Next-Gen Screening Solutions: InfoMart Delivers Global Identity and Background Checks Tailored to the Individual Needs of Businesses

TL; DR: InfoMart leverages three decades of industry experience to provide advanced pre-employment screening services designed to revolutionize the hiring experience. The company delivers solutions tailored to the needs of businesses of all sizes with an eye on data privacy regulations. With a focus on continuous development of first-to-market innovations, InfoMart aims to change the way businesses approach background checks, identity screening, and onboarding.

Often, the most useful innovations are rooted in the real-world pain points of future entrepreneurs.

Three decades ago, Tammy Cohen was toiling away her days at her human resources job, where she was responsible for performing background checks on potential employees. The process was time-consuming, entirely manual, and expensive — everything you don’t want in a daily task.

Today, Tammy is known as the “Queen of Screen.” In the search to find a better way to manage her daily tasks so long ago, she developed a client-facing application and due diligence criminal search that has since become the standard for screening companies.

Tammy then turned the technology into InfoMart, a company she has been running for 30 years as Founder & Chief Visionary Officer. “She kicked off our success with her dedication and commitment to finding a better way to manage background checks,” said Marco Piovesan, CEO of InfoMart. “Over the years, the company has maintained that devotion to quality and innovation.”

InfoMart currently provides businesses of all sizes with customized pre-employment solutions designed to revolutionize the hiring experience. The company’s screening services span a broad range of records, from criminal and motor vehicle history to social media and sanctions searches. In addition, InfoMart has simplified the process with its biometric identity technology, mobile functionality, and RESTful API, among other cutting-edge features.

From the beginning, InfoMart’s overarching goal has been to facilitate the ongoing development of first-to-market innovations that change the way businesses approach background checks, identity screening, and onboarding. In doing so, the company is continually paving the way for the next generation of applicant screening and onboarding.

InfoMart combines decades of screening expertise with cutting-edge, first-to-market technology to both define and meet the highest industry standards.

“You have to adapt so quickly to rapidly changing technology these days, and our company is always trying to be at the leading edge as opposed to bleeding edge,” Marco said. “We’ve been fortunate in that we can keep our eye on the industry from a technology point of view as well as a customer point of view.”

The company’s groundbreaking ASAP ID technology works to streamline the background screening process for customers through the power of biometric authentication. The mobile tool allows candidates to upload a photo of their government-issued identification card to a mobile link, which captures the candidate’s name, address, signature, photo, location, device identification, official ID number, and driver’s license number.

Next, the candidate uploads a selfie, which the system uses to confirm the ID belongs to the candidate. Once verified through two-factor authentification, ASAP ID uses the collected information to conduct the background screening service. Candidates may also submit information through WebASAP, a proprietary web-based tracking system, or ASAPConnect, an online form that links to WebASAP.

In addition, customers with an existing human resource management system (HRMS) or applicant tracking system (ATS) can reduce turnaround times and increase accuracy using InfoMart’s RESTful API, which integrates seamlessly into workflows.

And, because InfoMart understands that top-notch customer service is just as important as the technology itself, the company provides technical support from a dedicated client representative.

Marco told us that InfoMart is also careful to consider the implications of changing cultural norms and standards in terms of data privacy and ownership.

“Throughout the last few decades, regulations have become more stringent and enforceable,” he said. “The most important thing is staying aware of and in compliance with these regulations, but that’s a challenge for some companies. Fortunately, we’ve always been very strong in that area, to the benefit of both our applicants and customers.”

For instance, Marco said the company keeps a close eye on the evolving Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The federal law, first passed in 1970, regulates the collection of consumer information by credit reporting agencies to ensure fairness, accuracy, and privacy. InfoMart’s operations team is required to maintain a Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) certification. But that’s not all.

Because regulations are continuously updated, InfoMart takes steps to ensure each part of the screening process is done in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws pertaining to the background screening industry. In addition, the InfoMart system applies compliance filters before a report enters the quality assurance phase of processing. The filters are flexible to account for changes in the legislation.

Finally, to educate customers on the rapidly evolving identity and background screen space, InfoMart offers a number of blog posts devoted to the topic.

Recent entries focus on how pre-employment marijuana drug test laws will impact screening programs, which states are impacted by salary history laws, and the legality of social media background checks, among other trending topics.

InfoMart offers screening services for businesses of all sizes across a range of industries, including automotive, education, finance, healthcare, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and manufacturing, among others.

“We’re all across the board: We’ve got some Fortune 500 companies that use the technology across the enterprise on a global basis, we have mid-tier companies, and then we have small companies that may run just 10 checks a year,” Marco said.

In August 2018, InfoMart introduced a platform specifically for startups and growing SMBs designed to simplify the background check process through tailored packages, four-step onboarding, award-winning data security, and speedy turnaround times, averaging just over one day.

“As a business owner, I know that a company’s two most valuable resources are its time and its employees,” said Tammy Cohen, InfoMart’s Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, in a press release at the time. “This new platform allows SMBs to verify employee credentials expeditiously. With the unemployment rate so low, our ability to turn results quickly via this new platform will give these companies a competitive advantage.”

For customers of all sizes, Marco told us that InfoMart provides customized solutions based on the unique key performance indicators (KPIs) of each company.

“Each customer has their own objectives,” he said. “For example, staffing companies care about placement rates and turnaround time, while more regulated industries, such as financial services and transportation, must ensure accuracy and compliance. There’s no magic bullet.”

Marco told us InfoMart values customer feedback when determining how to improve the product or add new capabilities. “The voice of the customer is heavily weighted in our decision-making process, as we have a very good feedback mechanism with our customers,” he said.

Interestingly, the company also works to improve the user experience from the perspective of the applicant. The key, Marco said, is to align the technological influences and expectations of applicants to their cultural norms when shopping online or using a mobile phone for banking. After all, a hiring tool is worthless if it turns away applicants.

“We carefully look at trends in terms of experiences for both the customer and applicant consuming the technology,” he said.