VICTIG Makes G2 Crowd’s List of Best B2B Tech Companies

Users of the independent review site G2 Crowd have ranked VICTIG Screening Solutions as one of the best B2B tech companies to do business with in 2018.

Ranked by user satisfaction percentages of each company’s top-rated product, the G2 Crowd list includes the top 26 technology companies, with VICTIG winning the number two spot on the list.

VICTIG’s Two Top-rated Features

Founded in 2009 and currently serving at least 2,000 clients,VICTIG has established itself as a leader in providing top-tier employment background check services for companies of many different sizes across a diverse range of industries. Of the reviewers who submitted their assessments of VICTIG’s services to G2 Crowd, 49% worked for a mid-market type company having at least 51 to 1000 employees.

Reviewers rated their satisfaction with VICTIG’s top tools: screening and assessments (96%) and performance and reliability (98%).

It’s this impressive level of satisfaction that placed VICTIG Screening Solutions so high on G2 Crowd’s list of Utah’s best B2B tech companies, and according to Brent Ramey, owner at VICTIG, it’s all due to VICTIG’s stellar customer service and the simplicity of the software.

“VICTIG offers an indispensable service which operates behind the scenes and, as a result, generally doesn’t get much notice. So seeing our efforts reflected in such positive reviews is tremendous validation,” stated Ramey.

So what’s next? According to Ramey, in terms of VICTIG’s impact on Utah’s flourishing tech scene, he sees VICTIG continuing to establish itself as a leader within the background screening industry specifically, and making more of a public impact in that space.

“We’ve always flown under the radar,” added Ramey, “and that’s the way you want it to be when you’re providing reliable background screening services. When our clients are receiving excellent service, they can run their organizations smoothly, confidently, and efficiently knowing that their new hires are strong additions to their teams, and the occasion to provide feedback in the style of G2 Crowd’s list may come up rarely. In addition to our number two ranking, VICTIG leads the background screening category within the G2 directory, and we definitely give credit to our commitment to customer service as well as our easy-to-use software.”

A Suite of Services

VICTIG’s screening and assessment tool, rated with a 96% satisfaction score by G2 Crowd users, breaks down into targeted services that cover the needs of employers, landlords, and any person or organization looking for a way to verify the trustworthiness and qualifications of an individual.

Its background check services include:

• Pre-employment screening
• Tenant screening
• Volunteer screening
• National criminal database checks
• Education verification
• Credit report checks
• Employment verification
• Drug testing
• Motor vehicle record searches
• License verification
• Sex offender registry checks

Why Perform a Background Check?

While there is no law that exists requiring that employers and landlords perform background checks, there is tremendous incentive to do so when interviewing prospective workers, volunteers, and tenants.

Background checks are essential to ensuring that all new additions to a team are trustworthy for the protection of the people an organization serves, especially in industries servicing vulnerable or at-risk demographics, such as hospice and home care, elderly care, and childcare. Financial institutions, as well, must closely regulate who is brought on board and allowed to handle sensitive or valuable information.

Reasons for performing background checks run from the ethical to the pragmatic to the fiscally responsible. These reasons include:

• Preserving company reputation and integrity
• Mitigating risk of workplace violence
• Mitigating risk of a security breach
• Protecting against the wasted expense of a bad hire
• Maximizing resources allocated to hiring/training
• For landlords: protecting property investments from the waste, damages, and headache of bad, slow-paying, or delinquent renters.

It goes without saying that a key value to performing background checks is peace of mind that you’ve done what’s necessary to protect yourself, your interests, and all those who depend on the success of your hiring decisions.

Accuracy and Simplicity

In VICTIG’s industry, the quality of the data it returns to its clients is determined absolutely by its accuracy, which is why receiving a 98% user satisfaction score for the performance and reliability aspect of its services is such a crucial mile marker to pass.

Where some companies’ methods allow for holes in the data, such as searching national directories exclusively which contain outdated or incomplete information, VICTIG’s methodologies emphasize thorough due diligence with each and every check.

VICTIG’s commitment to quality data and service include:

• A turnaround of up to two days
• No automated phone system
• Live person answers every time
• Easy-to-use system
• Competitive pricing options
• Friendly and attentive customer service

VICTIG’s philosophy for excellence never sacrifices accuracy for speed, yet speed is often the main selling point of service providers who fall short on accuracy. However, VICTIG’s processes still come with a competitive advantage as to the turnaround time of its reports.

A two-day turnaround for comprehensive, thoroughly verified reports is an attractive option for Victig’s professional, quality-conscious clientele, and the results of this commitment are reflected in G2 Crowd’s reviews.

The Critical Value of Compliance

In this industry, noncompliance presents a liability no business wants to deal with, with the potential of leading to costly litigation, fines, and worse. VICTIG actively maintains compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in all of its processes, as well as compliance with existing background check legislation across the nation.

