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The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit organization that sets and upholds standards for companies in the United States. Their accreditation process has long been considered one of the most rigorous, ensuring quality across industries. Learn more about why it’s important to your business, as well as how you can get accredited with ease!
The BBB accreditation is a seal of approval from the Better Business Bureau. It signifies that an organization has met its standards for quality and accountability. This can be a good indicator of how trustworthy a company is to consumers.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, nonprofit organization that accredits firms that achieve a high level of reliability and quality. Accreditation is available to companies with a “B” rating or above; by obtaining this mark of approval, firms may be more likely to attract quality-conscious customers and enhance sales.
How Does the BBB Accreditation Process Work?
On BBB.org, the BBB monitors over 5.4 million companies and gives each one a letter grade ranging from A+ to F. This rating system is based on 16 specific factors, including both factual information—such as the company’s length of operation and the status of its business licenses—and consumer feedback, such as the number of consumer complaints, any patterns in those complaints, the company’s timely response to those complaints, and other critical factors.
Businesses who wish to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau must fill out an application and provide a copy of their business license as well as other documentation. The BBB will analyze internal and public records after receiving all needed information to establish the business’s integrity and dependability. This process may take several weeks, after which the local BBB board of directors, which is comprised of local business leaders, decides whether or not to accredit the company.
Once a company has been recognized, it may display the “BBB Accredited” badge on its business properties and websites. Most BBBs provide mediation and/or arbitration services to both accredited and non-accredited firms; for BBB Accredited Businesses, these services are often provided at no cost. These dispute resolution services allow customers to address their disagreements without incurring costly litigation fees.
Accreditation by the BBB is typically well worth the money for firms that want to build a reputation for excellence while also reaching a larger audience. Associating with a non-biased, third-party rating site may boost the ROI of marketing activities, while this certification can result in greater brand recognition and sales.
“The BBB’s Dynamic Seal allows buyers to examine your consumer reviews and BBB rating while quickly verifying the integrity of your certification.” The Dynamic Seal differs from the printed BBB Accreditation Seal in a few ways. It’s a digital asset you may add to your website or social networking sites that, when clicked, takes visitors to your BBB Business Profile.”
Regional Representative, Better Business Bureau, Josh Kaestner
Cost of BBB Accreditation
For companies in their region, each BBB has its unique charge system. Depending on the number of sites and staff, these costs might vary from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars every year. Many BBBs have price structures ranging from yearly to monthly.
How to Obtain BBB Accreditation in 5 Easy Steps
Meeting the company standards of behavior listed on the BBB’s website, filling out the application, paying the money, and providing the documentation required to authenticate your application are all part of the process. The examination of your application may take several weeks, following which you will be notified of your accreditation.
1. Make sure your company complies with all BBB requirements.
To get started, go to BBB.org/become-accredited. Review the “Accreditation Standards” to learn about accreditation standards and make sure your company complies with them all. While some of the criteria are subjective, they are all based on concepts of trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, complaint resolution, and timely customer contact.
Businesses who want to be recognized must agree to follow the BBB Standards for Trust:
- Establish and maintain a good track record in the marketplace to build trust.
- Advertise truthfully: Adhere to recognized advertising and selling norms.
- Tell the truth: Clearly and adequately disclose all material terms when representing goods and services.
- Be open and honest: Declare the nature, location, and ownership of the company, as well as any policies, guarantees, and processes that may affect a customer’s choice to purchase.
- Keep promises: Follow through on all written and verbal commitments.
- Be adaptable: Disputes in the marketplace should be handled immediately, professionally, and in good faith.
- Protect data from mistreatment and fraud, acquire personal information only as required, and respect customers’ wishes for how their data is used.
- Incorporate integrity into all commercial relationships, marketplace transactions, and promises.
Businesses will be requested to fill out the following forms when applying:
- Declare the nature of the business: The objective and mission of a company should be made public.
- Include a physical address in the public domain: A company must have a physical location in order to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Addresses for FedEx and UPS are acceptable.
- Establish and sustain market trust: Accredited businesses must operate in the same location for at least a year, fulfill all licensing and bonding requirements in their local jurisdiction, and avoid disciplinary government proceedings.
