Inbound reference requests remain a frequent source of disruption for HR and people operations teams. They interrupt the day, arrive at unpredictable times, and often come with inconsistent formats or requests for unnecessary details. Each one takes time to process, whether it involves confirming job titles, checking records, or manually replying with dates of employment.

Many employers still manage this process manually, but the cost is increasing. Hours are lost to repetitive admin, personal data is often shared without proper audit controls, and employees or leavers may be left waiting when teams are stretched - we built Respond to remove this burden entirely.

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What is Respond?

Respond is a free service that enables employers to handle inbound reference and employment or income verification requests automatically.

Instead of replying manually to each request, HR teams can redirect verifiers to a bespoke employer-branded landing page hosted by Konfir. The employee or former employee gives consent, connects to trusted data sources, and the required information is returned securely to the requester. 

Respond provides the same factual data employers already issue, such as job titles, start and end dates, and salary, where appropriate, but in a secure, automated and consistent way that doesn’t require HR teams to lift a finger

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Why Respond, and why now?

Reference requests are not slowing down. In fact, more employers, landlords and financial product providers are requesting verified employment or income data to support hiring, tenancy and lending decisions.

At the same time, most employers now limit what they disclose in references. Due to litigation risk, many have adopted a factual-only referencing policy. This typically limits data provided to start and end dates, job titles and salary when required. As a result, the process for many employers has become highly standardised, yet remains highly manual for most teams.

Respond solves this by:

• Removing repetitive admin from HR
  
  
• Supporting employees and alumni with quicker outcomes
  
  
• Reducing GDPR and data privacy risks by avoiding unsecured emails and adhering to data minimisation
  
  
• Creating a clear, consistent process that requires minimal ongoing effort
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How it works

Respond is quick to set up and simple to use. Employers receive a branded landing page URL that can be added to email auto-replies, internal portals or policy pages. When a reference request is received, it is directed to that page.

The applicant provides consent, connects to their data sources, and Konfir handles the verification from there. The verifier receives the verified data securely, with no delays and no involvement needed from HR.

There are no contracts to sign, no systems or data to integrate, and no cost to the employer.

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Built for HR, trusted by leading employers

Respond is already being used by employers across sectors such as healthcare, retail, education and technology. It is designed to reduce administrative load while improving data quality and turnaround time.

Employers using Respond report:

• Up to 80% fewer manual reference tasks
  
  
• More consistent handling of personal data
  
  
• Reduced workload, allowing teams to reallocate headcount to more value-adding work
  
  
• Faster results for employees and applicants
  

Konfir is certified to ISO27001 and aligns with UKDIATF standards. Data is shared only with consent, and only the required information is returned.

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A simple way to solve a recurring problem

Manual referencing might seem like a small task, but these small tasks quickly add up. It creates unnecessary work, introduces risk, and takes attention away from the work that matters.

Respond is a straightforward way to make referencing a non-issue. No forms, no follow-ups, no time lost.

👉 Set up Respond for your organisation