As promised, I commented further on the topic of verification firms avoiding “field work” in our newsletter. A colleague from another verification provider responded with the following: “I was reading your most recent article regarding verifiers who do not conduct fieldwork.  I just wanted to let you know that I, too, am disheartened by this process.  I do not understand how you can do a verification without going to your client’s office.  I am talking to a prospect now that told me that their verifier had not been in their offices for more than 5 years, yet they still get a verification report (and, by the way, they are not compliant).”

So, we’re not alone in our disdain for such a practice. And, as evidenced by this individual’s experience and observation, the absence of field work can often mean that the firm is non-compliant.

Should field work be mandatory? Unclear. But it should be considered “best practice,” at a minimum.