Compliance is as critical an aspect of VICTIG’s services as the accuracy of its reporting, and is emphasized in the many memberships and partnerships in which VICTIG participates, including:

• National Credit Reporting Association (NCRA)
• Concerned CRAs
• CRAHelpDesk
• TazWorks

Tireless Innovation

VICTIG’s technological innovations are designed to simplify and streamline the more complicated aspects of human resources as well as the tedious roadblocks and pitfalls that often come with the investigative work of screening candidates.

These services come in the form of VICTIG’s:

• Instascreen software (CyberTrust certified)
• Hotline MP3 Verifications
• E-signature
• Strategic vendor partnerships

Instascreen Software

VICTIG’s Instascreen software, a fully documented API provided by TazWorks, provides a map for your IT department to smoothly and efficiently integrate VICTIG’s cutting-edge screening services platform for your company’s use.

Complete with a stress-free integration plan, around-the-clock security and monitoring, 24/7 in-house support, and flexible customization options, Instascreen can deliver a full suite of data to you via a totally secure XML gateway, no matter how targeted your search. This data includes:

• Criminal data (county, federal, statewide, and nationwide)
• Credit reports
• Eviction data (single state or nationwide)
• Medical Sanction Search (FACIS)
• Motor vehicle records
• Social Security Trace
• Office of Inspector General (OIG) and General Services Administration (GSA) data

Hotline MP3 Verifications

This service bypasses the headache and inefficiencies of phone-tag when certain verifications require a verifier to get in touch with a specific person, such as confirming a claim on a resume. If the contact is unavailable at the time of the initial call, Victig utilizes a custom verification hotline which the contact can call at any hour of the day to provide the answers needed. The message is a converted to an MP3 file that can be attached to the report and/or transcribed. This allows HR representatives the option to not only read the responses, but listen to tone, which can often be just as telling.

E-signature Technology

When you’re trying to make a process more efficient, less paperwork is always a good thing. FCRA compliance requires that you:

• have the applicant sign a disclosure and consent form
• file that form
• provide the applicant a summary of their rights under the FCRA

The menial demands of this paper shuffling is a thing of the past with VICTIG’s E-signature process. It makes the clerical work of procuring consent, maintaining FCRA compliance, and record keeping a breeze.

All that is required is to enter the applicant’s name and email address and the rest is automated. The candidate receives a 50-state-compliant disclosure and authorization form by email and follows the simple prompts to provide an e-signature and supply all the pertinent screening information you have required for the position. Altogether, this method saves your HR department time and reduces data entry errors by as much as 15%.

Strategic Vendor Partnerships

While traditional screening companies collect data through 1 or 2 vendors, Victig’s data is collected through a host of strategic vendor partnerships (over 30) to assure accuracy.   

About G2 Crowd and Utah Business

In 2017, Utah saw some major attention on the business front, with Forbes naming Salt Lake City the “next tech mecca,” and CNBC calling Utah the 8th Top State for Business. Salt Lake City tech businesses also received upwards of $519 million in funding, with more than 42 startups launching before the end of the year.

This momentum started in a big way in 2002, when Salt Lake City impressed the world with the Winter Olympics. Entrepreneurship in tech has only grown since then and the predictions are in that the next Silicon Valley is gaining steam in our own backyard as Silicon Slopes.

It was in this atmosphere of growth that G2 Crowd saw the opportunity to offer real-time, unbiased user reviews through a model that emphasizes transparency and efficiency. While previous B2B buying decisions came with drawn-out negotiating processes, biased pitches, and a solid amount of risk, G2 Crowd launched a review platform that now leverages more than 300K independent and authenticated reviews that are consulted by over a million buyers every month.

VICTIG’s inclusion on G2 Crowd’s list speaks to the rate of business growth in the area as well as the need for reliable vetting within these high-powered companies. VICTIG provides an essential service for these companies while maintaining some of the highest user satisfaction ratings within the G2 Crowd platform, joined on the list by Domo, InsideSales.com, BambooHR, Instructure, and Qualtrics, to name just a few of the other key players in Utah tech.

For a closer at G2 Crowd’s list of prestigious tech companies in Utah, click here. But if you want to experience our top-rated services for yourself, a VICTIG rep is standing by to discuss a perfect-fit screening solution for your vetting and hiring needs.

Contact us today!

