How to Choose the Right Data Services Provider for Your Private Investigation Agency

Reliable access to actionable data is crucial to a successful investigation. Mistakes can be costly and compromise the integrity of the investigation.

When the trail goes cold, your investigators need better information — plus the ability to connect the dots to find patterns, relationships and connections between individuals, businesses and assets. Data services providers are becoming an invaluable tool for uncovering leads and solving the toughest cases.

Here's what to look for in a data services provider:

Reliable and robust data

These days, it's easier than ever for people to cover their tracks. For example, they can use aliases to travel, transfer funds, commit crimes and more.

The best data services providers yield actionable data points that can reveal previously hidden connections and trends. But that's only possible if the information is reliable. It must be collected from trusted sources — both public records and proprietary data — and be regularly updated; otherwise your investigators could end up going down a rabbit hole of false leads.

Trace connections

Having the ability to detect patterns is especially valuable for skip tracing, missing person cases and criminal background checks. Investigations take less time if the information reveals key factors, such as known associates and behavioral patterns.

Today's smart technology, linking and matching can reduce legwork, helping you understand people's movements, transactions, residences and criminal history. Access to millions of records, presented in ways that make sense and reveal associations, provides investigators with critical intelligence that would otherwise be missed.

Simple, convenient and fast

Private investigators are often expected to deliver their findings quickly. A data services provider isn’t worth the cost if they take days or weeks to yield results.

Ideally, your investigators can type in a name and instantly see relevant data. It's not your agency's job to develop sophisticated data analysis techniques. Your provider should do that for you.

If you're considering a specific provider, ask for a demo to see the type of information you’ll get and what the user experience is like. It should be simple, easy to use and deliver applicable results; otherwise, it's useless. You should also consider getting a free trial to ensure it meets your needs.

Since information is a critical tool for investigations, it's worth doing your due diligence to identify the best options. Consider the cost of each solution to get the most return on investment.

To gain convenient access to robust and detailed data with advanced skip-tracing technology, start your free trial of TLOxp^®.

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