For decades, the background check industry has presented a polished exterior with sleek websites and easy-to-use apps. However, beneath this pretty façade lies a system plagued by outdated processes and inefficiencies. As someone who has spent the past three years driving innovation in this space, I can confidently say: the background check industry is a fossil struggling to survive in a modern world.
The Illusion of Modernity
Major background check companies often showcase user-friendly designs, but this superficial modernity masks an underlying reliance on manual processes and third-party outsourcing. One vendor uses another vendor, that uses another vendor, and so on. It feels like a house of cards just waiting to collapse. While I've worked with fantastic individuals in this industry, most companies appear to have "tech" strategies designed to invest heavily in their platforms in order to conceal the inefficiencies beneath the surface.
We saw this specifically with education verification, traditionally one of the slowest and most expensive components of background checks. Our clients have cited that education verifications take anywhere from 2 days to 5 weeks to complete. This delay is often due to the dependence on third-party vendors who often offshore tasks to call centers in developing countries. Employees in these centers manually contact institutions to verify degrees, leading to prolonged turnaround times and increased costs.
Reinventing the Paradigm
At ZippedScript, we saw these obvious inefficiencies and took action. By developing proprietary technology from the ground up, we have revolutionized education verification. The results are compelling:
- Before ZippedScript: The average turnaround time for an education verification in China was 7 days.
- After ZippedScript: We reduced this to just 5 minutes. And that's only one of the 44+ countries we cover.
This represents a fundamental shift in industry operations to transparent, fast, and global solutions.
Our platform has pre-vetted degrees for over 20 million users, offering near-instant verification at a consistent, affordable rate. Our approach embodies the principle: "One World, One Price." No hidden fees, no inflated charges—just reliable, secure, and cost-effective verification for all.
The True Cost of Inaction
Maintaining the status quo is inefficient and expensive. Traditional background check companies, by relying on manual processes and offshoring, introduce unnecessary expenses at every stage. In some instances, companies charge hundreds of dollars for a single education verification, passing these exorbitant costs onto candidates.
Beyond the price gouging issue, this fragmented approach poses significant security risks. With sensitive candidate data transmitted across multiple vendors and international servers, the potential for data breaches and misuse escalates. In an era where data security is paramount, such vulnerabilities are unacceptable.
Building a Better Future
The background check industry stands at a crossroads. The path forward demands a departure from outdated practices in favor of embracing modern technology that prioritizes efficiency, transparency, affordability, and security. ZippedScript has demonstrated that such innovation is not only possible but imperative.
The time has come for the industry to shed its fossilized practices. By adopting advanced technological solutions, we can ensure that background checks are no longer a bottleneck but a streamlined component of the hiring process. ZippedScript is leading the charge in this disruption, and we urge our colleagues – and even competitors – to get on board or get left behind.
About Chris Harper
After starting his first business at the age of 17 selling customized light switch covers, Chris Harper went on to found and exit multiple firms, including a cocktail mixer business that gained significant scale in Canada. Along the way, he picked up a patent in distributed computing, and also befriended David Alexander- two developments that would forever change his life. Harper and Alexander went on to found ZippedScript, a first of its kind firm poised to disrupt the worlds of education and employment verification with new proprietary technology. Harper is a passionate problem solver who loves sales and leading dynamic, ambitious teams. His mantra is "'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is a terrible saying. If it could be better, it's as good as broken.'"
About Zipped Script
ZippedScript verifies higher education claims globally and instantly. ZippedScript is changing the game in the background check industry by digitizing the education verification process, enabling employers to hire faster, and helping talented graduates from around the world get their dream job.
