Reference checking for recruitment agencies — 99p per reference, no subscription, scales with you
UK recruitment and staffing agencies use RefAssure to complete employment references faster, more consistently and at a fraction of the cost of manual processing. Pay per reference from 99p — no monthly fees, no contracts, unlimited team access. Multi-sector templates for care, education, healthcare, temp and specialist roles.
Why agencies can't afford slow reference checking
Whether you place 10 candidates a month or 1,000, manual reference checking is a hidden cost that slows your whole operation.
Consultant time wasted
Chasing referees by phone and email eats into billing time. Each manual reference takes 45–90 minutes of active consultant effort — time that should be on fee-earning work.
Compliance exposure
Inconsistent processes leave agencies exposed to liability. In regulated sectors — care, education, healthcare — inadequate references can breach client SLAs and sector regulations.
Placements delayed or lost
Candidates can't start without references. Slow processes lose placements to competitors who move faster — especially in temp and industrial sectors where speed wins.
Doesn't scale with volume
A manual reference process that works at 20 placements a month breaks at 200. Peak periods become chaotic. Growing agencies need a system that scales automatically.
A reference process your agency can rely on
Six automated steps from candidate added to PDF report — without a consultant lifting a finger after setup.
Add the candidate
Enter candidate name, email and mobile. Select your reference template for this role or sector. Under 2 minutes to set up.
Candidate consents
RefAssure contacts the candidate by email and SMS. They consent to reference checking and provide their referee details directly — no chasing required.
Referee request sent
Branded email with secure form link sent automatically. No login required for referees — click, complete, submit. Works on any device.
Automated chasing
5 email chasers and 2 SMS reminders sent automatically over 12 days. Zero manual intervention from your team.
Reference complete
Referee submits the form. You're notified instantly. All responses stored securely in your dashboard with timestamps.
PDF report delivered
Professional PDF with full audit trail, consent record and timestamps generated automatically. Download and share with your client.
Agency reference checking — five specialist areas
Every dimension of recruitment agency reference checking covered — from agency types and volume to compliance, sector specialisms and cost.
Recruitment agencies, staffing agencies, executive search, RPO, MSP and umbrella companies — every agency business model has a different reference checking risk profile and compliance obligation.
Bulk reference checking, temp worker onboarding, contractor references, same-day turnaround — the volume and speed challenges that manual reference processes cannot solve.
GDPR, audit trails, client SLAs, candidate consent, agency liability — the compliance and risk dimensions of reference checking that agencies in regulated sectors must get right.
Finance, legal, technology, construction, engineering, hospitality, retail and transport — sector-specialist agencies with specific reference requirements and uncontested search territory.
Pay per reference, no monthly fee, credit systems, ROI, outsourcing — the commercial case for switching from manual reference checking to RefAssure. Bottom-of-funnel content for agencies ready to buy.
Reference checking guides by sector
Agencies in regulated sectors face specific compliance requirements. RefAssure supports all of them.
Care Agencies
CQC Regulation 19-compliant references for domiciliary care, supported living and residential care recruitment.
Read the guideEducation Agencies
KCSIE-compliant references for teachers, teaching assistants and supply staff in schools and MATs.
Read the guideHealthcare Agencies
NHS Employment Check Standards and CQC-compliant references for locum, bank and agency healthcare workers.
Read the guideTemp and Industrial
Fast reference checking for temp workers, warehouse staff and industrial placements.
Read the guideWarehouse and Logistics
References for warehouse operatives, HGV drivers and logistics staff.
Read the guideHospitality
Reference checking for hospitality, catering and events sector agencies.
Read the guideManual reference checking vs RefAssure for agencies
See what your consultants are dealing with today — and what changes when you automate.
