Professional certification has a wide range of benefits for businesses across many industries. But up until recently, no independent third party certification has existed for businesses within the pet care services industry.
All that changed in 2015, with the formation of the Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC). Today the PACCC offer two levels of certification: Certified Professional Animal Care Manager (CPACM) and Certified Professional Animal Care Provider (CPACP).
I’ll explain the difference between the two types of certification in just a moment. But first, let’s take a look at the question posed in the title of this post: why does professional certification matter?
It Confirms Your Pet Care Knowledge & Commitment to Safety
It’s no secret that the pet care services industry is frequently damaged by news reports of serious pet accidents and deaths. With high demand for pet care services, and relatively low barriers of entry into the industry, it’s a problem that’s unlikely to go away anytime soon.
The biggest challenge for your pet care business is building trust with potential (and existing) customers. Pet parents are looking for a way to identify the most qualified, knowledgeable, and committed professionals to care for their pets. And that’s where professional certification comes in.
Certification from the PACCC validates your knowledge in all the key areas that earn the trust and respect of your target market – animal health and behavior, safety, and customer service.
It Differentiates Your Business From the Competition
The pet care services industry is a crowded marketplace. Are you doing enough to stand out from the competition, win new customers, and retain those who already frequent your business?
Certification from the PACCC gives you the opportunity to lead the way in your market. It’s a powerful tool in your marketing efforts to communicate what makes your business different from your competitors, and why clients should choose to entrust you with their pets.
It Encourages Professional Growth of Your Team
Your employees are central to the success of your business, and one of the keys to building a capable and motivated workforce is to provide opportunities for professional growth and development.
With certification from the PACCC, your ability to recruit and retain high-quality employees will improve exponentially. Additional benefits of professional staff training include increased morale, strengthened team dynamics, a smoother running business, and greatly reduced staff turnover costs.
Types of Certification
As I mentioned earlier, the PACCC offer two levels of certification. Here’s an overview of each:
Provider exam – The Certified Professional Animal Care Provider (CPACP) exam is for those in charge of the daily handling of the animals of a professional pet care business.
Manager exam – The Certified Professional Animal Care Manager (CPACM) exam presents a higher threshold for education and hours of experience.
For more information about the exams, please visit PACCC’s Certification Exam Information page.
Ready to Take the Leap and Get Certified?
The next exam dates are from October 14-28, 2017. Please keep in mind that the last day to register for the October exam window is Friday, September 15th.