Every company that is looking to hire, do business with other companies, or otherwise partner with another entity needs to do background checks. A background check can provide a lot of information that can change a decision about a partnership or transaction. In many cases, it is one of the best ways to avoid working with the wrong people and making the company vulnerable to other problems. Here are some of the best background check resources for small businesses.
Why Are Background Checks Important?
It is important for a company to do background checks because it can help them avoid problems with another business or their employees. They might find that someone is working at another location who has a history of violence or is involved in situations that could be dangerous. Or, they might uncover debts or an unpaid debt to a court. These details may change the way they do business, which could cost the company money and make things more difficult.
Background checks also identify potential problem employees. Employees with a negative history, such as criminal activity or a history of violence, can put a company at risk. If that employee causes a problem, the company can be sued, be the victim of criminal activity, or damage its reputation in other ways. In short, background checks are a form of protection for businesses, especially small businesses that do not have the resources to weather serious problems.
What Makes a Background Check Vendor Good?
There are a lot of background check vendors out there. For better or for worse, there are a lot of ways that companies can gather information on specific people. Because of this, there are many vendors that do not provide high-quality services, but can provide adequate services.
As a small business owner, you want to rely on the companies that provide the best quality services that you can get. A potential problem resulting from a bad background check can put your company out of business.
To avoid problems in background checks, there are a few things that you should look for to tell if your vendor provides high-quality services.
Recorded Searches
An important thing about background checks is that you want to make sure there aren’t any errors in the information that is being gathered. To fix this, make sure that your vendor records the background checks that you ask for and keeps them on file. This lets you review the information and address any issues that arise within the information. Having them recorded also means that you can return to the company for information whenever you need to.
Affordable Price Per Search
You need to find out if the price per search is going to be affordable. When hiring employees, you will likely have quite a few applicants per position that needs to be filled. Even if you narrow it down to the top few applicants, that means that you still have to spend a good amount of money for multiple background checks.
Determine what the price per search is for your vendor. You want to save money when you can, but not in compromising the quality of the results.
Accurate Searches
Accurate and reliable information is important for your background checks. You want to see what the company’s accuracy rating is. Also, look for companies that offer accuracy guarantees so that you have recourse if something is inaccurate.
Quality Controls
You need to look for a background check vendor that has quality controls. You want to make sure that you are receiving information that provides enough detail to make informed decisions.
Fast Turnaround
You want results as quickly as possible. Having to wait a long time for results means it takes longer to make decisions, which can cost you a lot in business.
Easy to Use Systems
You also want a background check vendor that will make it easy for you to use their system. You don’t want to have to spend all of your time learning how the system works and then messing up the results by mistake.
Highly Recommended Background Check Companies
There are many background check companies out there and weeding through them can be difficult. To help, here are some highly-rated background check companies with good reputations and why they are a good choice for small businesses.
First Advantage Provides the Best Overall Service
First Advantage is a reputable company that has been around for a while. They offer a full suite of background check services. They specialize in employment screening and employee background checks. Plus, the company can also do pre-employment screening and drug testing.
First Advantage has been acquired by Experian, one of the largest and most reputable credit reporting agencies in the country. This indicates that First Advantage has been able to expand its business to become one of the most important players in the background check industry.
First Advantage also provides a customer service team that is available to help you with any questions you may have about the service. First Advantage has flexible pricing per report making it easy to adjust services to your budget. They also offer a discounted rate if you want to run reports on multiple people.
Intelius Provides Unlimited Checks
Intelius is a company that focuses on information and intelligence. They provide information that can help you make better decisions in your business. Their background check service is one of their most popular offerings.
Intelius offers two different packages: a standard package or an unlimited package with monthly pricing.
They are one of the few companies in the industry that offers unlimited reports. This is an attractive option for small businesses that need to run many different reports. Intelius also has a comprehensive website where you can enter all of your information online. This makes it easy to run reports on yourself and other people.
B&B Reporting Offers Next-Day Reporting
B & B Reporting has been in business since 1974. They provide background checks for employment, pre-employment, tenant screening, and other uses. B & B Reporting has a very large customer base and is used by many of the top companies in the nation.
B & B Reporting can help you find information on people that is not available online. They have partnered with a network of public record databases that are not available to companies that do online checking. This includes information from county courthouses and other places where public records are kept.
B & B Reporting can do reports on an unlimited number of people. A typical report can take a few days, but it also offers a next-day service. This means that you can get your report in one business day, which is very helpful if you need to make a quick decision.
Accurate is Affordable
Accurate is a company that provides background checks for employment, tenant screening, and other applications. They provide the same type of service that companies like B & B Reporting do. However, they charge much less for their reports. Accurate also offers a two-day priority report service for an additional fee.
Checkr is Designed to Help You Hire the Right People
Checkr is a new company that has been growing rapidly over the past few years. They provide background checks and work to help you hire the right people. Checkr is an online service that makes it very easy to run reports and view reports. Their website is easy to navigate and is designed to show you the information you need to make decisions.
Checkr makes it easy to know if a person has been in jail or has a criminal record. However, it also provides other information that can help you make a better decision about potential hires. For example, it can tell you if someone has a driving record that indicates they might cause problems on the road. It can also show you if someone has a history of not paying their bills on time. This type of information can be very helpful when you are trying to determine if someone is right for your company.
Outsourcing to Vendors Makes Running Small Businesses Easier
Companies that provide background checks are a critical part of business. Every company needs to use the best background check sites to make sure they are hiring the right people. Every company also needs to partner with the right companies. A broken relationship with a vendor can be just as damaging as hiring the wrong person. The best background check sites for small businesses can help you do that.
There are other services that you ucan outsource too as well to make running your small business easier. For example, having an answering service can help you avoid missing calls from your customers, and be an essential part of providing better customer service.
If you’re ready to get started with a professional answering service, we’re here to help. Contact Answer Aide by calling (866) 427-3500 or by filling out our online form. We’re happy to partner with you to support your business while it grows.