Address verification refers to a check wherein the credentials provided by the candidate to the employer undergo screening. In addition to proof of residence, it also checks a candidate’s citizenship and assists in preventing identity thefts and fraud. Determination of the correct address of a potential hire is crucial for correspondence purposes in the pre-and post-hiring stages. It is even more critical in today’s day and age when remote hiring is becoming prevalent.
The address verification step is an essential part of the employee screening process. Typically, it involves undertaking physical visits to the provided address. However, such operations take place with the help you AI-enabled tools features, such as digital KYC and geo-tagging.
The address-related information, including the period of stay, and address’s authenticity, are evaluated and assessed under a holistic background verification process. Due to the process’s complexity and depth, businesses have started integrating AI-enabled address verification solutions to drive better and more accurate outcomes.
Below is a complete list of the factors evaluated in the process and the challenges involved in implementation:
Factors Assessed in Address Verification:
The companies offering address verification services consider multiple facets to drive constructive reports, enabling employers to make informed decisions. These include:
Location:
Companies using digitally enabled tools with geo-tagging features can check an applicant’s location without making any physical visits or asking them to take any additional measures.
Ownership Status:
An applicant may have to provide the details regarding the ownership of the address given. It includes the residence status: permanent and temporary. A temporary address could be a rented apartment by an application. But, it is crucial to trace the permanent residence for a holistic check.
Period of Stay:
The tenure of the applicant’s stay at each given address may also be part of the assessment. If the applicant has stayed at multiple locations, the same is verified from trusted sources.
Existence of Actual Address:
The primary purpose of address verification is to check whether the address given by the applicant is valid or not. To fulfil this criterion, companies sometimes send their employees for inquiries regarding the applicant’s residency. Address verification can also be done using digital address checks with geo-tagging features and effective identification tools.
Challenges in Implementation:
All organisations, irrespective of the size, skillsets or levels of management, must perform an address verification process for the prospective employees. However, the challenges associated with the implementation of the process are many, including:
Remote Operations:
With the outbreak of COVID-19, all the organisations have shifted to the remote mode of conducting business and performing day-to-day tasks. The need for digitally enabled solutions can help overcome all challenges and provide accurate results.
Logistical Restrictions:
The unavailability of adequate technological infrastructure and logistical barriers poses another risk to the companies. This is because companies have to invest significant resources in carrying out employee screening.
Complexity in Implementation:
There is complexity in implementing the address verification process. For instance, the applicants have a higher chance of manual errors in writing abbreviations, PIN codes, landmarks and specific address details. Such mistakes lead to a lack of poor data availability with the organisation.
The challenges mentioned above can be mitigated by leveraging AI-enabled tools that help to verify the addresses in just a few clicks with minimal manual intervention. Such AI-powered tools are aiding organisations to improve efficiency and ensure workplace safety.
With AuthBridge, organisations can now access digital address verification services, which are instantly updated on a real-time basis. One can avail it from the comfort of the organisation’s space. Furthermore, it minimises paperwork, enhances employees’ experience, assesses the information across multiple data points.
