About Research Services
A Connecticut-based, PBSA-accredited background screening company built on personal service, integrity, and nearly 30 years of experience serving employers nationwide.
Built from scratch by a woman who refused to be told no.
Research Services was founded in 1996 by Gail Appell — a former bank branch manager, professional ski instructor, championship golfer, and mother of four boys. After experiencing workplace gender discrimination firsthand, Gail chose entrepreneurship over compromise.
She started with nothing more than a phone, a fax machine, and a computer. No investors. No safety net. Just drive, a perfectionist work ethic, and a deep commitment to helping businesses hire with confidence.
What she built became one of Connecticut's first and most respected background screening companies, known for its unusually personal approach and deep local expertise. Every employee on the team has been with the company for at least ten years. That continuity is not an accident — it is Gail's culture, still running the place.
"Anyone calling our company will always speak directly to a representative, without the hassle of a computerized assistant."
Today, Research Services is led by Gail's sons, who continue her legacy while investing in modern technology and compliance — so clients get the best of both worlds: enterprise-grade screening with small-business responsiveness.
Why Organizations Choose Research Services
No contracts or minimums
Order what you need, when you need it. No binding agreements, no startup fees, no monthly minimums. Perfect for businesses of any size.
Real people, every time
Every call is answered by a live Connecticut-based team member who actually knows your account. No bots, no ticket queues, no hold music.
PBSA accredited
We hold the gold standard in background screening accreditation — one of only a handful of Connecticut-based firms to earn and maintain this designation.
FCRA compliant by design
Our entire process is built around FCRA compliance. Your hiring decisions are legally protected at every step, not just when convenient.
Deep Connecticut criminal records
Our CT criminal records go back to the late 1980s and early 1990s — far deeper than most national providers. If a record exists, we find it.
Local roots, national reach
Based in Avon, CT since 1996, we understand the Connecticut compliance landscape deeply while serving employers across all 50 states.
Credentials and affiliations
Our accreditations are maintained through active audits and ongoing compliance standards.
What Our Clients Say
"As a full time real estate investor and landlord, Research Services has been providing me valuable information and insight on my prospective tenants for years. I’ve always been extremely impressed with the personalized attention given to me, not only by the staff, but by the president of the company herself. Research Services is critical to my business, and I’ve been recommending them to other landlords and real estate investors/professionals for years."
"What sticks out in my mind is the time we thought we found the perfect job candidate – until we ran a background check and Research Services showed us who our candidate really was. It saved us the embarrassment a bad employee can bring to a company and chances were, with this person’s horrible employment history (which was NOT listed on their resume), we would have had one bad apple. Needless to say, this person wasn’t hired and we eventually found a great person to fill the position."
"Research Services has enabled us to maintain a secure and trustworthy work environment. We were facing challenges with the loss of tools and equipment at job sites, but their support has helped us accurately assess contractors and identify concerns without unfairly targeting employees. Their commitment to safety and integrity has made a significant financial impact on our operations."
"The employees at Research Services pay attention to detail. I can always count on them to contact me if they find an error, have a question, or need clarification on a request I have submitted. They always go the extra mile to make sure our needs are met! I have gotten to know several of the employees on an individual basis and they are all wonderful."
"Research Services is an excellent company to work with because they prioritize their customer’s needs, respond extremely quickly to emails, and also follow-up to make sure we don’t have any questions and that we are happy with their services. They have gone out of their way to customize their services to better fit our organization. We are happy not only with the product they provide, but also with their team and how well they have assisted us and answered our questions in a timely manner. We appreciate Research Services and highly recommend them!"
"As someone that oversees hiring for our company, Research Services has been an integral part of our screening process. The quick turn around times has allowed for us to get new hires on board quicker which is very important in this competitive hiring market. Every question is answered quickly and accurately and on many occasions the team at Research Services has gone above and beyond to help me. We have benefited from their services for over 15 years and look forward to many more years."
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