[Phone rings]
Ann: “Cutting Edge, this is Ann.”
Customer (bites into a donut): “Do you know how many hamburger’s McDonald’s sells?”
Ann (flips on computer): “I can tell you in less than a minute. Knowing stuff is what I do.”
According to a 2016 report, McDonald’s sells:
- 75 burgers every second
- 4500 burgers every minute
- 270,000 every hour
- 6.48 million every day
- 2.36 billion burgers every year
I had a great Zoom meeting a week ago with a prospective client, they have about 1000 employees. I was in hair and makeup for 30 minutes before the meeting. Stay with me here. They asked how Cutting Edge compares to the big, behemoth background check companies.
I remembered the old signs on McDonald’s restaurants: 100 Million sold, you know?
Consider this: You are a company that needs background checks. The really big, behemoth background check companies in the industry are great if you want the equivalent of a McDonald’s hamburger. They churn them out for the Wells Fargos (150,100 employees) and the Targets (345,000 employees) of the world.
It’s the standard quality vs quantity situation.
When you produce a massive amount of something, you sometimes sacrifice quality for quantity. No issue if you want a McDonald’s burger (or the fast food of background checks) – you know what you are signing up for – a product that meets the need in the moment. A product off the menu with little to no custom options available and you will take your ticket and wait for your number to be called.
So, what if you are that 1000-person company that needs its references done in less than a week or you need things done a little differently?
It makes sense that a giant background screening company with an acre of people trained in reference interviewing would do a professional, efficient job.
Yet they don’t. You get the equivalent of a fast-food background check. They churn. Often the key to quantity is sacrificing quality. Your number will be called when it’s ready, not necessarily when you need it by and your order will be what is on the menu, which may not be exactly what you want or need.
Nothing wrong with that, if that’s what you are in the mood for. But if you want something special—something different, like fast references, you have to find a more specialized provider. McDonald’s won’t make a kobe beef burger, no matter how many times you ask or of whom you ask it. Plus, the person your made your last order with may not be there when you make your next order, so they probably don’t know how you like your fries unsalted.
For the 1,000-person company (or the 10,000-person company) Cutting Edge Background Investigations, or one of my smaller brethren, is right-sized.
It may be difficult for the 1,000-person company to get the attention of a business that’s interested in keeping Wells Fargo’s 150,100 employees or Target’s 345,000 employees happy.
At Cutting Edge, we can accommodate your special requests and needs and we’ll be happy to do so. We can even make recommendations based on your business style and past orders.
The 1000-person company may be concerned that if the behemoth background screening company cannot perform references in a timely manner how in the world can smaller companies? How can Cutting Edge Background Investigations do what a background screening company with an acre of interviewers and an entire floor of processors cannot do?
Because we care and we value quality. We value quality in our interactions with our clients, in addition to the quality of our background checks.
That’s it. I will go into hair and makeup for a Zoom meeting for a company (of any size) that needs a little extra care once in a while. We will pick up the phone halfway through the first ring when we recognize a client’s phone number. We care.
If you call us you won’t get hold music and a disembodied voice that tells you that your call is important and you are 4th in line.
If you want a partner that cares about your background checks, your experience and what you need, call us. (714) 587-9166 or Ann@CEBackgroundChecks.com. Let me know what you need in a background screening partner, and what is or isn’t working for you with the service you have now. Maybe we can even meet up for a (kobe) burger later.
