The only reference platform that catches every failure mode

Never miss a reference.
Ever.

Most reference tools send an email and hope for the best. If it bounces, the address is wrong, or the referee replies the "wrong" way — you'd never know. RefAssure catches all of it, within minutes, and surfaces it on your dashboard so nothing slips through.

<15 min
Bounce detection latency
3 failure modes
Caught automatically
100%
Email trail preserved
01 · Bounce detection

Bounced reference emails, caught instantly.

When a reference request email fails to reach the referee — wrong address, full mailbox, dead domain, spam rejection — most platforms have no idea. RefAssure scans our sending mailbox every 15 minutes, parses bounce notifications against your referee records, and flags the problem before you waste another day chasing a dead address.

  • Email alert within 15 minutes of the bounce arriving
  • Referee auto-flagged as "Bounced" on the candidate record
  • One-click replacement referee entry with prefilled company and relationship fields
  • Chasing stopped automatically — no more wasted emails to dead addresses
REFERENCE UNDELIVERED
RefAssure · Just now
The reference email we sent to Sarah Thompson for candidate James Morrison has bounced and could not be delivered.
Referee emails.thmopson@company.co.uk
ReasonUser unknown
StatusLogged & flagged
Add replacement referee
02 · Consent alerts

Wrong candidate email? You'll know.

Typos happen. Candidates mistype their own email, recruiters paste old addresses from CVs, inboxes get closed. When the initial consent request fails to deliver, RefAssure flags it immediately so you can fix it — not wait a week wondering why they've gone quiet.

  • Instant consent bounce detection when the candidate's email is wrong
  • Inline email update directly on the candidate page — no need to delete and start over
  • Automatic resend once you've corrected the address
  • Red alert banner on the candidate record so it's impossible to miss
CONSENT UNDELIVERED
RefAssure · Just now
The consent email for candidate James Morrison bounced. Their email address is likely incorrect.
Candidate emailj.morison@gmail.com
ReasonMailbox does not exist
Action requiredUpdate & resend
Update email address
03 · Email reply capture

Email replies captured, not lost.

Some referees don't — or can't — use online forms. Corporate governance rules, internal policies, or just personal preference mean they reply directly by email instead. On most platforms, that reply lands in a generic inbox and never gets linked to the candidate. RefAssure intercepts every email reply, pins it to the correct candidate automatically, and forwards it to you with full branding.

  • Every reply captured and stored against the candidate record permanently
  • Auto-acknowledgements distinguished from real replies so your inbox isn't flooded
  • Branded forwarding to you with the referee's actual email as reply-to
  • Chasing stopped automatically once a reply arrives — even if the form wasn't filled in
REFERENCE RECEIVED
RefAssure · Just now
Sarah Thompson has replied by email to the reference request for James Morrison. The full reply is saved on the candidate record.
Froms.thompson@company.co.uk
TypeFirst reply
Linked toCandidate record
View full reply

What happens when things go wrong?

Three real-world scenarios that play out every week in reference checking — and how RefAssure handles them compared to "send and hope" platforms.

1

You've typed the referee's email wrong.

Most platforms

The email silently fails. The bounce lands in a shared admin inbox nobody checks. Your chase cron keeps sending emails into the void for 12 days. You find out when you ring the referee expecting a response — a week later.

RefAssure

Within 15 minutes you get a branded "REFERENCE UNDELIVERED" email with the referee name, candidate, reason, and a direct link to add a replacement. The bounced referee is flagged on the candidate record. Chasing stops automatically.

2

The referee works in a regulated sector and replies by email.

Most platforms

The email lands in your generic inbox with a subject like "RE: Reference request for..." It's never linked to the candidate in the system. Weeks later during an audit, you can't prove the reference was ever received, let alone reviewed.

RefAssure

The reply is intercepted, classified as a first reply (not an auto-ack), saved permanently against the candidate record, and forwarded to you with a branded wrapper. The candidate's status updates to "Replied by email". Your audit trail is complete.

3

The candidate's email address is outdated.

Most platforms

You wait. The candidate never consents because they never received the email. You assume they're flakey, move on to the next hire, and tell the client "we're waiting on references." Trust erodes for no real reason.

RefAssure

You get a "CONSENT UNDELIVERED" alert within minutes. Open the candidate record, update the email inline, hit resend. The candidate is contacted on the corrected address within seconds. No lost time, no client awkwardness, no restart.

How RefAssure handles failure vs the rest.

We're not claiming we're faster or cheaper here. We're showing you the specific failure modes other platforms leave silent — and exactly how we don't.

Failure mode Other platforms RefAssure
Referee email bounces Silent — you'd never know Alert within 15 min + flag on record
Candidate consent email bounces Candidate appears "unresponsive" Immediate alert, inline fix & resend
Referee replies by email instead of form Reply lost in generic inbox Captured, linked, saved, forwarded
Auto-acknowledgements cluttering inbox Treated as real replies Detected & filed separately
Chase cron wasted on dead addresses Keeps emailing for 12 days Stops automatically on bounce
Audit trail of failed delivery Missing Full log with timestamps
Dashboard visibility of issues Hidden in referee sub-views Top-level stat card, clickable

Stop missing references. Start seeing everything.

Takes 2 minutes to set up your first reference. 10 free credits to try it. No monthly fees.

From 99p per reference · No monthly fees · Credits never expire