the end product meets the standards set by the company. They check for mistakes in processes that the quality assurance team may have missed. In addition, they identify any errors in the end product. This process involves testing of units to determine if they fit their set metrics.

Importance of having a set QC strategy

We all know that quality control is important. However, it’s not advisable to just wing this method. Every business should have a standard QC strategy or process to enjoy its following advantages:

Consistency and enhanced control

A standard quality control process helps everyone stay in track with the company’s standards, as well as its processing/manufacturing do’s and don’ts. It’s hard when each employee has their own interpretation of quality control. When you put your strategy and goals on writing, everyone will be on the same page. In addition, everyone’s roles will be defined. This makes it easier to achieve quality control-related objectives and targets.

Efficiency and productivity

When everyone knows their specific tasks and the things they need to do them better, it increases the whole team’s productivity and efficiency. Quality control will be an easier task, and issues regarding the processes will be diminished. Standardizing a QC strategy also reduces costly errors and lessens waste. Further, team culture will be improved – as communication will also be better.

Increased customer satisfaction

With a QC strategy, everything will then fall into place. A more efficient day-to-day operations and clearly defined strategies will result in improved products and services. In turn, customers are satisfied, and the company’s customer churn rate will likely go even lower.