Automated reference checking for UK organisations
RefAssure automates the entire employment reference process for UK recruiters, HR teams and employers. Candidate consent, referee requests, email and SMS chasing, and professional PDF reports — all handled automatically. From 99p per reference, no subscription, no contract.
What is automated reference checking?
Automated reference checking replaces the manual process of drafting emails, chasing unresponsive referees by phone, and compiling responses into reports. Software handles every stage — from collecting candidate consent through to delivering the completed PDF report — without manual intervention after the initial setup.
For UK organisations, automated reference checking also means built-in GDPR compliance. RefAssure contacts the candidate before any referee, collects written timestamped consent, and stores it as part of the permanent audit trail. This step — which most manual processes skip entirely — is a legal requirement under UK GDPR and a specific requirement under KCSIE for education providers.
The result: a reference process that is faster, more consistent, fully documented and significantly cheaper than either manual checking or enterprise subscription platforms.
What automated reference checking looks like end to end
Six steps. Two minutes of your time. Everything else is handled automatically.
Add the candidate
Name, email, mobile. Select your template. Under 2 minutes — then the automation begins.
Candidate consent
Email and SMS sent to the candidate immediately. They consent and provide referee details — timestamped and stored.
Referee request sent
Branded email with secure form link sent to the referee instantly on consent being received.
Automated chasing
5 email chasers + 2 SMS reminders over 12 days if the referee does not respond. Zero manual effort.
Reference submitted
Referee completes the secure online form. You are notified instantly.
PDF report generated
Professional report with full audit trail and consent record auto-generated and ready to download.
What makes RefAssure the right automated reference checking choice for UK organisations
Candidate consent — built in
RefAssure contacts the candidate first by email and SMS. Written, timestamped consent is collected and stored before any referee is approached. This is GDPR best practice and a KCSIE requirement for education.
Pay-as-you-go — from 99p
No subscription, no monthly minimum, no contract. Credits from 99p each — never expire. The most cost-effective automated reference checking available to UK organisations.
Unlimited team members
Add your entire recruitment or HR team at no extra cost. One shared credit pool, unlimited users — no per-seat fees.
Custom question templates
Build templates for different roles and sectors. Up to 25 questions per template — ratings, yes/no, text, dates. Saved and reusable.
UK GDPR compliant
UK data hosting, encrypted connections, clear lawful basis, full audit trail. Designed for UK organisations with UK compliance requirements.
Professional PDF reports
Every completed reference generates a professional PDF with referee responses, consent record and timestamped audit trail — ready for HR files or regulatory inspection.
Automated reference checking in the UK — what organisations actually need to know
For UK organisations, automated reference checking is not just a time-saving tool — it is increasingly a compliance requirement. Under UK GDPR, processing a third party's personal data (the referee's information and their responses) requires a clear lawful basis and appropriate documentation. In practice, this means collecting written consent from the candidate before any referee is contacted — something most manual reference processes and many enterprise platforms fail to do consistently.
Why UK GDPR changes how automated reference checking should work
Most automated reference checking tools focus on speed — sending requests faster and chasing more efficiently. RefAssure does that too, but it is built around a more fundamental requirement: the candidate must consent before any referee is contacted. This is not optional under UK GDPR. Approaching a referee with a candidate's personal data without documented consent is a processing violation, regardless of how the request is sent.
RefAssure contacts the candidate first, collects written timestamped consent via email and SMS, and only then approaches the referee. This consent record is stored permanently and included in every PDF report — giving UK organisations the documented evidence they need for GDPR compliance, regulatory inspections and internal audits.
Automated reference checking vs subscription platforms — the UK cost comparison
Most automated reference checking platforms available to UK organisations operate on subscription models — typically £50 to £500 per month in platform fees, plus £3 to £8 per reference. For organisations processing 20 to 50 references a month, this can amount to £2,000 to £6,000 per year before a single reference is sent. RefAssure has no monthly minimum — just pay-as-you-go credits from 99p each, with no contract and no expiry. For most UK organisations, this represents a saving of 80 to 90 percent compared to traditional automated reference checking software.
Which UK sectors use automated reference checking?
RefAssure is used across recruitment agencies, HR departments, care providers, education organisations, healthcare employers and any UK business that processes employment references regularly. The platform is particularly well-suited to regulated sectors where compliance evidence is mandatory — care (CQC requirements), education (KCSIE and Ofsted), healthcare (fitness to practise) and financial services (FCA pre-employment screening).
Automated reference checking UK — questions answered
Automated reference checking replaces the manual process of emailing referees, chasing non-responders and compiling responses. Software sends requests instantly, follows up automatically by email and SMS, collects candidate consent before contacting any referee, and generates a professional PDF report with a full audit trail — without any manual intervention after the initial 2-minute setup per candidate.
Yes. RefAssure is built around UK GDPR requirements. Before any referee is contacted, the candidate gives written, timestamped consent by email and SMS. All data is stored on UK servers, processed with a clear lawful basis, and every action is logged to provide a complete audit trail — meeting the documentation requirements for UK organisations.
RefAssure charges from 99p per reference on a pay-as-you-go basis. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs and no contracts. Credits never expire. Most subscription-based platforms charge £50 to £500 per month plus £3 to £8 per reference — making RefAssure up to 90% cheaper for the same automated workflow.
RefAssure automates every stage: contacts the candidate for consent, sends a branded request to the referee, chases automatically with up to 5 emails and 2 SMS reminders over 12 days, and generates a professional PDF report with a timestamped audit trail when the reference is complete. The only manual step is the 2-minute initial setup.
Yes. RefAssure is used across education, care, healthcare and other regulated UK sectors. The candidate consent step satisfies KCSIE requirements for education providers. The full audit trail supports CQC safe recruitment evidence. Custom templates capture sector-specific questions on every reference.
Start automating your reference checks today
Join UK recruiters, HR teams and employers using RefAssure to complete references faster, more consistently and at a fraction of the cost.
From 99p per reference · No monthly fees · Credits never expire · UK data hosting