Reimagining Complaints at Hargreaves Lansdown with Salesforce.

The Challenge: Turning Compliance into Client Advocacy

In highly regulated sectors, such as financial services, complaint handling is about more than just meeting obligations. For Hargreaves Lansdown, it was clear that delivering positive client outcomes should be central to their complaints process. However, their existing systems and manual processes were limiting that ambition.

Technology gaps meant complaints were often handled in isolation. Teams faced challenges engaging clients meaningfully, and reporting was cumbersome and restricted. Real-time visibility was missing for both internal and external stakeholders, making it challenging to transform complaints into opportunities for advocacy.

At a time when the FCA’s DISP and Consumer Duty regulations demand greater transparency and responsibility, Hargreaves Lansdown knew that something had to change. A more innovative, joined-up approach was urgently needed.

The Solution: Building a Central Complaints Hub with Salesforce

We partnered with Hargreaves Lansdown to redesign the entire complaints-handling experience from the ground up. This was not simply a case of layering on new tools. Together, we worked to transform every part of the process to make it more transparent, faster, and more client-focused.

A central Complaints source of truth was introduced in Salesforce, offering complete visibility and bringing all complaint data together in one place. This removed silos and enabled everyone involved to work from the same accurate, up-to-date information. New processes were also embedded, shaped by changes in policy, procedures and governance. We worked closely to define clearer roles and responsibilities across the complaints journey, ensuring each case moved smoothly from initial logging to resolution.

A QA and QC-driven process was established at the core of this model, with a strong focus on First Point of Contact (FPOC) resolution and enhanced reportability. This enabled teams to resolve issues more effectively and maintain robust audit trails for regulatory reporting purposes.

The Outcome: Faster Responses and a Shift in Mindset

The impact was immediate and significant. With DISP and Consumer Duty gaps addressed, Hargreaves Lansdown saw a significant improvement in complaints handling performance. Acknowledgement times, which had previously stretched to up to six days, were cut dramatically. Complaints are now being acknowledged in just 24 to 48 hours, setting the tone for quicker and more empathetic resolutions.

The centralised approach also unlocked better reporting capabilities. Enhanced data visibility has enabled improvements in SLA reporting and reduced the effort required to create FCA evidence-based compliance packs. Perhaps most powerfully, the new process delivered tangible time savings. Triage and Average Handling Time (AHT) per complaint were both streamlined, resulting in a projected 45-minute reduction for every case. This freed up teams to focus more on meaningful client conversations rather than administrative tasks.

Looking Ahead: Complaints as a Driver of Positive Experiences

For Hargreaves Lansdown, reimagining complaints was about more than solving process inefficiencies. It was about using technology and transparent governance to turn potentially negative experiences into positive ones.

By collaborating with us at Ziipline and leveraging Salesforce’s platform, they’ve raised the bar for what great client care can look like, all while staying fully aligned with regulatory expectations.