the inventory institute | National Inventory Certification Association

06 Aug 2014

Revised Code of Ethics

A major joint undertaking for the National Inventory Certification Association (NICA) and The Inventory Institute is completed. The Directors of NICA and the CEO of The Inventory Institute devoted many hours reviewing their previous Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct, respectively.

For the benefit of the inventory industry, these two documents were merged and edited into one industry-wide Code of Ethics that both organizations now share. Prior to adopting the new version as the official document, the NICA Board of Directors reviewed and approved the changes.

Though the two organizations’ Codes were similar, we believe that since we are working so closely together, with the effort to achieve cohesiveness and unity, that it made sense to establish one Code of Ethics for the industry overall.

The revised industry Code of Ethics

Professionalism

Promote professionalism through my products, services, and interaction with others.
Fulfill all obligations in a respectful and business-like manner.
Conduct myself in a manner that will not denigrate this industry or other inventory professionals.
Support fellow members and other asset industry professionals for the common good of the industry.
Promote the competency and professionalism of myself and my staff through continuing education.

Integrity

Conduct myself with honesty and integrity in all business and personal relationships.
Answer all questions truthfully and honestly prior to, during, and after services rendered.
Offer services only for which I am qualified, and make every effort to refer a service professional for those I cannot perform.
Promote and advertise my services honestly.
Respect the intellectual property of others and will not use this proprietary information without permission.

Confidentiality

Honor the trust expected of an inventory professional.
Take precautions to maintain all customer information in a secure manner.
Do not disclose information about my customers (i.e., data, photos, reports, etc.), in verbal or written form.
Do not sell, share, trade, or otherwise provide customer databases to other companies or individuals.
Publish client testimonials only with their written consent.

Customer Service

Serve customers with respect and courtesy.
Arrive at the scheduled time, prepared to complete the task promptly and efficiently.
Complete all projects within the agreed-upon timeframe and deliver the finished product on time and in the format expected.
Place customers’ needs first.
Strive to exceed customer expectations.

Approved by both organizations in July, the revised Code of Ethics were implemented immediately by NICA and will be effective 10/1/14 for The Inventory Institute.

The Code of Ethics is the backbone of how an industry and it’s professionals choose to conduct business; they will play a guiding role for the individual business owners and also for our two organizations as we move forward. They will be an integral part of achieving certification and designation renewals.

18 Apr 2014

Now Available! Continuing Education Course – Residential Contents Inventory

A large number of inventory professionals are seeking continuing education. This was made evident by those who completed the survey recently distributed through a joint effort by National Inventory Certification Association and The Inventory Institute. In response to this survey, NICA has just completed “Residential Contents Inventory.”

This course includes the variety of processes that are currently used by successful inventory professionals. Therefore, this material serves two purposes: 1) to introduce the many options from which a new inventory service professional can select and develop a quality service of their own, and 2) to provide this collective information for established inventory professionals who seek to learn other methods, in an effort to continually improve their process.

Additionally, this course offers a general understanding of homeowners insurance. This is to enable the inventory professional to properly recommend when it would be a benefit for the homeowner to discuss coverage with their agent.

It is imperative that a home inventory service provider conduct business with honesty, integrity, sound business judgment, and professionalism. Course material reinforces best practices, which support the National Inventory Certification Association Code of Ethics.

Documenting the contents of a residence is the foundation of the asset inventory industry, and in essence, where the home inventory industry began. It makes sense that this be the focus of our first course.

Residential Contents Inventory Course

Some of the topics addressed in the Residential Contents Inventory course are:

Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
Additional Reasons for a Home Inventory
Determine Your Process
A Systematic Approach for Your Service
The Finished Product
Best Practices
Safety

Visit the Continuing Education Section of the NICA website for a full description of the course. Members of the National Inventory Certification Association receive a 50% discount off of all Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses.

12 Mar 2014

Inventory Survey Results Are In

The Inventory Institute and the National Inventory Certification Association (NICA) joined together to conduct the first Inventory Industry Survey. It was distributed in late February 2014, and netted a better-than-normal response rate. This shows that Asset Industry Professionals welcome the opportunity to provide feedback for their growing industry. In response to the two organizations’ goals of being member-focused, there are plans to reach out to industry professionals again to gather more pertinent information.

As Industry Organizations, The Inventory Institute and NICA will continue to work on developing information, creating metrics, and achieving industry related initiatives that will enable them to support their members and the industry as a whole.

As a gesture of thanks for the time spent answering the survey, a drawing was held after the survey. Congratulations to Patty Kreifels of Picture This Asset Inventory Service, as the winner of the book, A Business Guide to Asset Inventory.

If you did not receive the first survey, and would like to provide your thoughts and ideas in the future, please email Johanna Curtiss of the Inventory Institute at jkcurtiss@inventoryinstitute.org to be placed on the mailing list. The results of the Inventory Industry Survey, along with the comments associated with the questions, are provided for your review.

Both organizations welcome members as well as non-members to share ideas that will benefit either The Inventory Institute, the National Inventory Certification Association, or the industry in general.