Case Study

With Credal, Checkr scaled AI to thousands of employees

"It’s rare to find an AI tool that actually delivers immediate business impact, but Credal does. The team are incredible partners and have helped us achieve far above market AI adoption: 85% of our entire organization is now on board, and it's one of the most loved tools we have."

Naeem Ishaq
Chief Financial Officer, Checkr

Founded in 2014, Checkr has been at the forefront of background check and identity verification technology. Using AI and ML techniques, Checkr provides fast, accurate, and compliant screening solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Through Credal, Checkr has achieved an 85% AI adoption rate across the 1,400-person organization. We sat down with Nirav Pandya, Senior Director of Corporate Engineering at Checkr, who, alongside Naeem Ishaq, Checkr’s CFO and key executive sponsor, was instrumental in driving AI with Credal. 

For more interesting insights, listen to our podcast featuring Muskan Kukreja, Checkr’s Head of AI/ML: Apple Podcast Link | Spotify Link | YouTube Link.

The Challenge

Checkr’s goal was to accelerate its AI adoption as part of their broader transformation strategy, recognizing the competitive edge AI could bring. 

When Checkr began exploring AI solutions, they were looking for something that met these 3 criteria: 

  1. Data Security. As a company handling sensitive information, Checkr needed a solution that prioritized data security. They wanted employees to confidently use AI without fear of leaking sensitive information, so data security was necessary.
  2. Easy Adoption. They wanted a tool that would integrate into existing workflows without a cumbersome rollout. The solution had to have integrations with existing tools (Jira, Slack, etc.) and to be able to meet users where they’re at, regardless of technical ability. This was the only approach that would allow for adoption across teams. 
  3. High Ceiling for Innovation. Checkr wanted a partner who shared their vision for AI and could grow alongside them. They prioritized a team committed to continually evolving the product with AI's advancing capabilities, avoiding outdated platforms with limited potential for innovation.

"We were looking for something that could grow with us along with the actual AI industry. We wanted a partner who saw the world through the same lens we did," Nirav explains.

Introducing Copilots from Credal

Credal's platform stood out as the best choice for Checkr; it was the only solution on the market that delivered on all three criteria.

Here’s how Credal empowered specific teams:

Centralizing IT Knowledge

Checkr’s IT team is responsible for responding to technical support queries from all employees. Answering these questions often required IT to sift through multiple tools and resources.

Using a Credal copilot, Checkr centralized all internal data into one platform. This copilot was configured for the common questions employees would ask, and connected to the internal, verified data containing those answers. CheckrMate (the copilot) handled a wide range of questions—from password best practices to troubleshooting VPN access to open enrollment benefits inquiries—allowing everyone at Checkr instant access to the right information. 

With the ability to ask a Credal copilot their query, employees were empowered to resolve their own questions without needing to rely on IT staff. This self-service capability not only saved the IT team time, but also introduced AI to the entire organization.

Engineering Teams Powered by Web Search API

For Checkr’s engineering team, the key benefit was the level of technical customization offered by Credal’s API integration. This integration allowed the team to incorporate AI-powered language models directly into their platform. 

One such use case was in helping clients better understand criminal charges appearing in background checks, which can often contain legal jargon and be unclear. By using Credal's web search API within a copilot, the engineering team was able to leverage AI to provide users more clarity and insight into what those charges mean, saving them a step in their research process.

From one employee on the team, “As an engineer, one of the biggest selling points is the ability to call Credal via its API so that the copilot can be integrated directly into our product.” 

Credal’s API enabled Checkr to scale their AI initiatives faster by embedding AI into their products in a way that felt intuitive.

Sales Teams Answering Questions

For Checkr’s sales and GTM teams, positioning their offerings and providing accurate information was crucial to closing deals. 

Sales reps frequently encountered customer questions, like whether Checkr offers identity verification or how its background check accuracy stacks up against competitors. 

Not knowing this information, or having employees coming up with their own answers, led to missed sales opportunities.

By integrating Credal’s Sales Copilot, Checkr’s team could pull accurate data from verified sources—such as Checkr’s help center, API documentation, and marketing materials. This allowed sales teams to answer questions correctly and pitch Checkr to the fullest extent, improving conversion rates.

HR Teams and Performance Reviews

Checkr’s HR team faced significant challenges in its performance review process. Reviews often varied in quality depending on the manager, and the process itself could was tedious, resulting in inconsistent feedback. 

To overcome this, Checkr created two AI-powered performance review copilots—one for managers, and one for employees conducting self-reviews.

These copilots were integrated with Checkr’s key data sources, such as their core values document, goals framework, and writing toolkit. By connecting these data sources, the copilots automatically generated first drafts of reviews in Checkr’s review template.

As Nirav points out, "If done manually, the quality of reviews can vary greatly depending on manager quality and available data. By utilizing LLMs, we can generate much more consistent results. The copilot doesn’t give a rating, but it provides a framework, leaving the final decision to the manager or employee.” 

With Credal’s copilot, HR teams and employees were able to save time, improve consistency, and focus on providing more meaningful feedback.

Customizable AI for Every Workflow

Unlike vertical-specific AI tools, Credal gave Checkr the flexibility to configure their copilots for each department’s unique needs. Whether it was IT, engineering, sales, or HR, every team could tailor the platform to match their specific workflows. 

Employees didn’t need to rely on external updates or pre-built prompts in the backend; they could custom-tailor their copilots. Credal gave Checkr the autonomy to build tools that truly worked for them and increase AI adoption across the board.

Credal's Commitment to Partnership

Credal is built on our customers, so we want to support our partners in every way possible—even down to the smallest details. As Nirav puts it, “Your quick responses and genuine willingness to collaborate made all the difference. It felt like we had a partner who truly cared about our success.”

One moment that stood out to Nirav was during the development of [the copilot]. "It was you, me, and Jack—all of us laser-focused on getting it right. What amazed me was how Credal’s team, including the founders, invested time to improve even the tiniest aspects. It wasn’t about just ticking off deliverables; it was about making the experience better for our customers. That kind of care is something I’ve rarely seen.”

At Credal, support isn’t just about responding to issues, but about anticipating our customers' needs and being there for them every step of the way.

The Results

The impact of Credal on Checkr's AI adoption has been transformative, with an 85% adoption rate across the organization.

Credal’s solutions have boosted productivity across different functions, including engineering, IT, HR, sales and go-to-market, finance, and operations. But more importantly, Credal has democratized AI usage within the company, enabling employees at all technical levels to feel comfortable using AI in their daily work.

Checkr took it a step further by building their own dashboards to track key metrics, such as user count, copilot usage, and call volume across the team, giving them complete visibility into how Credal’s tools are driving value across the business.

Checkr’s use of Credal led to a company-wide shift in people’s perception of AI and its capabilities - from a simple wrapper around ChatGPT to a powerful tool that can integrate into every step of every workflow, and leave a lasting impact on Checkr. 

Want to learn more?

Have questions on the above or want to know how these apply these use cases more specifically to your needs? We’re happy to chat. Drop us a line at sales@credal.ai!

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