What Does it Mean to be BBB Accredited?

If your business is accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau), it gives your business an edge in the competitive market as it means that your business complies with BBB standards. Out of the many standards, the main customer focused one that will probably lead you to have more customers is making a commitment to resolve any customer complaints in good faith. Although you have to pay a fee to BBB along with meeting the standards to get accreditation, it’s perhaps worth it considering the value BBB accreditation will add to your business. However, being a BBB accredited business does not mean that your product or service recommended by BBB. It’s just a show of good faith to your customers that you have gone to such lengths to get BBB accreditation, so they can have a minimum level of trust in your business as the BBB code is built on principles that emphasizes creating and maintaining customer trust of a business.

Why become accredited?

BBB accreditation is especially good for new and emerging businesses as it helps build trust and positive goodwill with your customers. Not all businesses are BBB accredited, so if you want yours to stand out from the crowd it’s a good choice to get it accredited by BBB. Because it will increase your credibility in the competitive market out there and you can easily connect to other businesses and customers and be trusted even if you are new in the market because customers will trust the BBB logo.  Because that accreditation logo means that you have agreed to be committed to build trust, advertise honestly, tell the truth, be transparent, honor promises, be responsible, safeguard privacy and embody integrity (The BBB Standards for Trust). 

What are the basic requirements to become BBB accredited?

To start with, you must first have at least a B rating with BBB. If you are not, then don’t bother applying. To apply for BBB accreditation, contact the local BBB office who will forward your application to the board of directors where it needs to be approved. The main factors that BBB considers when giving accreditation are the number of years the business has been in operation, how many complains have been filed against the business and how were they handled, the reputation of the business owner in the market, business website and it’s online presence etc. The applicant must also commit to comply with the BBB Standards for Trust as mentioned above.

The rating system of BBB is represented by the letter grades from A+ to F. There are a number factors that determine the rating of a business by BBB which is explained in detail in their website. After BBB conducts your business review, it will give explanatory notes regarding your rating and tell you the factors which influenced their decision positively and negatively.  If your rating is low, then you can work on their notes and apply once you raise your rating.

Step by Step guide to get accredited

1) Apply only when you are in business for 1 year or above unless you own related businesses which comply with BBB standards. When applying remember to provide the local office references from other businesses and banks, other professional accreditations etc. if you can manage them.

2) Give BBB proof that your business is legal by providing appropriate business licenses etc. that applies in your local jurisdictions.

3) Proof to BBB that your business is not blacklisted by any government body. If it was, then provide proof that you have corrected your mistakes.

4) Give top priority to customer satisfaction. BBB can help improve your customer satisfaction if you have a large number of customer complaints.

5) Honest advertising is a must when applying for BBB accreditation. Omission of crucial facts, misrepresenting your business, providing false testimonials etc. might stop you from getting accreditation.

6) Fulfill promises made to customers even if you are not legally bound to do so.

7) If your business has e-commerce, make sure the financial transactions are secure.

How much does Better Business Bureau accreditation cost?

The cost of accreditation is not fixed. It is determined by your local BBB office based on the size of your business and some other related factors. To give you an idea, usually the cost range is between 400-1000 USD per annum.

To conclude, BBB accreditation will help generate real traffic on your e-commerce website and real customers for your business. BBB never gives accreditation to scam companies to maintain its goodwill. However, you must note that BBB does not represent the highest level of consumer trust. There are known issues where BBB accredited businesses didn’t resolve material customer complaints. Having said that, getting your business BBB accredited is certainly a first step if you wish to stand out in the crowd.