The background screening business is challenging enough without your data suppliers trying to cut you out of the loop or go behind your back. But that’s one of the many issues background screening companies and CRAs are dealing with as you plan for success in 2023. And that’s why we’ve been emphatic with our customers (and the marketplace): InformData is in the people-data business to support you, not to compete with you.
Can all your background check data suppliers make this claim? Or if they can, can they do it without crossing their fingers behind their backs?
It’s a brave new world for CRAs. The new era of market consolidation and the presence of outside money have created some strange bedfellows in the industry that are playing both sides of the field—consumer reporting agency and data furnisher.
Rather than tell you what we stand against (my biggest pet-peeve in this industry), I’d rather tell you what InformData stands for. We've invested millions over two decades to create the Direct-Source Data® methodology and technology to make people-data equitably accessible to all. We do that through API first integrations, simplified business models for CRAs and by creating a background screening data supply chain allowing your CRA to achieve peak competitiveness, profitably and scale while delighting your customers with reliability and accuracy.
And when we say equitably accessible to all, we mean our customers and the industry at-large. Many will recall the efforts InformData recently took to expand access to terminals for conducting criminal record searches in places like Cook County, Illinois earlier this year. Or the role we continue to play to limit personally identifiable information (PII) redaction which would bring criminal background checks to a halt in places like Michigan and California.
And our efforts on your behalf don’t end with access. When it comes to employment verifications, we challenge ourselves to identify alternative methods to avoid soaring third-party access fees so that your clients don’t have to consider whether resume verification is really all that important.
Look. I’ve stood in your shoes. I started and co-owned a successful CRA. The background screening industry wasn’t as complicated back then, but I had a hard and fast rule about who I chose to do business with. If a supplier competed with my business in any way, I looked for someone who’s business interests aligned with mine.
My advice—do your research. Who owns or invests in the companies you use to supply your background screening data? In our case, it’s just us and our investment partner, Gallant Capital. Neither of us owns CRAs or other businesses that compete with you.
At InformData, we see our background screening clients as partners, not competitors. We are here to help you succeed in your business and reach your goals. Our team of experts is ready and waiting to partner with you to create a Direct-Source Data plan that provides access to the data you and your customers need to succeed, and we do it without going behind your back.
Contact us today to get started!
