Demand More from Your Data: 5 Key Ways to Stay Competitive

By Julie Price

October 12, 2022

To say the past two years in the background screening industry has been a wild ride is an obvious understatement. Never before has hiring in the US seen so much fluctuation and turmoil, and consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) and other background screeners have been faced with keeping up with hiring levels that demand more and more from them.

By the end of 2022, the background screening industry will hit an all time high of $40 billion in revenue. Although the pandemic created quite a hiccup, the industry has already rebounded this year and has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

In fall of 2021, PBSA conducted research* that states, “95% of organizations do at least one type of background check.” It seems background checks are now definitively the norm in hiring.

The study also states the biggest challenges faced by CRAs and other background screeners are costs and the length of time to get the results. Accuracy is the third most recognized challenge.

The demand for background screening leads to a whole laundry list of things you need to demand from your data, such as the following:

Broader coverage
Better transparency in the data
Faster turnaround times
More accurate, easy-to-access data
Outstanding user experience (UX) and customer-centric product design

It’s critical for CRAs to be able to provide what their customers require – fast, accurate data so they can keep pace in today’s hiring market. CRAs that demand more from their data will likely achieve a competitive edge in today’s hiring world.

That’s why 4 out of the top 6 CRAs rely on Tessera for their people-data needs.

Broader Coverage

What can you retrieve with a full-range of products?

How can your data provider help with your data requirements? By delivering reliable, broader coverage in order to present a more complete picture of an individual’s background. What does broader coverage look like?

It ‘s a well-stocked arsenal of products designed to address customer needs. This arsenal of products is achieved through customer-centric product development that focuses not just on today’s customer goals, but on promoting customer success in the future.

At Tessera, we listen to our customers and provide products that support their most prevalent needs. Your goals are our goals.

Alias & Address History: Uncover even the hard-to-find details like name changes and out-of-state moves with deeper insights that will guide the next steps in your background screening process.
Criminal Database: Instantly retrieve key people-data from one of the largest criminal databases – one that covers 99% of the nation’s population criminal information.
Automated Criminal Records: Using our automated technology, criminal searches are delivered 98% faster than traditional research methods, reducing your search cost by around 35% and returning results on average in 30 minutes or less.
Continuous Monitoring: In response to market demand, further reduce people-risk by proactively monitoring for new criminal occurrences and receive instantaneous alerts of any new instances.
Driver History: Quickly identify and assess driver-related risk in a single search – some of which do not show up in criminal searches. Receive organized results in minutes without the hassle of dealing with multiple DMVs.

How can you retrieve the data you need?

The “how” of retrieving data in a way that is fast and cost effective boils down to one thing – Automation. If you still think on-demand automated court records are not the future of background screening, you may want to rethink your strategy.

Did you know that automated on-demand criminal records can cut the length of time it takes to retrieve records from 1-3 days down to a matter of 30 minutes or less? That’s a 98% reduction in turnaround time. It may seem cliche, but time really is money!

Automation of criminal records cuts turnaround time by 98%.

Reducing the time it takes to retrieve the court information you need increases your efficiency, and that can significantly affect your bottom line. Speed can also increase your competitive advantage over others in the industry.

Better Transparency

How do you know what sources you can tap into for automated criminal data?

Know your sources. By this, we mean get as close to the source electronically as possible so you know what data you can retrieve using automated criminal records before making search decisions. Get better insights by demanding transparency from your data provider and knowing what sources it has access to.

Geographically, knowing what people-data is available from which sources allows you to see a more complete picture. You will be able to create the most efficient balance between on-demand criminal records and third-party research using The Clear Strategy.

As a Tessera customer, you get complete 24/7 access to our Source List as well as innovative Tier Maps. The Tier Maps allow you to see what sources you are currently pulling information from and also which ones you aren’t (but maybe you should be).

Faster Turnaround Time

Let’s talk cost advantages.

To properly address the issue of cost advantages, you must first look at how fast you can get the information you need and how to increase your accuracy using this data. Let’s return to the Tessera product lines and explore a typical customer journey, shall we?

Alias & Address History: This is your first step to successful background screening. Why? It helps you properly identify individuals you are screening which narrows the field of searches and decreases time and money spent on incorrect identification.
Criminal Database: Pulling information from this expansive database helps you laser focus the direction of your automated searches – decreasing the likelihood of erroneous searches. This enormous source of data includes Court and Arrest Records, Department of Corrections Records, data from Sex Offender Registries, Warrant Records, and Security Watch Lists.
Automated Criminal Records: This is where you truly see effects to your bottom line. As stated previously, automation is key for these 3 reasons:
- 1. Decrease turnaround time by 98%
- 2. Decrease search costs by over 35%
- 3. Average TAT is 30 minutes or less
Continuous Monitoring: The market is seeing more and more demand for tools that not only continuously monitor for new instances, but deliver immediate notification when they occur.
Driver History: Do you find dealing with multiple DMVs to obtain driver history information taxing? Why not get all the information you need directly from one source? That’s the function of Tessera’s Driver History product.

Get the Data That Matters

Streamline with Filtering

Automation of data retrieval helps remove human error by going directly to the source that generates the information. Using extensive filtering ensures your searches are laser-focused to deliver only the data you need and without human bias entering the picture.

Ease of Data Access

Multiple Ways of Retrieving Data

The more ways you have to access the data you need, the easier it is for you to use it efficiently. At Tessera, the choice is yours! Log into our client portal, use standard or custom API integrations, or choose from our world-class, third-party partner platforms.

A Clear Look at the Future

Product Design and UX

Demanding more from your data means you get a seat at the table when it comes to the future of the data you receive. Using customer feedback, Tessera’s design engineers develop new features based on what the customer needs.

And, to help create a first-class customer experience, our Customer Success Team collectively brings over 40 years of experience to help you achieve your goals.

Tessera, True Innovators in Background Screening Data

Tessera’s automation technology for retrieving on-demand criminal records offers you an industry-leading, real-time solution to the most current data. We’re continuously finding new ways to improve turnaround times, cost efficiencies, and accuracy of the people-risk data you receive.

However, where we truly give you a competitive edge is our ability to get you as close as possible to the data you need with innovative tools like online Tier Maps and Source Lists. These self-service tools give you 24/7 access to the information you need to put the pieces of people-risk data together successfully in order to see the bigger picture.

If you want to know more about how you can demand more from your data, we’d be happy to show you.