3 Ways Your Background Screening Partner Can Help During a Crisis

Survival in the business world depends on a company’s ability to persevere when a crisis hits. That being said, its support network is often the deciding factor on whether a company will sink or float. That’s why organizations that serve other businesses, including background screening vendors, should be much more than the services they offer — they need to be a partner.

Even if they’re facing the same crisis (let’s say a hurricane hits your region), your background screening partner must continue operating business as usual so you can hire and onboard new employees. How can your background screening vendor help in the midst of government closures, pandemics, and recessions? We have some ideas.

1. By Focusing On the Necessities

Crises often lead to a pileup of requests in the court system, meaning delayed screening results. Ask your screening partner if it’s possible to receive information as each service completes so you don’t have to wait for the final report. This option may help you to make hiring decisions a little faster during court or school closures.

This will also be a good time to review your screening program and ensure you only pay to receive the necessary information. There is no point in running a credit check on a candidate who won’t make financial decisions or pulling a Motor Vehicle Report on someone who won’t drive for the company. In times of crisis, it’s more important than ever to screen only for necessary information.

That’s where your screening provider comes in. A background screening vendor with ample experience and compliance know-how is able to guide you along the way because they know what a background check looks like for each unique industry and position. They will provide the option to build a completely customizable package that includes what you need and excludes anything costing you unnecessary time and money.

Additionally, an informed background check partner knows how expensive turnover is and will help you focus on current employees. The latest innovation in screening for employee management is workforce monitoring, which regularly checks employees’ criminal records. It may sound straightforward, but there are more benefits to workforce monitoring than you may think.

2. By Keeping Everyone Up-to-Date

Knowledge is key during periods of transition. A great background screening partner provides regular updates regarding government closures and other relevant updates. They should be the manager of information – providing guidance when needed, notifying you of delays, and giving time estimates. While screening companies cannot control the court system, they can control their communication, adaptability, and resilience.

This is why it’s valuable to work with a background screening partner whose staff is fully FCRA-certified. The right certifications in combination with plenty of experience in the industry work as the backbone of a screening company’s knowledge base. The workflow of communications during crisis should look something like this:

• Compliance experts quickly receive communications by being well-connected
• They immediately relay the information to FCRA-certified client services and customer support teams
• Clients are notified and receive support from their dedicated representative if any questions or problems arise

Now is a good time to reevaluate your partnership with your background screening provider. Ask the right questions – including if their responses to adversity meet your expectations. Have they sent timely notifications about delays, court closures, and other relevant information? Has the quality of their work remained the same despite universal issues caused by a crisis? Have they kept you updated on any new developments? These are all questions to consider as you move forward in your relationship with your screening partner.

3. By Making Things Simple

The last thing you want during a crisis is time wasted on frustrating technology. Background checks have a reputation for being outdated, but that’s a myth ready to be busted. There are screening companies out there who innovate to stay ahead of the times – providing the integrations, mobile-friendly features, and turnaround times needed for you and your candidates to enjoy a seamless experience.

A great background screening partner is one who focuses on keeping things as simple as possible for you. Running background checks is invaluable when it comes to risk mitigation, so it can’t go ignored, even in a crisis. Choose a background check partner who’s got your back when it comes to getting you the information you need.

The Bottom Line

Background screening companies should be well-accustomed to protecting businesses and managing large amounts of information. On any given day, a pre-employment screening provider handles criminal records, drug test results, social security numbers, and much more – all while staying current on the latest compliance updates. A background screening partner with the right expertise will have crisis plans in place and be able to pivot when necessary.

After over 30 years in the background screening industry, InfoMart has seen it all. Whether it was a recession or the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted with the times and kept things running smoothly. We did this through our client-first mentality. 

What does that look like for us? It means focusing on what we can do to help clients spend less energy on background checks and more on running their businesses. Providing excellent customer service, a user-friendly platform, and customizable package options are some of the many ways we help our clients succeed.

Interested in what kind of package we’d put together for your company? Let’s get to the drawing board! Reach out here or email Sales@InfoMart-USA.com anytime.

I would love to hear from you and connect; add me on LinkedIn to keep in touch!

About Tammy Cohen

Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record. To learn more about Tammy, visit www.tammycohen.com.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.