Can BBB Accreditation Give your Pest Control Company A Competitive Advantage?
Has your pest control company lost out on a potential account due to the lack of BBB accreditation?
What is the BBB?
One of the resources consumers use to research your company is the Better Business Bureau, or BBB. They are a private, non-profit organization developed to monitor and report on the business practices of companies. Each BBB is licensed by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, and governed by its own local board of directors. They are not part of the government, and their funding comes directly from businesses’ yearly membership fees.
Why BBB?
According to BBB statistics, 70% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a BBB accredited business and 84% believe this BBB accreditation means a business meets high standards of trustworthiness. With this great brand awareness comes a great responsibility to ensure that the BBB itself maintains high standards of trust and reliability.
Potential new consumers in need of pest control services use the BBB for many reasons:
- Honestly representing products and services
- Clear disclosure of terms
- A promise to abide by agreements (written and verbal)
- A willingness to address market place disputes quickly and faithfully
Another reason pest control consumers use the Better Business Bureau is for the online Reliability Reports. All BBB accredited businesses are included in a searchable list on the BBB website with their basic company information and their BBB grade. It also lists the number of complaints and number of resolutions a company has encountered.
Reliability Reports
A company’s Reliability Report is developed by a Better Business Bureau and includes information about the company. The information is compiled from various sources which may include any or all of the following: the company’s BBB file, complaint and response information, and government, regulatory, and licensing agencies, if applicable.
Ratings A+ to F
One of the most important aspects of the Reliability Report is the rating that is assigned to a company. The ratings range from A+ to F and are determined by the company’s composite score. The score factors a company’s type of business, length of time in business, compliance with competency licensing requirements, complaint volume, complaint history, seriousness of complaints, response to complaints, and experience with the company’s industry in general.
If BBB Funding comes from Businesses, How can they be fair to the Consumer?
One concern among pest control companies is that A+ ratings may be awarded to those who pay membership fees, while F ratings are used to punish those who do not.
The purpose of the BBB system is not to act as an advocate for businesses or consumers, but to act as a mutually trusted intermediary to resolve disputes, to facilitate communication, and to provide Reliability Reports on companies. Businesses and consumers have supported the BBB for over 80 years because an ethical, self-regulated marketplace is in everyone’s best interest.
BBB and the Pest Control Industry
Many times the quote process in the pest control industry is so competitive that contracts are won and lost on what may seem to be an inconsequential detail. A Better Business Bureau mark of accreditation may, in some cases, give an accredited business the advantage needed to win a contract or job. If none of your competitors are accredited, you will stand out. If your competition is accredited and you are not, you may be losing business.
Links from BBB Reliability Report enable a prospective customer to contact the business for a quote. Accreditation can therefore help bring in new accounts, while also giving existing consumers confidence in your company.
You may never know how many customers you’ve gained because of Bureau Reliability Reports, but even one new pest control account can pay for a full year’s accreditation.
Other Benefits of BBB Accreditation (http://www.la.bbb.org/AccreditationBenefits.aspx)
- Public trust and confidence
- Prestigious praise
- Reliability Reports
- Business-consumer mediation
- BBB logo on advertising
- Tax deductibility
- Business arbitration
- Business alerts
- Advertising guidelines and surveillance
- Action against fraud
- Support programs
- Business standards
CONS of BBB Accreditation
A few challenges have been raised by select owners and managers of pest control companies who are accredited with the BBB.
- Qualifying for accreditation
- Annual accreditation costs depending on the location and size of your pest control company.
- Time consuming—Monthly readings, updating your business profile, etc.
Your Thoughts?
Is your pest control company accredited with the BBB?
Have you found that your accreditation has given you a competitive advantage in the industry?
What challenges, if any, have you found with BBB accreditation?
Source: bbb.org
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