Background Screening Volume Rises as Hiring Activity Recovers
The U.S. background screening industry processed an estimated 75 million background checks in 2025 and is expected to see continued volume growth in 2026 as hiring activity sustains across healthcare, logistics, retail, and financial services sectors, according to the Professional Background Screening Association's (PBSA) 2026 Industry Report. With order volumes growing and compliance requirements expanding — particularly around adverse action procedures, ban-the-box regulations, and consent documentation standards — screening companies face mounting pressure to process orders accurately and on schedule while maintaining strong client communication.
For background screening operations teams, the challenge is not just processing speed — it is the coordination overhead surrounding each order. Intake coordination, candidate and client communication, compliance document collection, and account management tasks generate significant administrative work that can slow turnaround times and reduce client satisfaction if not managed systematically.
Virtual Assistants Supporting Background Screening Operations
Background screening companies are increasingly deploying virtual assistants to handle the coordination-intensive, client-facing tasks that run alongside order processing — keeping workflows moving without requiring operations managers to manage routine communications manually.
Order intake coordination. VAs manage the order intake process for background check requests — logging orders in the case management system, confirming receipt with the requesting client, verifying that required candidate consent documentation is present, and routing complete orders to the appropriate processing queue. Incomplete submissions are flagged and returned to the client with specific guidance on what is missing.
Status update communications. Clients and HR teams frequently request status updates on pending background checks, particularly for time-sensitive hiring decisions. VAs handle inbound status inquiries, pull current order status from the tracking system, and send accurate, timely updates to clients — reducing the volume of manual inquiries reaching operations or account management staff.
Compliance document collection. Background screening engagements require collection of candidate authorization forms, disclosure acknowledgments, and in some cases chain-of-custody documentation for drug testing. VAs coordinate the collection and tracking of these compliance documents, following up with candidates or clients on missing items and confirming document completeness before the order is finalized.
Client account management support. VAs support account management by handling routine client communications including account setup confirmations, billing inquiry routing, user access requests, and volume reporting. This allows account managers to focus on client relationship development and complex issue resolution rather than administrative account maintenance.
Industry Data on Screening Operations Efficiency
The PBSA 2026 Industry Report found that background screening companies with structured order coordination processes — including dedicated staff for intake and client communication — reported average turnaround times 19% faster than those without such processes. Client satisfaction scores were also notably higher among companies that provided proactive status update communications rather than waiting for clients to initiate contact.
David Kowalski, Director of Operations at a regional background screening firm, commented in an industry roundtable featured in the PBSA report: "We started routing all status update inquiries through a VA coordination layer six months ago. Inbound calls to our operations team dropped by over 40%. Clients got faster answers, and our operations team got their time back."
Maintaining Service Quality at Scale
Background screening companies competing on turnaround speed and client service quality cannot afford to let administrative coordination slow down their operations as order volumes grow. Virtual assistants provide a cost-effective mechanism to scale coordination capacity — handling intake, communications, and document collection workflows that would otherwise bottleneck operations or account management teams.
For compliance-sensitive workflows, the VA model works best when paired with documented escalation protocols for adverse action situations, incomplete documentation, and any order requiring legal or compliance team review. Within those guardrails, VAs can manage a high volume of routine coordination work reliably and consistently.
Background screening companies looking to improve order coordination efficiency and client communication quality through virtual assistant support can explore their options at Stealth Agents.
Sources
- Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) 2026 Industry Report
- SHRM Background Check Compliance Update, Q1 2026
- Background Screening Market Analysis, IBISWorld, 2026