Background Checks At a Glance

G2 G2 Crowd’s user satisfaction ratings for VICTIG:

• 98% performance and reliability
• 96% screening and assessments

• Turnaround time up to 2 days
• E-signature process reduces errors by up to 15%
• At least one-third of applicants falsify information on their resumes
• A bad hire can cost a company as much as $240K
• The cost of a bad hire can come in the form of:
  • Recruitment and training fees
  • Wasted staff time
  • Negative impact on team morale
  • Disrupted projects and poor performance
  • Lost or injured customers
  • Negative impact on reputation/brand
  • Litigation fees

Sources

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/cost-of-bad-hires.aspx

4 Common Background Check Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them Part 2

As you plan out the screening process for your organization, avoid common mistakes to make sure you successfully find the best candidate while minimizing risks. That last thing you want to do is expose yourself or your business to litigation arising from the mishandling of sensitive information or from allegations of discrimination and FCRA non-compliance.

In a previous post we discussed the first four mistakes to avoid. Now we’ll explore a few more.

What NOT to Do When Doing a Background Check

1. Fail to screen EVERYONE. You may be hiring from a pool of candidates from all over the country, which means the costs of screening may be varied. Never elect to screen one candidate and not another for any reason. Best practice is to outline in your policy when a background check will be conducted and then conduct one for everyone who gets to that point.
2. Overwhelm yourself with data. If it’s not totally necessary to run a certain type of check (credit, driving history, medical history, etc.) don’t run it. Your locality may even prohibit certain checks for certain positions. Consult with your vendor or legal counsel for more information on your limitations.
3. Give arrest records as much weight as convictions. Ban-the-box type discourages the move to generally disqualify those with criminal records for employment. It is important to consider that arrest records both do not indicate guilt as well generally disqualify candidates from certain types of positions. You must consider the nature of the offense with the requirements of the job.
4. Fail to provide candidate opportunity to dispute negative information. Employers are required to inform candidates when negative information surfaces in a background check that may impact the hiring decision. This is to give the candidate time to dispute or correct the information.

Consult with a qualified background check vendor with additional questions regarding what you may or may not do during a check.

8 Common Background Check Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

When screening candidates for employment, housing, or volunteer work, a background check will be your greatest asset in determining whether or not the person will be an appropriate and beneficial fit for your organization. Beyond gut feelings and first impressions, a background check provides hard data by which you can make informed decisions as you narrow your options. 

Before starting a background check, however, there are several common pitfalls that you need to be aware of so as to avoid making costly mistakes and exposing yourself to risk. The last thing you need is to subject your business to litigation that arises from the mishandling of sensitive information or allegations of discrimination and FCRA non-compliance.

What NOT to Do When Conducting a Background Check

1. 1. Fail to obtain written consent

   The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that you obtain written consent before running a background check. This request must be made separately from the employment application and should clearly state that the results of the check will be used to make a hiring decision. You’re also required to inform applicants of their rights to correct any inaccuracies that adversely affect your ability to hire them.

   2. Fail to obtain all pertinent identifiers

   When collecting information for a background check, be sure to collect maiden names, middle initials, birth dates, etc. If you don’t, you could end up pulling up someone else’s (or several other people’s) data, which leads to a mountain of extra work and a headache for everyone involved. 

   3. Fail to run targeted searches on all places of residence

   A thorough background check should pull information on every place a candidate has ever lived, which is especially important when selecting for positions that deal with high-risk clientele, such as children, the elderly, and the disabled. If you don’t run a check on all places of residence, concerning events that occurred in one state could be entirely missed.

   4. Conduct searches outside the purview of the position in question

   It’s important to conduct searches that are specific to the job position in question, in order to minimize complications surrounding sensitive information. For example, if the position will not require driving, there is no need to delve into the candidate’s driving history.

   5. Fail to screen all applicants

   You may be hiring from a pool of candidates from all over the country, which means the costs of screening may vary. Never elect to screen one candidate and not another for any reason, as this could be interpreted as discrimination. The best practice is to outline when a background check will be conducted in your policy and then conduct one for every person who reaches that stage.

   6. Overwhelm yourself with data

   If it’s not totally necessary to run a certain type of check (credit, driving history, medical history, etc.), don’t run it. Your locality may even prohibit certain checks for certain positions. Consult with your vendor or legal counsel for more information on your limitations.

   7. Give arrest records as much weight as convictions

   The “ban-the-box” movement discourages employers from disqualifying those with criminal records from employment. Arrests are not as damning on a background check as a conviction; it is important to consider that arrest records do not indicate guilt and, as such, should not automatically disqualify candidates from certain types of positions. You must consider the nature of the offense and the requirements of the job.

   8. Fail to provide candidate an opportunity to dispute negative information

   Employers are required to inform candidates when negative information surfaces in a background check that may impact the hiring decision. You should always give the candidate the opportunity to dispute or correct such information.

Protect Yourself and Your Business With VICTIG Screening Solutions

Minimize risk and avoid these common errors as you conduct your background checks by contracting with a qualified third-party vendor like VICTIG. We can answer any additional questions regarding what you may or may not do during a check. Contact us today for more information.

