Mallory Pierson | Accreditation Coordinator

As a business that is interested in, or already applying for BBB Accreditation, there are some steps you can take to ensure the process will be efficient and provide the maximum benefit:

Check out your BBB Reliability Report before applying. Is the information up to date? Is all the information there? Is there even a report? Familiarize yourself with the information we have, and request changes if need be.

When in doubt, tell us more than you think we could possibly care about. Perhaps you switched your business from a corporation to an LLC last year but you kept the same basic name. Maybe you’re also the Vice President of another company. We want to know!

Be prepared to supply documentation verifying any information given. We are all about accurate information, and in order for us to be sure our information is accurate, it has to be verified. Maybe your company is smaller, newer, doesn’t have any legal filings, or doesn’t do a lot of advertising—it may be challenging to verify your business information, but it isn’t impossible. Company invoices with dates and reliable business references will usually answer our questions.

Let your references know BBB will be calling. If your reference is an employee of another company, sometimes they are caught off guard by a call from BBB; they may assume we want to speak with the President of the company or it is in reference to a complaint. Giving them a heads up will prepare them for the call or allow them time to get permission from a supervisor to speak with us.

Be prepared for a call or email after applying. Chances are there will be questions that pop up at some point during your application, and we will need to get in touch with you. We may even need additional paperwork filled out and returned. The more completely and quickly this information is supplied, the sooner your company is eligible for approval as a BBB Accredited Business.