40k adviser hours returned a year
- Client
- Craigs Investment Partners
- Industry
- Banking and finance
- Platform
- UiPath and Maestro
Key results
- 40,000 adviser hours returned a year
- A 70-minute client review reduced to a single adviser action
- Book-wide changes made in seconds, not client by client
- About 35 processes delivered with Flex over three years
Services used
The challenge
Craigs advisers were completing recurring client reviews and portfolio administration one portfolio at a time. The core trading platform, running through Citrix and without APIs, had resisted earlier integration attempts. Twice-yearly client reports took about 70 minutes each, which limited the time available for higher-value client conversations.
What Flex built
Flex Consulting built ARES, the Automated Reporting and Execution System: one guided adviser experience spanning portfolio review, book-wide trading and document generation. APIs bring together CRM, holdings and trading data. UiPath automation reaches the closed core platform through its existing screens, and UiPath Maestro orchestrates resilient document and email workflows. Human review and approval remain core and are embedded.
What changed
- A client review moved from a manual 70-minute task to a single adviser action.
- Advisers can identify affected clients and execute book-wide changes in seconds rather than repeating work client by client.
- Standardised, redesigned reports improved consistency while supporting regulatory obligations, client expectations and client outcomes.
Why it matters
The returned time is capacity, not cost-out: Craigs reinvested it in deeper client engagement and broader service. ARES followed about 35 successful processes delivered with Flex over three years, with every project after the first meeting its ROI target.
What Craigs says
“Flex went well beyond what we would expect from a delivery partner. They took real ownership of the outcome, worked through some exceptionally complex challenges alongside our team, and stayed focused on getting the right result for Craigs and our clients.”
“What makes Flex special is the combination of deep technical capability, commercial pragmatism and genuine commitment. They don’t simply deliver what is asked, they invest in understanding the business, challenge constructively and remain accountable through to a successful outcome. ARES would not have been possible without them.”