Case Study: How ISEAL Improved Compliance Management with a Salesforce Portal
ISEAL improved the management of the ISEAL compliance programme by moving its independent evaluations, evidence collection, and non-conformity tracking into a single Salesforce-based portal, the Compliance Portal.
Client Overview: ISEAL
ISEAL supports ambitious sustainability systems and their partners to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems (the 'ISEAL Code’) provides a globally recognised framework, defining practices for effective and credible sustainability systems.
ISEAL Code Compliant status recognises ISEAL Community Members that implement the practices defined in the ISEAL Code, and in doing so, demonstrate a rigorous approach to improvement. Members who wish to gain ISEAL Code Compliant status take part in the ISEAL compliance programme.
Members demonstrate that they have implemented the practices of the ISEAL Code through completing independent evaluation against it. ISEAL’s independent evaluations are managed by ISEAL and conducted by independent evaluators.
As its compliance programme evolved, ISEAL needed a more accessible and structured way for members and evaluators to manage evaluations, evidence, and follow-up actions.
The Challenge
Before the Compliance Portal was introduced, processes relied on manual administration, separate checklist documents, and fragmented communication between members and evaluators. That created unnecessary overhead and made it more difficult to keep evaluations moving efficiently.
ISEAL needed a platform that could simplify the full workflow while also improving transparency and control.
The core goals were clear:
- Improve accessibility for both members and evaluators
- Reduce manual handling of checklist documents across the evaluation process
- Enable real-time tracking of non-conformities and corrective actions
- Maintain version control as standards and checklist clauses evolved
- Improve transparency between all parties involved
This was not just about digitising forms. It was about creating a better operating model for the compliance programme.
The Solution: The ISEAL Compliance Portal
To address these needs, ISEAL implemented the Compliance Portal using Salesforce Communities.
The platform was delivered quickly, with the initial project completed in just a few days in 2018, and was designed to give members and independent evaluators a shared, user friendly online environment for managing independent evaluation activities from start to finish.
Unified Evaluations Management
The portal brought evaluation assignment, checklist completion, evidence submission, and assessment activity into a single space.
Members could complete evaluation checklists directly online and upload supporting documentation in context. Evaluators could then review answers, assess evidence, and provide comments in one place.
Real-Time Non-Conformities Tracking
Non-conformities and corrective action plans were managed within the same platform. Evaluators could raise issues directly in the portal, and members could respond within agreed timelines, making it easier to maintain momentum and accountability throughout the process.
Flexible Version Control
The system was designed to support changes to checklist clauses over time. That allowed ISEAL to keep the portal aligned with updates to the ISEAL Code and ensure clarity of which ISEAL Code version was being assessed when requirements changed.
Better Transparency and Communication
By using Salesforce Communities as the delivery layer, the portal created a more transparent working relationship between members and evaluators.
Both sides could work from the same live information, reducing ambiguity and improving confidence in the evaluation process.
The Impact
The new portal delivered measurable operational improvements across the ISEAL compliance programme.
More Efficient Evaluations
Evaluations could be assigned, completed, and reviewed in one place, reducing administrative friction and eliminating much of the back-and-forth associated with document-heavy processes.
Improved Member Experience
Members gained a clearer and easier way to complete compliance tasks, provide documentary evidence, and respond to evaluator feedback.
Stronger Compliance Management
Non-conformities, responses, and corrective action plans became easier to log, track, and address within defined timelines.
Greater Transparency
The real-time nature of the platform supported one of ISEAL's core aims: a more open and transparent evaluation process for everyone involved.
Conclusion
The Compliance Portal has significantly improved how ISEAL collects compliance data, manages evaluations, and coordinates communication between stakeholders. By improving accessibility, efficiency, and transparency, the platform gave ISEAL a stronger foundation for managing complex evaluation workflows at scale.
Ongoing partnership
Since the original launch, we have continued working with ISEAL to provide ongoing support and incremental improvements to the platform.
We are pleased to announce additional enhancements to the Compliance Portal, making the platform even easier to use.
For more information about how we can help your organisation develop a compliance platform or checklist, read more about Salesforce Consulting, reach out via LinkedIn or via our contact form - we’d love to talk.