Client Visits

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and Milwaukee to visit some of our clients. Since most of our clients are not located in the Mid-Atlantic region, we rely mostly on phone, e-mail and fax to communicate with you. Although technology has made it capable for us to do business with organizations across the country, I truly believe there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting to build relationships, solve problems, and get the pulse of the client.

During my 5-day trip I was able to visit 4 clients and 2 vendors to discuss current programs as well as applications that are currently under development. The two vendors I met with were Psychemedics (Hair Testing Lab) and HR Smart (Applicant Tracking System). We are in the process of launching a nation-wide hair testing program for one of our clients, so if you have any interest in hair testing I would be more than happy to debrief you on my conversation with Psychemedics. As for HR Smart, Concorde is in the process of partnering with this company to give you access to an applicant tracking system that integrates with our AppCheck application. This is the first step to Concorde’s goal of producing a fully integrated system from applicant tracking to DQ Files.

If I could give my trip a theme it would probably go something like this: “Concorde wants to use technology to improve your employee screening workflow, not try to fit your workflow into existing technology.” I realized during this trip, as I was demonstrating our new AppCheck system, that every client has a different way of managing the employment screening process. Advancing software applications have allowed companies to streamline a lot of these processes, but many times companies have to compromise on certain “wish list” items because they have to fit their process into the technology.

As I was on the plane from Houston to Chicago, I began to think about this idea a little more and realized this is exactly what makes Concorde different. Almost all of our software applications were created to streamline or improve the company’s workflow. In some cases these programs have only one use, but most of the time we can use the foundation of an application we created and customize it for another company in an entirely different way.

For example, AppCheck was developed to satisfy the need of a client who wanted integration with their Applicant Tracking System. However, during my visit with other clients we identified other uses for AppCheck that does not require the use of an Applicant Tracking System. It became apparent to me that some companies do not want to use an ATS right now, so we are in the process of developing a “mini-ATS” that will allow companies to manage job applicants and requested background checks seamlessly. It is this type of customization that is unique to Concorde because we continually try to improve our product to fit your needs.

Our goal as a company is to make your job easier, so if you find yourself frustrated by a time consuming process or would like to share your “wish list” ideas I encourage you to contact me. Your “wish list” item may be something that we already have developed for another client or may need to be created from scratch. Either way, we want to hear from you.

As for future client visits, I am making a pledge to visit every Concorde client by 2011. Whether you are a small company of 3 employees or a large company of 30,000 Concorde is committed to providing you with a personalized level of service. We will be posting on our website when Concorde representatives will be traveling for client visits or conferences, so if you see that we are in your city let us know if you are available for a quick visit.

Although we can deliver that person service from anywhere in the country, it is important to us that we make the effort to visit your facility and get a better understanding of your day-to-day operations so we can develop programs that provide direct solutions to your needs.