- Maintain consistent business operations: The length of time a company has been in existence should be obvious. Changes in a company’s legal status or activities might signal that it is in trouble.
- Maintain honesty and ethics in advertising: Businesses must abide by all federal and state advertising rules, as well as the BBB Code of Advertising.
- Businesses must make good faith attempts to respond to issues reported with the BBB as soon as possible, including accepting BBB-recommended mediation if required.
- Professionally address complaints: The BBB takes into account the number of complaints lodged against a company and how those complaints were handled or resolved during the course of the company’s existence. The possibility of accreditation may be harmed if complaints are not addressed promptly and effectively.
- Protect consumer privacy: On their websites, online firms must offer data security and privacy information. Businesses that gather sensitive information must adhere to industry standards for data security and disposal.
2. Submit an application for BBB accreditation.
Go to the BBB’s main website and use the top navigation option to choose “Apply/Join.” This will open a form where you can input your basic contact and business information, such as your company name, email address, ZIP code, and phone number. This is billed as an introductory “consultation” form by the Better Business Bureau, but it’s actually simply the first step in the application process. The BBB will email you a link to the entire application after they receive this form.
To finish your application, click the link supplied to you through email. Fill in all necessary areas, including the firm’s name, legal structure (limited liability company, S corporation, or other classification), staff count, and years in operation. Make sure the information you’re supplying is up to date and correct as of the application’s due date, and that the application is completely filled out.
Click “Submit” after you’ve done filling out the application.
BBB’s accreditation application
3. Wait for the BBB application to be reviewed.
After receiving your application, the BBB will analyze it, assess the information supplied, and conduct research on the company using internal and public sources. They will call you if further information is required to complete the evaluation.
The BBB will determine whether or not to accredit a firm when the examination is completed. This is communicated by both a physical letter and an email. The BBB’s internet directory also lists accredited companies.
If your company is refused certification, the BBB will send you a letter explaining why, how long you must wait before reapplying, and what measures you may take to improve your chances of gaining accreditation in the future.
4. Earn Accreditation & Pay the Fee
You must pay the accreditation cost when the BBB has accepted your application. Acceptance of the BBB’s accreditation through a link in the notification email, which will activate an automated payment, is all that is required for payment. The cost of accreditation varies depending on the size of your organization, however, you will be informed of the cost in your welcome letter.
You will obtain both a physical and a digital “BBB Accredited” logo after paying the price. Businesses are also given a BBB emblem along with their grade.
5. Begin using BBB tools to establish your online presence.
Add the BBB emblems to your website and at your physical location to start marketing your accreditation and rating. By signing in to the BBB dashboard with the login and password provided with the accreditation letter, you may view these logos at any time.
You may also download a button for your website to encourage people to post reviews on the Better Business Bureau’s website. You may also use the BBB dashboard to handle, react to, and record any consumer complaints that have been submitted with BBB.
Kabbage, a small business lender, is an excellent example of how BBB certification can be used to promote a firm. The company elected to display the BBB symbol at the bottom of their main page, ensuring that it is visible across the site.
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Are the Benefits of BBB Accreditation?
The main advantage of getting certified is that it enhances customer trust. Customers and prospective customers can see right away that your firm is devoted to maintaining high-quality, ethical standards by going through the certification process and displaying the seal on your website or storefront. This boosts sales as well as consumer loyalty.
How Does the BBB Handle a Customer Complaint?
First, the BBB calls the company and requests that they confirm that the complainant is really a customer. After then, the company has 14 days to reply to the complaint. If the company does not react, the BBB writes a follow-up letter and gives them another 14 days to respond. The majority of firms react quickly to complaints and address them. If the BBB does not hear back from the company, the matter is closed, and the company’s lack of action is noted in their BBB rating.
What Factors Affect a Business’s BBB Rating?
The letter grade (from A+ to F) shows the BBB’s assessment of the company based on information obtained from the company and its consumers. The BBB also publishes details of complaints, omitting personal information, so that customers may read about other customers’ experiences and how the firm reacted for themselves.
The Bottom Line
BBB certification is a signal of reliability and integrity desired by firms in all sectors, and it is based on 16 BBB-defined criteria. BBB certification, as a sign of high quality, boosts consumer loyalty and internet exposure, which in turn boosts a company’s long-term sales.
