Is Your Background Check Provider Responsive Enough for Your Company’s Needs? 19 Dec 2018

In 2018, a 911 operator was convicted of hanging up on thousands of emergency calls. Her actions led to delayed medical and police help for people in emergencies. The operator hung up on them because she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Her unwillingness to respond put people’s lives at risk.

There are many situations where you need people to respond to your questions or concerns. This is especially true of your background check provider. Their answers affect your hiring decisions and your business. But, how responsive should your background check provider be?

In this article, we’ll see how and why background check providers need to be responsive. We’ll also learn how to tell if your provider is responsive and what to do if they aren’t.

How Responsive Should My Background Check Provider Be?

Your background check provider should be responsive to your individual needs. Does your business need specific background checks for your industry or a job position? If so, your provider should offer those background checks.

Background check providers should also be responsive to how your company communicates. If your company usually communicates by phone, your provider should call you instead of using email. Many companies use multiple ways to communicate. One study found that 85 percent of employees use more than one device to communicate at work. You should be able to reach your background check provider by any of communication methods your business uses.

Because hiring decisions are on a tight timeline, your background check provider should be easy to reach. You don’t have time to play phone tag or, worse, get no reply. They should answer any questions or concerns you have as soon as possible.

There is a high standard for how responsive your background check provider should be. Why is it necessary that they be quick to respond to your company’s needs?

Why Should Your Background Check Provider Be Responsive?

Have you ever had to make a time-sensitive hire? Maybe you increased your team’s capacity so you could handle an urgent project. In cases like those, you need to get the candidate hired as soon as possible. But, a slow background check provider can hold up your progress, especially if you have additional questions.

For example, what if you work in health care and need to ensure a physician’s license, credentials, and experience are accurate and up-to-date? Now imagine that, besides those requirements, the physician has been working abroad for the past five years.

At this point, you’re probably wondering what kind of background check you need to run and how long it will take. If your background check provider takes a week to reply, you may miss your window to make that critical hire.

Background checks may seem like a simple process, but appearances can be deceiving. Different circumstances can make background checks more complicated from the employer’s perspective. If your background check provider can’t adapt to your specific needs, they could have a negative impact on your business.

How can you tell if your background check provider is responsive?

How Can I Tell If My Background Check Provider Is Responsive Enough?

You can gauge how responsive your background check provider is by asking a few questions. Here are a few to help you find out whether your background check provider is responsive enough.

• How quickly does my provider respond to questions? One to two business days is usually a reasonable time frame. It may take longer if you contact them during a holiday or on the weekend.
• How much time do they set aside to answer my questions? They should explain the answer thoroughly and allow you to ask follow-up questions.
• Do they communicate the way my company prefers? For example, your company may prefer that you use emails for business communication. In that case, your provider should agree to contact you by email instead of by phone.
• Can I communicate with them multiple ways if necessary? A provider that’s reachable by various methods of communication is more responsive.
• Do they offer all the background checks my company needs? They should be able and willing to help you decide what background checks your company needs.

What if you find out that your background check provider is not as responsive as your company needs?

What If My Background Check Provider Isn’t Responsive Enough?

The 911 operator who hung up on callers highlighted the danger of not responding to people’s needs. In this article, we’ve learned that a background check provider should be responsive to your needs. We also saw the problems that result when a background check provider isn’t quick to respond. Then, we taught you how to judge if your background check provider is responsive enough. But, what if the answer to those probing questions is that your background check company isn’t responsive enough for your company’s needs?

At Trusted Employees, we offer all the background checks your company needs. We communicate with you using the method you prefer, whether that be email, phone, or in person. Contact us today to learn more about our background check packages.