Importance of Thorough Background Checks to Prevent Identity Mix-ups

In what is being called a case of indirect identity theft, a Maryland man’s job prospects were compromised following a routine background check at a potential job. Christopher Jenkin’s background check quickly uncovered a list of felony offenses, including grand theft auto, on his record. The problem: the record was for a man of the same name and birthdate, but who lived in Florida. The Christopher had never been to Florida let alone committed any of the crimes listed.

The Importance of Searching Local Registries over FBI Databases

The FBI reports that between the years 2014 and 2016 there were more than 1 million requests for FBI identity history summaries and of the results, about 2,300 contained errors. With more than 300 million people in the United States today, the odds are simply too great that identity mix-ups will occur and identity theft experts agree that better systems must put in place that will allow consumers to challenge and correct these mistakes more easily.

Consumer Rights

For his own protection, Christopher Jenkins of Maryland must carry a folder containing a litter from the Florida police department confirming that he is not the felon of the same name, a notarized affidavit explaining the case of mistaken identity, and a copy of his own fingerprints. He must present these things at traffic stops and job interviews and reports that the issue has led to undo stress and depression. Hopefully, with clarification, his employment prospects won’t be negatively impacted in the future, but the mix-up highlights the importance of thorough employee screening.

Additionally, for consumers it is crucial to remember that the FTC protects consumer rights to question and correct inaccurate information. In the event that a background is failed, you can request to see the report and contest the information.

Identity Checks

When your background check company cuts corners, neglecting to do a proper identity check, the worst-case scenario, and the one that too often plays out, is that an innocent person gets caught in the middle. Christopher Jenkins is far from the only person a careless mistake of this nature has affected.

In 2012, a man in New York City by the name of Kevin Jones was unpleasantly surprised when his prospective job came back with failed background check, uncovering a supposed rap sheet full of convictions for drunk driving, larceny, forgery and two separate jail stays. His potential employer then sent him a letter, placing the onus on him to clear his own name, or they would no longer be offering the job to him.

Similar to the Jenkins case, Kevin Jones had no criminal history to speak of, and in the eyes of this botched background check, was taking the blame for another Kevin Jones with the same birthday, living in another part of the state.

With the surprisingly high number of cases like these, it is of the utmost importance that background check services are called upon to perform a proper identity check.

Valid Forms of Identification

In the United States there are a few forms of government-issued photo ID that can be used for identity checks. These, and other documents, are crucial to background check companies when verifying beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are dealing with the correct person. Among these forms of identification are: 

State-Issued ID Cards

A standalone photo ID card issued to an individual by the state. This document is purely for identification purposes, and does not grant the owner any rights or privileges, such as operating a vehicle.

Driver’s Licenses

A state-issued photo ID card that also grants the holder the privilege of driving a motor vehicle. This is often used for identification purposes, as well as detailing the specific classifications of vehicles that the holder is authorized to handle.

US Passports

A document issued to a person by the United States government, authorizing them to travel internationally and verifying their identity and citizenship to other governments.

Military ID Cards

A photo identification document issued to members of the armed forces, which grants the holder access to a variety of government assistance, as well as verifying ID in many government or military contexts.

In the world of background checks, it’s crucial to be thorough with identity checks. This is the only way to prevent identity mix-ups and ensure that innocent people are not met with undue penalties for the crimes of others.

Choosing the Best Background Check Provider for Your Company

Every organization is different so the background check option you choose will depend on your needs as well as your resources. Luckily, there is variety in the background check industry and you’ll be able to choose between full-service options and ones that will allow you to conduct piecemeal searches largely on your own.

That kicker with both options is that anything you do MUST comply with FCRA and EEOC guidelines or you will be at risk of being accused of noncompliance or discrimination. Both can lead to costly litigation.

Full-service Background Checks

With this option, providers do all the heavy lifting, taking the information provided and conducting a host of verifications automatically or manually. Each individual check can take between two and five days to complete, but the resulting information is invaluable to hiring managers hoping to fill high level, crux positions within their companies.

These checks can/will include all or most of the following:

• local and federal criminal histories
• sex-offender status
• SSN verifications and traces
• Past employment verifications
• Education verifications
• Professional licensure verifications
• Professional references
• Credit report
• Civil records
• Motor vehicle records
• Military records
• Workers’ compensation histories
• Health care sanctions
• Address history

Though the costs and turnaround time associated with full-service background checks can seem high upfront, experts agree that the payoff is worth it. Mike Aitken of the Society for Human Resource Management agrees that when thoroughness is a requirement, it’s always best to go with professionals, stating, “Outside entities not only, in most cases, do electronic searchers; they also go right to the source. They actually do research and [personally] search the jurisdictions.”

Talk to the experts at VICTIG to learn more about what professional full-service background checks can do for you.