In today’s competitive investment landscape, every technology decision is a business decision. Investment consultants are under pressure to do more—support more clients, analyze more data, and deliver more tailored recommendations—with the same or fewer resources.

That’s why evaluating research infrastructure shouldn’t just be about features or workflows. It’s about outcomes.

The right platform can help you reduce time spent on manual tasks, increase capacity without adding headcount, and ultimately deliver better results for your clients and your business. But how do you separate “nice to have” from what actually drives return on investment?

Based on our work with leading consulting firms, here are six must-have capabilities that consistently deliver ROI.

Preserve institutional knowledge to avoid rework

When critical insights live in someone’s head or on a spreadsheet, firms waste time retracing past decisions or redoing work.

ROI impact:
Reduces duplicative work, speeds up decision-making, and ensures consistency even as teams grow or change.

Enable collaboration across asset class teams

Different teams (public markets, private markets, operations, etc.) often operate in silos, leading to gaps, delays, or conflicting perspectives.

ROI impact:
Accelerates time to insight by making it easier to share intelligence, align recommendations, and respond to clients faster.

Customize workflows for each investment strategy

Private equity due diligence looks different from public market manager research, and your infrastructure needs to reflect that.

ROI impact:
Reduces inefficiency by streamlining workflows that match your investment approach, helping teams scale effectively.

Connect research to reporting for transparency

If the context behind a recommendation gets lost between research and reporting, you lose more than data. You may also lose confidence.

ROI impact:
Improves accuracy and transparency, reducing last-minute rework and strengthening client trust.

Build accountability with audit trails

When every action is tracked, you create a foundation for internal oversight and external confidence.

ROI impact:
Minimizes risk, supports compliance, and reduces time spent validating decisions retroactively.

Integrate external tools for seamless research flow

Whether it’s Morningstar or your proprietary models, your research infrastructure needs to play well with others.

ROI impact:
Maximises the value of your existing tech stack while avoiding duplicate data entry or disconnected workflows.

Final thought: Choose infrastructure that multiplies ROI

Good process matters. But ROI comes from infrastructure that multiplies the impact of your people and preserves the value of their work over time.

When evaluating research platforms, don’t just ask, “Will this fit how we work?” Try asking, “Will this make our work go further?”

Download the info kit to see how Backstop helps investment consultants build high-performing research teams that scale with confidence.