When choosing vendors, think about “why,” not “how.”

In my 20+ years in the industry, I’ve served in many operational roles, but I’m actually a service person at heart. Operations was simply the vessel from which I could deliver the amazing client and applicant experiences I envisioned. I learned early in my career it wasn’t enough to have an idea to deliver on that vision one time. I needed to create the products, the policies, and procedures to do it consistently, accurately and at scale.

But while processes, products and technologies have evolved, the core needs of end users haven’t changed much. Employers need quick access to information to make a hiring decision, at a reasonable price, without doing much heavy lifting on their end. I don’t expect those needs to be much different in the future, either.

On the CRA side though, many things have changed. Some have been positive. Better data sources, more integrations, and a greater commitment to accuracy (remember when contemporaneous notice as an alternative to “reasonable procedures” was a legitimate business strategy?!?!).

Other changes haven’t been so positive. More litigation. Stickier ATS relationships (if you’re on the outside looking in), a lower barrier to entry for new entrants, and as a partial result, a more competitive sales cycle.

But the client’s needs have remained the same. ?

So, when I put on the Operations hat, I think about “how” to create products, policies, and processes, but I think even more about the “why.” This is the most important part, and it’s typically the first question I ask a new client. “Why” are we doing this, and for who’s benefit? Everything else emanates from there.

And as times change, so do the objectives. In the current landscape, I see a heightened focus on fulfillment processes, specifically what to automate, what to do manually, and all options in between.

It’s interesting to see the choices made. Some CRAs choose manual processes for the sake of manual processes; they don’t trust the technology or believe no one can do it better than a person. On the other end, I see some so committed to automation they’d rather go without the benefit of a process if it means a person must do it.

I think both approaches are wrong. Those CRAs are focusing too much on the “how,” and not the “why.”

A case in point. About 5 years ago, I began to rethink my preferences for criminal record fulfillment. I looked out at the industry and saw two rapidly changing trends.

First, I started hearing more and more business leaders concerned with the high turnover and overall lack of expertise of their criminal record teams. These can be low wage, entry level positions. Add in seasonal peaks and valleys in your business, and you get a slightly more stable production environment when you’re operating at your best, and a feeling the wheels are about to fall off when at your worst.

Around the same time, I started seeing providers improve at the “front end” of the process, the compliance review, identifier matching, and overall quality control checks more traditionally associated with a CRA’s in house staff. The standard product was no longer a raw record, data dump of probable, possible, and probably not accurate criminal record information, which required a CRA staff member to spend 45 minutes sorting through sort through at $16/hour. Over time, these providers attained the scale they needed to smooth out differences in their labor force, creating a more consistent product delivery system than their smaller clients could do on their own.

Today, I no longer try and achieve a CRAs profitability, operations, or compliance objectives by utilizing a predominately in house fulfillment model. It’s too time and labor intensive, with little belief that improvements will be permanent. Your staffing mix changes, maybe you gain a big client, maybe you lose a big client, and you’re right back where you started. I urge my clients to solve problems they alone can fix. This isn’t one of them.

Why did I change my mind? I kept asking “why.”

Kevin Bachman is a Partner in IQubed Advisors and host of the podcast, Background Check Radio.

With 20+ years executive experience, he is an employment screening thought leader providing financial, strategic and operational solutions to owners and senior management that increases client satisfaction, compliance, and profit. He advises PE and VC firms on investment opportunities, and helps employers create screening programs.

He is frequently invited to speak and write by the Professional Background Screeners Association (PBSA), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Kevin is the Chair of PBSA’s Background Screening Credentialing Council, which oversees the industry Accreditation Program.