More and more businesses in the removal and storage industry are deciding to join accreditation bodies to support their business.
But, while it is a popular decision, it isn’t always an easy one. Accreditation costs can feel difficult to justify while the process and assessments it involves can be intimidating. It can be hard to feel it’s worth it.
To make the case for accreditation clear, this post will set out the many benefits you can expect to enjoy. We’ll also share some tips on how to find the right body or organisation for your business to sign up with.
So if you’re struggling to decide whether accreditation is right for you and your removals company read on to find out why it could be the best decision for your business.
Joining an accreditation body is almost always a positive step for a removals business as it brings many benefits for a relatively small financial outlay and an unobtrusive assessment process.
Here are some of the ways that signing up for accreditation will support your removals business and help it grow:
There are plenty of reasons professional moving companies might join an accreditation body, but one of the main ones is to demonstrate the quality of your company to potential customers.
When you ask a customer to pick your removal company to help them move, you are asking them to place a large amount of trust in you.
Firstly, they will be trusting you to handle the entire physical side of their life. From bulky furniture to delicate decorations through to sentimental keepsakes and heirlooms - for at least a couple of hours you and your business will have the sole responsibility for nearly everything they own. That is a lot of emotional and financial weight.
Secondly, they're relying on you to provide an essential service during a time of high stress. We all know moving home is one of the most stressful things a person will do in their life. Customers who engage your services rely on you to make the process as easy, smooth and quick as possible - not make it more difficult.
This can feel like a lot for potential customers to give. It can also feel like a lot for a removal company to earn.
Luckily, there is a simple, shorthand way of proving your company is worthy and that is through industry accreditations and professional memberships.
These memberships play an important part in promoting a removals company. They are an easy way to show you are a reputable company who are dedicated to providing customers with an excellent experience.
Another important reason to get accredited is the support and resources that these companies provide.
Many of these organisations will have been around for decades and worked with hundreds (if not thousands) of companies. They have a wealth of knowledge and expertise they are happy to share with their members.
This will run from suggestions to improve the way you run or market your business, to tips to save money and serve customers better. They might be able to help you make processes quicker or easier, or offer better alternatives to current techniques.
Some organisations (like BAR - the British Association of Removers) even publish their industry-leading magazine to share important advice and information regularly.
Another benefit of these bodies is that they can support you on incredibly important matters including legal and financial issues.
They can advise on practices and procedures that you can put in place to maintain best practices in your business. They can also provide in-depth information and independent advice to do with sensitive issues such as customer complaints.
If the unexpected happens and something goes wrong, many membership bodies will have access to an independent dispute resolution service (usually FHIO). This means that any issues are dealt with fairly, legally and promptly rather than weighing on your mind and dragging on for weeks.
When you run a smaller or local removals company, it can be expensive to run your in-house training for your staff. Often too expensive.
Accreditation lets you access external training without the company footing a large bill. It gives you and your employees the chance to attend high-quality training on relevant subjects and practices at a discount rate - sometimes even free.
Offering homemover services is a particular area. Even though individual customer circumstances will be different, they will often share similar base needs.
This puts you in the perfect position to information, tips and customer leads with other homemover services. And to make use of any you get in return too.
Accreditation can connect you with other companies offering the same high standards of homemover services as you. Some can even get affiliate discounts for your company - for example, here at MoverAlerts we offer a discount to BAR members.
For professional moving companies joining an accreditation body can seem like an obvious step. Particularly if you want to prove your company keeps to best practices and provides full financial protection to its customers.
However, there are a number of accreditation bodies in the removals and storage industry. Each organisation has a slightly different offering, with some tailored to smaller removals businesses while others offer support when you deal with international moves.
It is important to work out which body is best matched to your business. Make a list of what you hope to get, and another of the specific services your business offers, then research which professional body has the closest match to both lists.
Another approach is to see which body your competitors favour. This alone isn't enough to tell you which company is right but it can give some guidance.
You can also reach out to the company itself with any questions and requirements. As this a company, you may look to for support, it is great if you can trust them to respond promptly and appropriately.
One reason that accreditation is so important is that there isn’t one official governing body for removal companies in the UK.
Two independent ombudsmen oversee complainants against removal companies - The Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO) and The Removals Ombudsman.
Both of these organisations offer an independently operated alternative dispute resolution scheme which offers protection to both your business and your customers. This safety net can be a great comfort for homemovers and many people will look for affiliation when picking a removals team.
However, these organisations will only address complaints about removal businesses that are registered members. So if you want access to this professional service and support you need to sign up.
Some professional bodies - including the British Association of Removers (BAR) - offer registration with the FHIO to every authorised member. If this is something that interests you, it usually pays to a company that offers this support and financial protection as well as one of its benefits.
Getting accreditation for your removals business is a great step to support your business profile and your marketing. Once that accreditation is secured, we here at MoverAlerts can help you spread the word to your potential customers with our subscription service. And if you want to get the news out yourself, our fulfilment service can help you target your marketing so that potential customers are hearing about it.