Choosing an online background check company is a big decision. You want to be sure you’re using a reputable, reliable service that will give you accurate, up-to-date information.
One way to evaluate a background check company is to look at its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating.
The BBB is an organization that reviews businesses and companies based on customer satisfaction, complaints, and other factors.
And according to PR Newswire, Americans value an A+ BBB rating on a company’s website more than a 5-star rating on Facebook, Google, or Yelp.
This might have got you wondering but what is a BBB A+ rating, and how important is it? Read on to learn more.
What Is BBB A+ Rating?
The BBB reflects a customer’s perspective on how a company will deal with them. Companies with a history of complaints or poor customer service will have a lower rating.
In comparison, companies with few complaints and a good track record of customer satisfaction will have a higher rating.
The highest possible rating is an A+, which means the company has a “superior” record of customer satisfaction.
Companies with this rating are expected to have very few complaints, and the complaints they do have should be resolved quickly and satisfactorily.
How Important Is A BBB A+ Rating?
A company’s BBB rating is one factor when choosing a background check service. However, it’s not the only factor.
You should also look at the company’s website, read customer reviews, and contact the company directly with any concerns you may have.
In general, a company with a BBB A+ rating is a good choice for a background check service.
But by considering all factors and doing your research, you can be sure you’re choosing the best possible service for your needs.
The BBB’s mission is to stay neutral and promote good business operations, assist consumers in making purchase decisions, and resolve customer-business owner disputes.
This impartial marketplace “trusts” consumers and corporations. BBB has a list of more than 5 million businesses and a company search engine on its website.
BBB’s rating system is based on a scale of A+ to F—with A+ being the highest and F the lowest.
The ratings are based on 17 different factors that indicate how well a company responds to complaints, changes business practices when necessary, monitors advertising, and more.
Companies accredited by the BBB have agreed to abide by its Standards for Trust, which means they have commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve consumer complaints.
Read: Difference Between Public and Private Data and Why It Matters
The Importance of a Good BBB Rating When Choosing a Background Check Service
When looking for a reliable background check service, checking the company’s BBB rating is a good place to start.
A company with a good rating is more likely to be reputable and provide good customer service.
However, a company’s BBB rating is just one factor to consider. You should also check company’s customer reviews and social handles or contact the company directly with any questions.
In general, an online background check company with a BBB A+ rating is a good choice.
However, by doing your research and by taking all factors into consideration, you can be sure you’re choosing the best possible service for your needs.
How To Maintain an A+ Rating With BBB?
Here are some useful tips using which you can maintain an A+ rating with BBB:
- Reduce complaints: Customer complaints are the biggest contributor to the reduced BBB rating. So ensure you resolve and tackle all customer complaints and do not ignore them.
- Maintain points: The BBB gives an A+ rating on the basis of points. To have an A+ rating from BBB, you must maintain your points to a minimum of 97 points.
- Be compliant: The BBB takes away points for not being compliant. So make sure you follow its rules and regulations properly.
- Corporate: One thing that BBB does not appreciate is being slow. They expect fast responses and cooperation from you.
- Address complaints: If you want to have an A+ rating from BBB, then you will have to address and respond to each and every complaint you receive.
Pros & Cons of BBB Rating
Pros
- Gives power to the consumers
- Has ratings and reviews of millions of companies
- Helps in building trust
Cons
- Not 100% reliable
- Conflict of interest on BBB charging fees
What Is BBB’s Rating Criteria?
Below we have shared the criteria based on which BBB decides on the rating.
Points from all the criteria add up to 100, and companies need to have a collective 97 points or more to receive an A+ rating.
Time in business: 0 – 10 points
Companies that have not been in the business for at least a year do not qualify for a BBB rating. After the 1st year, they add 2.5 points with each passing year.
So, for example: if you have been in the business for three years, then you get a point of 7.5. Companies that have been in the business for more than four years get the full 10 points.
Volume of Complaints – 0 – 15 points
These points are denoted based on the volume of the complaint and the age of the complaint.
For example: if you got two complaints yesterday, it will count more as compared to a complaint that you got two years ago.
The more complaints you have, the fewer points you will collect.
Unresolved complaints: 0 – 30 points
Unresolved complaints mean the complaints that were addressed but couldn’t be solved. So the more unresolved complaints your company has, the lower points you will get.
The points also get deducted if you do not deal with the underlying cause of the complaint.
Suppose customers are complaining about a certain employee over and over, and you are still not taking the necessary action against that employee, then the points will be deducted again.
Delay in complaint resolution – 0 – 5 points
The quicker you respond to a complaint, the better points you will get.
Whenever a new complaint is registered against your business, BBB will send you an email flagging the issue.
Simply try to give a quick resolution, and you will be able to score five easy points here.
Unanswered complaints: 0 – 40 points
This one makes up for 70% of your BBB rating. Unanswered complaints mean complaints that you have not provided an answer or resolution for.
To get an A+ rating from BBB, you need to have zero complaints.
How To Check If a Background Check Company is BBB Accredited or Not?
Checking if a background check company, or any type of company for that matter, is BBB accredited or not is very easy.
For this, simply go to BBB.org and type in the company name in the search box that you see.
After you hit on search, you will be able to see if the company is accredited with BBB or not, what rating it has, the number of complaints it has, etc.
How Can BBB Help Companies in Dealing With Complaints?
Bottom Line
Now that you know a little more about the BBB and its ratings, you can feel confident using this information to help you choose a reliable background check service. Just remember to consider all factors before making your decision.
People Also Ask For
How to improve your BBB rating?
The key to improving your BBB rating is to address your customer complaints and to keep them all resolved.
At the end of the day, a majority part of BBB rating criteria consists of customer satisfaction, and this is the only key to getting an A+ rating from them.
What is the process to get certified by BBB?
The process to obtain BBB accreditation is a breeze.
You start by filling out your company form on their website with basic information, and then the BBB contacts you for further process.
For a smooth process, you should keep your licenses, bonds, banking information, BBB accreditation cost fees, etc., handy.
Is BBB accreditation worth it?
It is good to have accreditation; it does not necessarily have to be from BBB.
In fact, you will find companies that have an F rating of BBB have an A+ rating somewhere else.
The difference all lies in the way an accreditation company configures the ratings.
BBB rating, or any other credential rating for that matter, is good for any kind and any size of business.
Having accreditations helps in building customer trust, and that directly influences sales.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
