One Platform vs. Three Vendors

Most TA teams juggle separate tools for pre-screening, references, and backgrounds. Virvell puts it all in one workflow—with AI that catches what separate tools miss.

The Bottom Line

Pre-screening is where every candidate relationship starts—and where Virvell captures what candidates claim about themselves. That first conversation trains our AI, and every later touchpoint (references, background checks) validates or contradicts those claims. This cross-module intelligence catches discrepancies you'd never spot juggling three separate vendors. One platform. One workflow. Complete hiring intelligence in 3-7 days instead of 2-3 weeks.

The Old Way vs. Virvell

❌ Piecing It Together

  • 3 separate vendor logins and contracts
  • 2-3 weeks to complete full screening
  • $80-110+ per candidate across all services
  • Manual comparison across 3 different reports
  • Discrepancies slip through the cracks
  • 6-8 hours of recruiter time per candidate
  • Phone tag with references for days
  • No connection between data sources

✓ Virvell

  • One platform, one login, one workflow
  • 3-7 days for complete screening
  • $6.99-7.99 per candidate, all-in
  • Unified dashboard with cross-module analysis
  • AI auto-flags discrepancies across sources
  • 15 minutes of recruiter time per candidate
  • References call AI 24/7 at their convenience
  • Every data point connected and verified

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature Virvell Traditional (3 Vendors)
Pre-Screen Interviews ✓ Voice AI, 24/7, instant reports Manual scheduling, 30+ min per candidate
Reference Checks ✓ Voice AI calls, 24-48 hour turnaround Phone tag, surveys, 5-7 days
Background Checks ✓ Integrated via Certn, 2-5 days Separate vendor, 7-10 days
Cross-Module Intelligence ✓ AI auto-detects discrepancies ✗ Manual comparison (if done at all)
Total Timeline 3-7 days 2-3 weeks
Cost Per Candidate $6.99-7.99 $80-110+
Recruiter Time Per Candidate 15 minutes 6-8 hours
Vendor Management 1 contract, 1 login 3 contracts, 3 logins, 3 invoices
Compliance ✓ FCRA/PIPEDA via Certn Varies by vendor

🎯 Why Cross-Module Intelligence Matters

  • Catches lies that slip through: Candidate says "left for a better opportunity" in pre-screen. Reference says "performance issues." Background shows termination. Separate tools never connect these dots—Virvell flags it automatically.
  • Builds a truth baseline: Pre-screening captures what candidates claim. Every later check validates or contradicts. Over time, you're not just screening faster—you're screening smarter.
  • Voice AI probes deeper: When our AI hears hesitation or vague answers, it asks follow-ups on the spot. Surveys can't do this. Neither can phone tag.
  • 24/7 availability: References call our AI whenever works for them—nights, weekends. No scheduling. No waiting.

What You'd Need Without Virvell

Need Typical Vendor Est. Cost Virvell
Pre-Screening HireVue, Paradox, or manual $5-15/candidate or recruiter time ✓ Included
Reference Checks Checkster, SkillSurvey, Crosschq $25-50/candidate ✓ Included
Background Checks Checkr, Sterling, GoodHire $30-80/candidate ✓ Included (Certn)
Cross-Verification Manual review 2-4 hours recruiter time ✓ Automatic AI
Total 3 vendors + manual work $80-110+/candidate $6.99-7.99/candidate

The Math

Traditional Stack (3 Vendors)

$80-110+
per candidate (vendor costs only)
Requires: Pre-screening tool or recruiter time
Reference check tool (~$25-50)
Background check (~$40-75)
+ 4-6 hours recruiter time per candidate
+ 3 contracts, 3 logins

Virvell

$6.99
per candidate (at Essentials tier)
Includes: ✓ AI Pre-Screening
✓ Voice AI Reference Checks
✓ Background Verification (Certn)
✓ Cross-Module Intelligence
✓ One platform, one invoice
At 150 hires/year: Reclaim 400+ recruiter hours and consolidate 3 vendors into 1

Common Questions

"We already have vendors we're happy with. Why switch?"
You don't have to replace everything at once. Start with pre-screening—it's the highest-volume pain point. Once you see how the AI works, expanding to references and backgrounds is a natural next step. And the cross-module intelligence only works when everything's in one system.
"How is this so much cheaper?"
Three reasons: AI handles the conversations (no human labor cost), everything's bundled (no vendor markup stacking), and we built for efficiency from day one. Traditional vendors built for a world of manual processes, then added software on top.
"Will references actually talk to an AI?"
Yes. Our AI (named Sam) identifies itself immediately, explains the purpose, and gets consent. References actually prefer it—they can call at 9pm if that's when they have 10 minutes. No scheduling, no phone tag. We see 80-85% completion rates.
"What about compliance?"
Background checks run through Certn, which handles all FCRA (US) and PIPEDA (Canada) compliance. We carry $1M in Tech E&O and Cyber Liability insurance. Your data is protected by enterprise-grade security.
"Do I have to use all three services?"
No. Use what you need, when you need it. Some months you might only run pre-screens. But the real value comes from cross-module intelligence—when you can see how what a candidate said in their pre-screen compares to what their references say.

Looking for Reference Check Comparisons?

If you're specifically evaluating reference checking tools, here's how the survey-based competitors stack up. Remember: they only do references—you'd still need separate vendors for pre-screening and backgrounds.

Checkster (Harver)

Survey-based. Part of Harver suite. Enterprise focus. ISO 27001. Acquired 2020.

SkillSurvey (iCIMS)

Survey-based. I/O psychology templates. Best for iCIMS users. SOC 2 Type II. Acquired 2022.

Crosschq

Survey-based. $39M funded. Quality of Hire analytics. 40+ ATS integrations. SOC 2 Type II.

All three use surveys (typed responses). Virvell uses voice AI (actual conversations with real-time follow-up). That's a fundamental difference in depth of insight.

See the Difference One Platform Makes

Book a demo and we'll show you a real candidate going through pre-screening, references, and background check—with the AI catching discrepancies across all three.

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