Projected turnaround time now available on your candidate reports

zinc logo icon
Gabriella Scott-Lister
October 28, 2024
Updated on:

Waiting on a background check without a clear timeline can disrupt your entire process. You need to set candidate start dates, manage internal stakeholders, and keep things moving—without chasing down updates. We understand that. That's why our latest release improves transparency, showing when a check is dependent on another check or held up by missing candidate information.

Starting today, you’ll no longer need to follow up with your account manager or customer success team to find out if your check timing is on track or if there's a delay.

Projected turnaround times on Zinc

We’ve introduced a projected results range within your report— A projected timeline based on how long it typically takes similar checks, in the same location, to complete.

This will be shown as a range of dates, based on what is most common for that check. If a check hasn’t returned by the end of that range, we’ll notify you.

Even before that point, our team will have been alerted and will already be investigating potential issues to keep things on track.

Each check will have a projected turnaround time, but the longest check will dictate the overall projected completion time for your request.

You’ll now see three clear statuses:

  • On-track: The check isn’t complete yet but is still within the expected timeframe.
  • Awaiting candidate information: We’re waiting for additional details from the candidate to proceed with the check.
  • Processing delay: The check is taking longer than expected, due to either candidate delays or other unforeseen issues. You’ll receive an email notification, and our team will already be working on resolving the delay.

How do we calculate the projected completion time?

We look at when 55%-75% of similar checks are completed.

  • Checks are broken down by country for higher accuracy:
    • Education
    • Criminal (UK criminal checks through DBS are further categorised by Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced-Adult First)
    • Global directorship
    • Global credit
  • References are broken down by type to ensure more precise estimates.

This new system gives you better insight, clear timelines, and proactive communication, so you can stay ahead of any potential delays and focus on what matters most—your candidates.

Discover a better way for reliable automated background checks