PBSA

PBSA Journal PAGE 10 JULY/AUG 2021 Except where otherwise indicated, articles are copyright © by PBSA 2021. All rights reserved. Better Know a Provider T he Provider Advisory Group is focused on broadening the understanding of the Provider Community and highlighting both the well-known as well as the unknown aspects of our work in support of Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and the customers they serve. Through a volunteer process, we select individuals to interview representing various provider disciplines. In this installment, we interview Lynda Chou, President of IQ Research. 1. What are some attributes about the Criminal Research Provider process that may not be readily known to the CRA population? One important attribute to note is that not all PATs are created equal. Some might include critical pieces of personally identifiable information (PII) such as driver's license number, partial SSN, etc., while others can omit them entirely, including DOBs. A good provider will know this and understand how to bridge the gap to deliver the most accurate results. 2. Can you provide some ways that you have seen the background screening industry evolve over the past few years as it pertains to Criminal Research Providers, their processes, and their requirements? What may be coming in the future that we should be noting now? From a compliance standpoint, more testing/certifications should be administered for providers. As it stands now, it's a relatively easy component of the industry to join and many CRAs/Wholesalers are putting this work in the hands of unqualified researchers. A CRA needs to be able to trust their provider and have confidence that they are an expert in the results they are delivering. 3. What are some challenges that you experience that you would like to communicate out to the general population of the screening industry? Some uncontrollable challenges would be court closures (both planned and unplanned), and uncooperative clerks/ administrators. As much as we can have close relationships with the court clerks, our team can sometimes be at the mercy of their response and speed. 4. How would you describe your company culture? IQ Research is committed to providing accurate and exceptional work while maintaining stellar TAT and strong customer service and communication. Our company culture is friendly, diverse and fun while always keeping our clients' best interests in mind. 5. If given the opportunity to communicate one item in front of all attendees at the PBSA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA Sept. 12-14, 2021, what would your message be? The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a massive stress test on our company and the industry as a whole. One thing we have learned during this time is to be able to adapt, pivot, and evolve to the challenges and frequent changes. We all should focus on providing better results, reducing risk, and giving our clients confidence in the data provided, rather than who can give the lowest price possible. Being a provider shouldn't be a race to the bottom in terms of pricing. It is important to be proud to deliver services that are accurate, secure and up to date. l Presented by the Provider Advisory Group

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