| Manual process | RefAssure | |
|---|---|---|
| Consultant time per reference | 45–90 minutes active effort | Under 2 minutes to set up |
| Candidate consent | Rarely documented formally | Written, timestamped — automatic |
| Referee chasing | Manual calls and follow-up emails | 5 emails + 2 SMS — automated |
| Client report | Typed up manually | Professional PDF — generated automatically |
| Audit trail | Scattered emails and files | Full timestamped trail per reference |
| Consistency | Depends on which consultant | Same process every time |
| Scales with volume | More volume = more staff time | Same effort for 10 or 1,000 |
| Cost per reference | £15–40 in consultant time | From 99p per reference |
| Monthly subscription | N/A — just staff cost | None — pay per reference only |
Reference checking for recruitment agencies — the complete guide
Why agency reference checking is both a compliance obligation and a commercial advantage
Recruitment agencies have two distinct reasons to take reference checking seriously. The first is compliance — agencies operating in regulated sectors including care, education and healthcare face legal and contractual obligations to obtain adequate employment references before placing candidates. A care agency that places a worker without compliant references risks breaching CQC Regulation 19 and its client contracts simultaneously. An education agency that fails to obtain KCSIE-compliant safeguarding references risks Ofsted-level consequences for its school clients. In regulated sectors, inadequate references are not just an administrative gap — they are a liability.
The second reason is commercial. Agencies that deliver references quickly — and in a professional, documented format that clients can use as evidence of compliance — have a genuine competitive advantage. A PDF report from RefAssure arrives in a client HR inbox looking exactly like the kind of pre-employment evidence a regulated employer wants to file. An agency that can say "we produce compliant written references with full audit trail, automatically, for every placement" is a more attractive supplier than one that sends informal email summaries or makes phone calls.
Why pay-per-reference works better than subscription for agencies
Most reference checking software charges a monthly subscription — typically £50 to £200 per month — regardless of how many references you process. For agencies with variable or seasonal placement volumes, this creates a constant overhead whether the platform is being used or not. RefAssure charges only for what you use — credits from 99p per reference that never expire. An agency placing 50 candidates in January and 10 in February pays for 60 references, not two months of subscription. For growing agencies, this means the cost scales exactly with revenue-generating activity. For established agencies with consistent volumes, the economics are even clearer — at 85p per reference on the 100-credit pack versus £30 or more in consultant time, the ROI is immediate.
Multi-sector agencies — the reference checking challenge
Agencies that operate across multiple sectors face a particular challenge — different sectors require different reference templates with different questions. A reference template appropriate for a warehouse operative is not appropriate for a care worker, which is not appropriate for a locum doctor. RefAssure allows agencies to create and save unlimited templates — one for each sector, role type or client requirement — so consultants select the right template for each placement without needing to remember which questions apply to which sector. Every placement gets the right questions asked, every time, regardless of which consultant processes the reference.
Pay only for the references you send
No monthly subscriptions. No contracts. No per-user charges. Credits never expire — perfect for agencies with variable or seasonal hiring volumes.
Also: 250 credits £200 (80p/ref) · See all packs →
Agency reference checking — questions answered
Yes. Most recruitment agencies are contractually or legally required to obtain employment references before placing candidates — particularly in regulated sectors including care, education, healthcare and security. References provide compliance evidence for both the agency and its clients, and are often required by sector regulators including CQC and Ofsted.
RefAssure collects written candidate consent first by email and SMS, then sends branded reference requests directly to referees. If referees do not respond, the system automatically chases up to 5 times by email and twice by SMS over 12 days. When complete, a professional PDF report with full audit trail is generated instantly and available to download and share with clients.
No. RefAssure is pay-as-you-go — credits only. No monthly subscription, no annual contract, no setup fee, no per-user charges. You buy credits when you need them and they never expire. This makes RefAssure cost-effective for agencies of all sizes including those with variable monthly volumes.
Yes. There are no per-user fees — your entire consultant team uses one shared account with pooled credits. Whether processing 10 or 1,000 references a month, the system scales at the same cost per reference with no additional infrastructure or staffing required.
Yes. Every completed reference generates a professional PDF report containing the full reference responses, candidate consent record, timestamps and full audit trail. Agencies download and share this directly with clients as evidence of compliant reference checking.
Yes. RefAssure provides sector-specific templates for care agencies (CQC Regulation 19 compliant), education agencies (KCSIE safeguarding compliant) and healthcare agencies (NHS Employment Check Standards and CQC compliant). Custom templates can be built for any sector.
Credits start from £9.99 for 10 references at 99p each. The 50-credit pack at £45 (90p per reference) is popular with growing agencies. The 100-credit pack at £85 reduces the cost to 85p. No monthly fees, no contracts, credits never expire.
Start automating your agency's reference checks.
From 99p. No subscription.
Candidate consent, automated chasing, client-ready PDF reports — the same professional process on every placement.
From 99p per reference · No monthly fees · Credits never expire · UK data hosting