For a good business, becoming accredited is not difficult, but you must apply. The BBB accreditation process is broken down into five steps.
When you are accredited by the better business bureau, you gain the right to associate your brand with the BBB brand. This is a powerful symbol of trust. For good businesses, becoming accredited is not difficult. However, you must apply. The process here is broken down into five simple steps:
1. Make Sure You’re Eligible
The first step is to ensure that your company qualifies. You must have been in operation for at least 6 months. You must meet the following criteria, among others:
- All essential licenses and bonds for your industry.
- There were no infractions of government ethics.
- All governmental and contractual requirements are met.
If you sell online, you should have a privacy policy on your website as well as secure transaction technologies.
2. Fill out a BBB Accreditation Application
To discover the relevant chapter for your area, go to BBB.org and search the BBB organizations in Canada, the United States, or Mexico. Then call, send an email, or fill out the application form on the local chapter’s website.
3. Provide Your Business Information to the BBB
Provide all requested information with your application. It’s not a lot of information. However, it’s very important to be exact when it comes to your company’s address, name, employee count, and other details.
4. Go Through a Better Business Bureau Review
To determine the integrity of your business, the BBB chapter will do a public records check. After that, they will review other sources of information. In addition, the BBB may request a face-to-face meeting or a telephone interview with you.
The local BBB board of directors must review your application. This might take several weeks. However, just be patient. Board members are representatives of the business community who gather on a regular basis. Therefore, expect the procedure to take at least three weeks.
5. Pay the Fee When You Get Approved
Once the process is complete, you must agree to the BBB’s terms if they approve your application. After that, the fee must be paid. This fee is also known as Accreditation Dues.
In addition, remember that you are not paying for a rating when you pay the charge. You are covering the costs of the BBB’s overhead. They use the money to run the Better Business Bureau organizations and to process applications. However, as an entrepreneur, you are well aware that nothing is free. The BBB must pay for facility rent and employees, among other things.
Finally, you will receive a large welcome packet in the mail after your application approval is complete. In addition, you will receive marketing materials, a Membership Certificate, and other information. These things are all part of the welcome packet. Furthermore, you’ll get an email containing your online profile login information.
The Cost of BBB Accreditation
The accreditation charge for most small businesses will be in the hundreds of dollars. However, the fees are determined by two factors:
- The number of employees
- The charge structure of your local BBB office.
Each local BBB office has its own charge schedule. However, the majority appear to be within a 10% range of other chapters. A few local chapters post their fees on the internet. Therefore, check with your local chapter to find out the exact fees. Payment plans are available that allow you to spread the expense out over a quarterly or monthly basis. Furthermore, renewal is payable at the same rate each year. In addition, BBB fees are a business expense that are usable as a tax deduction for small businesses.
What Kinds of Businesses Benefit from BBB Accreditation?
Any company that interacts with the general public would benefit from BBB accreditation. In addition, any size of organization is eligible for membership in the organization. However, small businesses are the most common members. Local branches of large corporations, such as bank branches, are often members of the BBB.
Every industry has businesses that are eligible for membership in the BBB. Naturally, however, businesses that the BBB specifically designates as fundamentally problematic, such as payday lenders, or industries that are illegal, such as internet casinos, are not able to get BBB accreditation.
Roofing contractors, insurance firms, air conditioning contractors, house builders, used car dealers, plumbers, general contractors, pool companies, and collection agencies are among the top public inquiries, according to the West Florida BBB. This list will vary by region. However, it gives consumers an indication of the types of businesses for which BBB accreditation is important. Accreditation may be extremely beneficial to such businesses.
Online Businesses Can Obtain BBB Accreditation
You can apply for and receive accreditation for online businesses. However, you might be wondering why you should bother. The answer is easy. Trust is more vital than ever in the online world. According to the BBB, six out of ten shoppers consult the BBB before making an online purchase.
How can I find out if a company has accreditation with the Better Business Bureau?
There are two ways to do this.
- First, check the company’s website for a dynamic BBB Accredited Business Seal.
The dynamic Seal is a software version of the BBB logo that allows customers to check out a company with a single click. - Second, you can search for the company on the Better Business Bureau’s website, BBB.org. The business profile will state whether or not the company has accreditation. However, if you can’t identify the company, double-check the spelling. Nevertheless, there is no accreditation if there is no profile.
