Human Resources: Kroll Launches Enhanced eSignature Solution to Help Employers Increase Efficiency

Nashville, Tenn. (PRWEB) April 25, 2009 -- Kroll, the world’s leading risk consulting company, announces the deployment of an upgraded eSignature technology that improves the efficiency of the background screening process. The technology makes it faster for clients to initiate background check requests, helps to improve turnaround time, and reduces associated screening costs.

Since most background screening information sources, like employers and educational institutions, require that applicants sign an authorization and disclosure form, report turnaround time is directly related to how quickly screening providers receive this form. In most cases, providers are legally required to have these forms before they may start processing many screening services. Therefore, the longer it takes for an applicant to get the form to the screening provider, the slower the background check will take to process.

Integrating an electronic signature into the process helps significantly with reducing turnaround times of such checks; however, many sources do not honor the typical “click to comply” signature offered by some web portals. Instead they require a true forensic – or “wet” – signature that is the equivalent of a traditional ink signature.

To meet this requirement and provide its clients and their candidates with a quicker, more user-friendly experience, Kroll implemented an eSignature solution in which applicants literally create their signature using a computer mouse. Modeling the same action people do every day in grocery and retail stores, Kroll’s eSignature technology dramatically improves turnaround time and meets the most stringent of legal compliance and security standards. The e-Signature technology Kroll uses fully complies with the E-SIGN Act of 2000.

In addition to significantly improving turnaround time, Kroll’s eSignature offering provides numerous benefits to organizations, including:

Reducing paper use since the authorization form is stored electronically and can be produced on demand;
Eliminating the necessity of maintaining a hard copy of the form on file;
Precluding the need for make repeated calls to applicants to obtain the signed authorization form; and
Allowing for better record-keeping, since the Kroll can electronically store all necessary documentation with the applicant’s report.

“In this challenging economic environment, organizations are struggling to reduce costs and work more efficiently with fewer resources,” said Jenifer DeLoach, senior vice president of Kroll’s Background Screening division. “Adding Kroll’s Applicant Submission with eSignature technology to the background screening process can have a direct, positive impact on an HR department’s efficiency and produce cost savings that go right to an organization’s bottom line.”

On average, organizations that use Kroll’s Applicant Submission tool can save 7.4 percent in costs each year – which means that employers that order 100 screening reports per month and switch to Kroll can realize more than $5,400 in savings the first year.

About Kroll
Kroll, the world’s leading risk consulting company, provides a wide range of investigative, intelligence, financial, security and technology services through offices in more than 65 cities in over 25 countries. Kroll is a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MMC), the global professional services firm.

Kroll’s Background Screening division provides organizations worldwide with comprehensive screening services that help them make empowered decisions and mitigate risks through industry-leading expertise and cutting-edge technology. The accurate, compliant, and timely information it supplies helps its clients make informed choices in critical areas such as employment, vendor selection, investment placement, institutional admissions, and data breach incident management – including identity theft solutions for individuals. For more information, visit krollbackgroundscreening.com.