Changing Background Check Vendors

It’s difficult to make changes in our personal lives, let alone changes in our professional lives, especially when things have worked fine for so long. But changes are good. It helps businesses keep their competitive edge and keeps their customers loyal. In fact, businesses should embrace change!

Most companies have been using the same vendors for services for quite some time. We hear it all the time “we have no issues with our current provider,” “things have been running smoothly and we don’t see any reason for a change.” Change is hard for anyone, but change is a good thing. It can bring a new perspective to a current process and save you time and money.

Of course, I am talking about changing vendors when it comes to background checks. Background checks help you make smart hiring decisions. Most small businesses choose not to do them because of the cost and because they may feel like they know their employees and the people they are hiring well enough, therefore they don’t need to background check them. But the reality is any business where employees interact with or provide a direct service to customers is liable if an employee does harm to a customer and it turns out that the employee had a previous history of wrongdoing.

It’s important not to just focus on the cost of background checks. Get to know the vendor you are using. What other organizations are they affiliated with? What kind of experience do their researchers have? How well versed are they with the FCRA (Federal Credit Reporting Act)? What is their process to eliminate a possible hit on a person? And of course, inquire about costs, such as service fees, monthly fees, and any additional fees you could be charged.

background checksUltimately, your goal is to hire the right person the first time. To do this, 3rd Degree Screening, will help you develop a background check that meets the needs of your organization and protects you from risk, while staying within your budget. We understand that all companies have unique needs when it comes to their hiring practices. We also understand that one price does not fit all and that can be obvious if you have multiple locations across the United States. Most background screening companies charge a higher fee upfront or charge a lower package price, but then the total cost is more due to additional fees and service charges. As a background screening company, who learned the trade as court researchers, 3rd Degree Screening knows what things cost and we do not markup our fees.

When you are looking at your current background screening process, pull out your invoice and take a look at the charges. Do you see something that states “other fees,” “service fees,” “third party verification fees “, “monthly charge?” Ask your vendor exactly what those costs are for. Make your current screening company be specific about those charges. And then click on the link below to have 3rd Degree Screening do a price comparison for you. I think you’ll be surprised at what you find.