This case study is brought to you by Social Benchers - a certified Agency based in India. Be sure to visit their website and see their previous NationBuilder work.
The problem
CandidateVerification is using their NationBuilder site to get a candidate registered for the verification service. However, the verification process is entirely manual by default and requires an admin to facilitate lots of steps for every submission.
Unpacking the problem
Here is the outline of the current (unideal) process:
- Candidate registers on the main site.
- Site admin is notified of the new registration and manually submits the info to their verification partner, TalentWise.
- Candidate receives a separate email from TalentWise with additional details requested, runs the verification, and emails the candidate with a report when the verification is completed.
- Candidate uploads the report to Scribd and manually adds the URL to the CandidateVerification database.
This is a long and arduous process for what should otherwise be a fairly simple task. It’s also worth noting the client has to pay both CandidateVerification AND TalentWise in this existing format. As a result, CandidateVerification is losing business and has to dedicate resources for the laborious process.
The solution
We needed to architect a way to improve this process and automate it as much as possible in order to decrease the requirement of manual work by an admin. We decided on the following tech:
- Platform: NationBuilder
- Server language for API: PHP
- Scripting languages: HTML / CSS / jQuery
- Tools: Dreamweaver CS5
The current system doesn’t capture any information about a user which we can use to generate a dynamic widget. So, first, we created a new web interface for the initial process.
We also needed our own database of all the registered candidates, as well as their status and verification report. Currently all of this data is held at a third-party screening partner. This is fine but we also have to store this data in our database, for which we created a use-case outline in our scope of work section.
Subjects in new process
These are the layers outlined in the diagram below:
- Candidate - user who is looking for their verification
- NB - our NationBuilder website
- Admin - who is managing the entire process
- Our System - the custom-built platform on another host and will use the API to interact with NationBuilder
- Talent Wise - TalentWise services
The New Process
Widget
Once the user logs into the system, they will have a basic form with the relevant details shown on the widget. These are the list of items which he or she can manage from this area:
- Select the Candidate Title to be displayed on widget – input field
- e.g Elect Varun Patel
- Designation of the candidate – input field
- e.g Tacoma School Board
- User image – Yes/No
- NOTE: here the user can’t change their image, we will just use the same image the candidate submitted during their verification process. A standard and verified image should establish more trust.
- Select the list of checks the user wants to show in their widget – multi-select drop down with a list of all the checks.
- Multi-state Instant Criminal Check : Clear
- All Country Federal Criminal record check : Clear
- etc…
- Custom note: candidate can place a custom note about themselves via the text area.
Here you can see one example of the widget, which is the standard representation and can be custom designed:
CandidateVerification is on a mission to provide free background checks and resume verification services to candidates running for public office in the U.S. SocialBenchers shares this mission and aims to help them in this entire process. By understanding their goals, we have used our top resources and proposed the best solution for an optimized process which will reduce the need for manual work. This adjusted method resulted in faster execution and more efficient procedures for candidates.
Without the support of our client, we wouldn’t have been able to make this happen. Their open mind and flexibility allowed us the opportunity to truly create the best solution for their needs.