Backstop Reviews

Pros

This a good data aggregator for client information, history and data. The functionality servers a lot of different uses.

Cons

The ease of use and custom reporting is not intuitive and locating specific charts and data sets can sometimes be difficult.

Pros

Backstop hits the sweet spot between features and extensibility. Out of the box, the platform meets 70-80% of our business requirements. Our firm fortunately has the know-how to use API and Excel Toolkit (ETK) to cover the last mile. Most importantly, the product team listens to its customers and continually enhances the platform based on our input. You would unlikely get such feedback loops from the likes of Salesforce, Oracle or Microsoft.

Cons

Compared to a CRM startup that has unlimited flexibility to innovate, Backstop may seem more mature and risk-averse. The UI/UX seems a little dated, and mobile-responsiveness and mobile app have room for improvements. The labeling of different data entry screens should be more standardized as well.

Pros

User friendly. easy to customize reports and fields. I like the formula functions on the reports. Pages also a +.

Cons

The time it takes to run accounts reports and some limitations they have on not being able to customize their performance review sheet or their decks.

Pros

Strong in terms of accounting and tracking capeabilities

Cons

Interface is dated and it is not very strong on the investment analysis side. Comparability / plugins in excel often cause issues

Pros

Having a cloud based CRM with not only the functionality to store qualitative but also quantitative information is extremely helpful especially as a member of the investor relations team who is constantly servicing investors. Additionally, having the ability to have the CRM be the backdrop that feeds the investor portal is also great, having to only update one system saves time. The professional services team has been extremely helpful as we continue to implement new features.

Cons

Like any software there are limitations however Backstop does a great job at taking feedback and creating new features from that.

Pros

Clean look, high quality search capability, strong reporting tools to extract data, very good customer support, Backstop team is always looking for ways to improve the software, overall the best CRM/document storage/high level investment management tool on the market

Cons

Still missing some vital Private Equity components, still lacking in cash management functionality, far behind in mobile app technology, would like to see more analytical capabilities rather than just high level investment information

Pros

Backstop is extremely customizable and therefore can meet every clients' needs. The platform is very helpful for centralizing all existing and prospective client information.

Cons

I am not an active user of the Investor Bridge but in demo, did not find that to be very good.

Pros

Easy to use software that is very customizable. We utilize a balanced combo of out of the box features along with unique layouts to track tasks that are more specific to us. Backstop's staff and support teams are great. They are always willing to go the extra mile to solve an issue.

Cons

Reporting can be a little onerous with the sheer volume of reportable data. There is a learning curve and a little extra effort required to get the reporting to meet your needs.

Pros

Backstop is very useful for storing information regarding investors and their accounts. There are many useful webinars as well as training documents and videos that have assisted me in learning what Backstop offers. We are able to distribute documents through the investor portal which saves us time and makes things easy and efficient. Backstop is customizable, cloud-based and contains features that we can use to cater to our own needs as a company.

Cons

Some features still lack a bit of clarity. I am still trying to learn how to build an efficient report. It can sometimes be a slower process than I would like.

Pros

Backstop is a central hub for all of our relationships and reporting. The system is very easy to use, customizable, very robust, and the excel add-ins allow us to build sophisticated reports to match our daily needs and wants.

Cons

While the platform overall is very customizable, there are certain aspects that aren't. For example, the opportunities section under the organization comes standard, and some of the information is irrelevant to use.

Pros

Designed for investment management companies. Reports and layouts are very customizable.

Cons

The fund/account structure/logic is designed for U.S. clients mostly which are not all applicable for Canadian users.

Pros

The flexibility of the software is a great feature - the ability to customize reports and layouts to suit our business has proven very helpful.

Cons

The flexibility of the software can also make things incredibly complicated and difficult to use at times. I'm the official 'power user' of the group - and have got to that position after attending conference, watching videos, and going to Backstop seminars. However - the rest of our group hasn't had the time or the mandate to do so, and it can be time-consuming for them to try to figure out some issues. I don't think that it's a very intuitive system to use at times (until you learn how it works), and that has presented some challenges.

Pros

Simple, easy to use, can be customized to fit the needs of the organization. Support is outstanding. Definitely the best of the dozen CRM/portal systems I've used over a 20+ year career in Finance.

Cons

Reporting is still a bit slow and cumbersome.

Pros

Excellent support on Setup. Easily able to import/create contacts, organizations and opportunities. Import/Export capabilities are good. Security options (2FA, SSO, IP locking) are excellent, and admin capabilities are very strong. Import meetings/notes from Outlook useful.

Cons

Reporting is a bit cumbersome and slow. Customization is limited. Email integration created a huge headache, but was solved quickly. Outlook and Excel add-ins crash occasionally

Pros

Analytical tools are great. The software is also very flexible and allows for individual customization of many items.

Cons

The reporting engine is a bit outdated and the least user friendly part of the software. My understanding is they are working on a new reporting engine and we should see improvement soon.

Pros

This is an excellent software to track and monitor investor activity, communications, and account flows.

Cons

Because the software is so customizable, it takes time to build some of the reports.

Pros

Backstop allows us to streamline our communication as allocators, with the ability to upload notes, files and documents in a systematic way.

Cons

It is a very powerful piece of software; there is a lot Backstop is capable of that we aren't taking advantage of. It takes a lot of time to get the most use out of the software.

Pros

The effort BS puts in to customize and update our version of the software to make sure it is as user-friendly as possible and always expanding for more use purposes.

Cons

Updates seem to affect other components of the software that are not intended. When updates are made, it would be ideal that a little bubble pops up to say "this is new" to ensure the new options are utilized/made known.

Pros

This software is a great value compared to other products available.

Cons

When an update to the software is needed it can take a long time to receive an update.

Pros

A great place to store vehicle and account information. We export these daily in order to know what primary keys and accounst ahve already been set up. Allows us to effectively sort through this data.

Cons

Navigation can be difficult. Sometimes I struggle to navigate the links between clients plans and vehicles.

Pros

It is easy to use plugin in email. I can easily send my email information straight into the software.

Cons

I haven't had any problems with the product.

Pros

All the information is always made clear and readily available.

Cons

The run time is slow compared to alternatives which only provide simpler services.

Pros

Backstop is to commended on its ease of use.

Cons

Nothing immediate springs to mind regarding what i like least about it.

Pros

Any changes and/or updates made are instantly reflected upon updating the website as well as various risk & return reports

Cons

More standardized risk and return performance reports

Pros

The site is easy to navigate and you are able to run reports and track investor communication.

Cons

the site seems a little outdated and not as sleek or user friendly as competitors.