With the internet’s rise and the explosion of digital tools, finding information about anyone online has become incredibly efficient. According to a 2024 study by Smart Insights, 81% of internet users have used search engines for this purpose and many others. All it takes is some basic details and the right lookup tool to gather detailed insights.
While this method is popular for reconnecting with old contacts or researching neighborhood properties, its integration into business workflows—from recruitment to marketing—can also yield remarkable benefits. Here are some excellent ideas on how to leverage it in your day-to-day operations.
Effective CRM System Deployment and Use
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are at the heart of business operations as they help companies collect, store, and access customer data. They’re great for tracking sales pipelines and marketing campaigns but are only as good as the information they hold—which, in some cases, isn’t a lot. This is why every CRM system needs a robust search feature to make their data more accurate and complete.
With people search tools, you can regularly update contact details, including social media profiles, work history, and recent activities, thereby allowing you to segment your audience more precisely and access important information about leads and customers—all from your CRM dashboard. A good example of this is LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which can be integrated with your CRM and help you as a salesperson to quickly gather insights on potential leads.
Enhanced Loan and Credit Decisions
When processing loan and credit applications, specialized services can dig deeper into an applicant’s background and financial reliability. They verify identities, uncover financial behaviors, and highlight past addresses and employment history. This level of detail helps lenders make informed decisions on the applicant’s creditworthiness and repayment capability, thereby reducing fraud risk and improving the accuracy of credit assessment. Experian and Equifax are notable tools used in the credit assessment process.
Compliance with Regulatory Requirements
Staying compliant with regulations like anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) is crucial, and people search tools are invaluable in this area. They help verify identities against public records and databases, track changes in personal information, and spot potential fraud. By keeping your records accurate and up-to-date, these tools help you avoid legal pitfalls and foster a culture of transparency and trust within your organization. Trulioo and LexisNexis are commonly used for these compliance checks.
Onboarding and HR Processes
Incorporating people search tools into HR workflows can greatly improve the hiring process by providing a thorough and accurate evaluation of candidates. These tools verify key details such as employment history, education, and credentials, ensuring that the information presented by candidates is both truthful and complete. GoodHire and Checkr are two popular tools that offer comprehensive background checks and verification services.
Additionally, they offer valuable insights into a candidate’s social media presence and online behavior, helping HR assess cultural fit within the organization. By understanding how candidates present themselves online, HR managers can identify individuals who align with the company’s values, reducing the risk of onboarding those who might not thrive in the company’s environment.
Beyond the initial hiring process, people search tools also enable ongoing employee monitoring by setting up automated searches to track employees’ online activities and personal information. This continuous oversight ensures compliance with company policies and helps identify potential red flags that traditional background checks might miss. By detecting issues early, HR can make more informed decisions, ultimately fostering a cohesive and values-driven workplace.
Skip Tracing
Skip tracing (a crucial process in debt recovery, legal proceedings, and other investigative efforts) benefits significantly from people search engines as they help locate individuals who have become difficult to find, often because they are actively avoiding contact. Such tools aggregate data from various sources to compile a comprehensive list of profiles, encompassing even information about associates and relatives.
This extensive data collection then enables skip tracers to piece together a person’s movements and whereabouts with remarkable speed and accuracy. The efficiency of such lookup tools in skip tracing can’t be overstated, particularly in situations where time is of the essence, such as pursuing overdue debts or locating witnesses for legal cases. TLOxp is a good example of a tool that excels in this area.
Enhanced Competitive Intelligence Efforts
In competitive intelligence, people search tools provide actionable insights by tracking key figures within rival companies. They track the movements and statements of executives to help businesses stay informed about leadership changes that could signal shifts in strategy. For instance, monitoring the career trajectory of a competitor’s CMO might reveal upcoming adjustments in their marketing approach, allowing you to anticipate and counter these moves effectively.
Moreover, they assist in mapping out the professional networks of competitors in order to identify potential partners, collaborators, or emerging threats. This way, business owners can spot market trends that could impact their businesses and stay ahead in their industry. Tools like ZoomInfo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator are useful for these purposes.
Content Creation and PR
Content creation and public relations thrive on accurate and targeted information, making people search tools essential for professionals in these fields. These tools help identify influential experts and credible voices to enhance the authority and relevance of your content, whether it’s for articles, press releases, or campaigns. By pinpointing the right individuals, you can ensure your messaging aligns with your audience’s interests and needs.
Additionally, people search tools offer valuable insights into potential risks and shifts in public perception concerning key figures. This allows for more strategic and informed communication, helping you adapt your approach as necessary. Whether you’re launching new initiatives or managing existing relationships, these tools provide the clarity needed for effective and impactful content. Take, for instance, BuzzSumo, which can be very helpful in content and PR strategies.
Legal Implications
When using people search tools, be aware of legal limitations and restrictions.
For instance, you cannot use Nuwber and similar search engines from the general niche for purposes such as credit and insurance decisions, tenant screening, employment decisions, evaluating professional services, or determining educational qualifications.
Tools like GoodHire or Checkr are specifically designed for employment background checks and tenant screening, ensuring compliance with regulations and protecting user privacy. They provide comprehensive reports on candidates’ criminal history, credit background, and employment verification.
Credit Reporting Services Experian and Equifax are specifically used for evaluating creditworthiness and cannot be substituted by general people search engines.
Conclusion
Incorporating people search into your workflow is not just a smart choice but essential in today’s data-driven landscape. By familiarizing yourself with its application in the seven scenarios outlined, you can boost your efficiency, enhance your decision-making, and maintain a competitive edge, regardless of whatever field you operate in.
