Oakbrook Terrace business adds level of security for consumers

Howard Hamilton, president of SAFEClickID, came up with the concept more than 30 years ago based on a personal experience.

OAKBROOK TERRACE — Howard Hamilton is hoping to give people a little extra piece of mind.

Hamilton’s just-launched SAFEClickID, an Oakbrook Terrace business takes the business of listing online reviews on the likes of Yelp and Angie’s List a step further.

Along with providing consumers the opportunity to provide online reviews of service businesses, SAFEClickID provides a layer of security for those using the businesses.

“We will have member companies that will pay a small fee to be listed with us,” Hamilton said. “However, we won’t take just any company. Before we will accept a company they will have to be vetted by us, and their employees will have to go through a thorough background check.”

The vetting of businesses interested in being included as part of SAFEClickID’s listings includes verifying state registrations, licensing, insurance, and bonding, along with standing with the Better Business Bureau.

Hamilton said SAFEClickID’s target member group is any business for which employees come onto someone’s property. And all employees from member companies will wear IDs indicating the affiliation.

“There are all kinds of things, such as movers, a plumber or an electrician, where people hire someone who comes into their home or is on their property,” Hamilton said. “You don’t really know anything about the people who are coming in. By us vetting the companies and doing background checks, there is an additional safety aspect and comfort level.”

While companies seeking to be listed pay a fee to be included, access to reviews of businesses is free for individuals.

“This really is all about safety and piece of mind for people,” Hamilton said. “We check to make sure that the company itself is legit and has all of the proper certification, and the background checks we do on the employees also protects the companies because they can be liable is something did happen.”

The background checks are done annually.

SAFEClickID has been in its planning stages for the past three years. But the seed for its focus was planted much longer ago.

“About 30 years ago, I was leaving the house at the same time a couple of workers were coming,” he said. “My wife was uncomfortable with the situation and told me not to leave until they were gone. I never forgot that.”

Hamilton is aware he is in competition with more well-known web sites such as Yelp and Angie’s List. But he believes the security protection attached to businesses he lists takes the service to another level.

“It is kind of a David versus Goliath, but where these other sites are about accumulating as many businesses as they can to list, we’re all about quality,” he said.

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