Thursday, July 10, 2025
Build a business case for complaint management software
Want leadership to start putting complaints high on their agenda? This guide helps you use the data, language, and strategy that will make an impact on their decision-making.
Getting leadership to invest in new software is rarely straightforward, especially when it supports a team that’s often seen as a “cost drain” and doesn’t perform a sales or marketing function.
If you lead complaints, you already know where the problems lie: manual processes, missed SLAs, always being short-staffed and spending too much time reporting. But convincing leadership to invest in change? That’s where it gets tough.
This guide is here to help.
It gives you the numbers, impact, and language to make a business case that leadership teams can’t ignore, because it uses data and speaks the language of outcomes, not just aged operational problems.
Why complaint handling feels expensive and what’s actually to blame for it
The real revenue leakage doesn’t come from the complaints themselves. It often comes from the inefficient process being used to manage them.
And this is how you frame your case for investment in a Complaints Case Management System:
“We’re not asking for more budget to handle complaints. We’re asking for a solution to stop losing unnecessary time and money to a broken process.”
Outdated tools and manual workarounds waste capacity, and these costs add up fast. Often, the total complaint cost isn’t split out and analysed, so it’s assumed that it’s the actual complaint eating into the bottom line, rather than an internal operational process.
With the specialist complaint software to support them, complaint teams have achieved:
88% time saved on reporting (from 48 hours/month to just 6)
9-day reduction in average complaint resolution time
87% less time spent trying to capturing data
80% reduction in manual errors
Imagine what that could mean for your team and the business:
Faster resolutions
Happier customers
Reporting from one source, so you really know what's going on
Time to focus on root causes and proactive solutions
Collaboration with all stakeholders so everyone remains on the same page
This isn’t about chasing efficiency for efficiency’s sake; it’s about freeing up resources to improve outcomes.
How better complaint handling reduces risk and protects the business
The right systems help you identify risks early, avoid escalation, and prove fairness, consistency, and timeliness to the FCA.
“This isn’t just about handling complaints. It’s about reducing risk, evidencing your outcomes, and improving customer satisfaction.”
Manual tracking leads to missed insights, long delays, and gaps in audit trails. With the right system in place, complaints teams have achieved:
92% reduction in FOS referrals
47% reduction in FOS upheld complaints
99% of cases resolved within FCA timeframes
This isn’t about scrambling for FCA RegData. It's about being able to produce consistent, defensible processes, every time.
How complaint handling impacts retention and revenue
“Every complaint is a chance to win back trust or lose the customer for good.”
The stats say it all.
Acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining one (Invesp)
A 5% increase in retention can boost profits by 25-95% (Bains)
Yet, complaints still face problems such as:
Customers always chasing updates - more time is spent on these than resolving the issue
Avoidable escalations that could have been prevented - due to customers becoming more frustrated with the process
Repeated problems due to root cause analysis issues
Reporting from different sources, so you don't really know what's going on
Lost time in trying to find files and evidence
Lack of collaboration between all parties - wasted time spent going rounds in circles
Not enough staff due to sick leave and other absences
Too many gaps in knowledge - staff keep leaving because of the constant pressure
Poor reviews due to lack of transparency and communication
Great complaint handling keeps customers loyal, drives lifetime value, and eliminates the chaos that comes from fixing the same problems twice.
Why poor complaint handling helps your competitors win
“Unresolved complaints are wide open doors. You're inviting your competitors to walk through them and take your customers.”
Disappointed customers don’t always escalate internally. Instead they leave bad reviews, talk to competitors and disengage from your brand.
It’s not just churn; it’s brand erosion, pipeline loss, and missed referrals.
“Fix the process, and you’re not just improving resolution rates, you’re protecting your brand.”
When broken systems burn out good people
Spreadsheets, constant phone calls, and shared inboxes don’t just slow your team down; they burn them out.
Burnout leads to:
Turnover of staff and knowledge loss within the team
Delayed handovers from staff calling in sick
Weakened morale naturally affects productivity and efficiency
An increased risk that cases will not be handled consistently
Service levels drop, customer frustrations rise, and a constant downward spiral is created
Lack of collaboration between all parties - wasted time spent going rounds in circles
Costly onboarding - time and money spent on recruiting
New team members miss out on adequate training and support
Fixing your system isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about performance, resilience, consistency, and keeping your best people from working elsewhere.
How to build a business case that your leadership team will love
You don’t need a ten-page strategy doc. At first, you’ve got about 60 seconds, maybe less, to get someone’s attention. They’ll skim or half-listen for something that interests them, then decide whether to stick around.
Yes, understanding your audience helps. But it’s not essential in the early moments.
What matters most is that you can clearly summarise three things:
What's broken
What's possible to fix
What's at stake
1. Summarise the current challenges
Focus on what leadership can’t ignore: delays, escalations, risk exposure, manual reporting, and poor visibility.
2. Use data to show what it’s costing the business
Use your internal metrics and compare them with some of those mentioned in this blog.
For example:
92% reduction in FOS referrals - how much do you currently spend on FOS referral fees and D&I payments?
9-day faster resolution – how many days would an average case be open in your team?
75% fewer active cases – how would this improve current SLAs and future headcount?
88% time saved on reporting – how many hours does this give back you and the team?
Up to 95% profit uplift from retention – ask, if the team could reduce churn by 10%, how would this impact the bottom line?
3. Explain the impact on customers and teams across the business
Focus on outcomes: customer trust, team knowledge and morale, the cost of poor process, the cost of using fragmented data for business decision making.
4. Define what success looks like
Faster resolutions
Process costs are mitigated
Increased volumes don’t mean increased headcount
The return of investment could be seen in months, not years
5. Be clear on what you’re asking for
Lay out next steps:
Free trial access to the platform
The budget to implement the system
Internal sign-off timeline
The final call to action
This isn’t a complex project. It’s a fast, high-impact upgrade that frees capacity and transforms complaint outcomes from day one.
Get in touch to sign up for the free trial or learning more about Complyr. We promise no hard sales pitch.