When Should You Integrate Background Checks Into Your Platform?
Checkr Editor
Editor’s note: This article was written by Brittany La, product marketing manager at Checkr.
According to Statista, it is projected that in 2027, 86.5 million people will be working independently in the United States and will make up 50.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce. For companies like yours whose hiring needs extend beyond a core employee base, building a hiring program that makes it easy to onboard new recruits sets you up to succeed amidst this massive shift towards contracted work. Whether you’re high growth or well established, you need to deploy technology that helps you scale efficiently.
For gig, on-demand, and two-sided marketplaces—background checks become an integral part of the business since new hires will directly interface with the customer through driving, delivery, in-home visits, care, etc. Background checks are crucial to build trust and safety for customers and to scale the business and brand.
If this sounds like your company, it may seem easy to pick up and use any background check solution that is available. However, for a business model like yours where background checks are a must, it’s important to consider how seamlessly you can incorporate them into your platform and processes. The experience shouldn’t be clunky or manual, and using a background check API can make background checks feel like a natural extension of your product and overall user experience.
But when is the best time to consider integrating background checks? We’ll run through the pros and cons depending on how established your company is.
You’re starting out and haven’t gone to market yet
Pros
- Get ahead of manual process: It’s easy to get caught up in manual or clunky processes when there’s so much going on in an early stage organization. Your background check process can be automated and efficient from the start, saving your company time and money.
- Build the product right from the start: Why not prioritize a core part of your platform’s experience from the beginning rather than have it operate outside of it? Your product will feel robust and refined at launch, driving user interest and adoption.
- Expedite revenue when you go-to-market: When you go-to-market, you’re going to have lofty growth targets. A seamless background check and onboarding experience for your users will drive activity on your platform sooner, meaning you’ll see revenue sooner.
Cons
- Lack of resources: When you’re operating with a small team, you may not have resources to dedicate to all priorities, but it doesn’t have to be difficult to integrate background checks. That’s why it’s important to find a background check API solution that is easy to implement and doesn’t require a ton of time or effort.
Your product is launched and your company is growing
Pros
- Refine the product: Now that your product is out in the market and is gaining traction and attention, you want to iterate and improve. The onboarding process can be one of your first focus areas towards improving the overall product experience.
- Accelerate growth: A clunky background check process slows down growth because it directly impacts your ability to conduct business and offer services. You can accelerate your growth by integrating and automating it directly into your platform.
- Catch up with industry leaders: Industry leaders like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and more all have integrated the background check process seamlessly into their apps and platforms.
Cons
- Busy roadmap: Now that you’re experiencing growth, there are likely various long-term investments you’re considering that impact the product roadmap. Leveraging a background check API that is easy to integrate can make it a no brainer to add to the roadmap, considering the immediate positive impact it’ll have on your business.
- Undoing manual process: At this stage in the company, there may be manual processes to undo in the onboarding process. It’s worth the time and effort now to address these and automate the background check process so things don’t get worse.
Your company is well established and becoming a market leader
Pros
- Become the market leader: At this stage, it only takes a few more changes or improvements to take your company to the next level. If you haven’t integrated background checks yet, doing so will elevate your onboarding process and close remaining efficiency gaps.
- Offer the best-in-class product: Integrating background checks into your product will allow you to offer a seamless and friendly experience, improving overall user and customer delight.
Cons
- Undoing manual process: There may be a lot of process debt to address, but it’s worth it to ensure that your company continues to grow and maintain its leading position. A simple background check API can help, while not taking much effort or time to integrate.
In conclusion
No matter what stage your company is in, it’s never too late to consider integrating background checks directly into your product. A seamless integration provides a positive user experience, overall process efficiency, and ability to scale and grow.
Want to learn more about integrating background checks into your platform? Talk to sales today.
