Xplan has supported both sides of Wingate’s business since 2017, underpinning operations across Wingate Financial Planning and Wingate Benefit Solutions.
While the platform was well-established, its role had largely been limited to core CRM functionality with much of its broader capability untapped. As the business evolved, so did the need to reassess how Xplan could better support efficiency, integration and client experience.
By undertaking a structured and “eye-opening” Health Check with Iress Consulting, Wingate gained the clarity and direction needed to simplify its Xplan setup, strengthen its data foundations and unlock more of the platform’s potential.
Clare McBarron, Head of Client Services at Wingate, reflects on the experience.
“The Health Check was a really important step in our journey. It showed us how much more we could get from Xplan - and how to get there.”
Head of Client Services, Wingate
Untapped potential
Xplan has long been central to Wingate’s operations, but primarily as a CRM rather than a fully integrated platform. Clare said: "Historically, we’ve used it for names, addresses, document notes and workflows, but that’s as far as it’s gone.”
Although the team operated a single Xplan site, years of customisation had made it harder to take advantage of new features and integrations. Over time, additional systems and workarounds were introduced, leading to fragmented processes and inconsistent data.
At the same time, the business began re-evaluating its client experience, which prompted the realisation that Xplan could - and should - play a more central, strategic role, as Clare explains:
“We stepped back and asked ourselves, what do we want the client experience to look like? And a lot of that came down to data, integration and efficiency, and we realised that Xplan could probably do a lot more for us than it currently was.”
The team knew they wanted Xplan to be their primary data source for everything. The challenge was knowing how to get there - and what more the platform could deliver.
An eye-opening health check
A Health Check from Iress Consulting provided a clear, structured assessment of Wingate’s Xplan environment, highlighting strengths, gaps and opportunities.
While some areas, such as workflows, were performing well, the Health Check identified data and configuration design as the root cause of many inefficiencies. It also highlighted how these issues were limiting access to key functionality, including reporting, integrations and regulatory features.
Clare said: “It was eye-opening. We’d customised a lot over the years, but we realised from the Health Check that we probably hadn’t helped ourselves. We were missing out on updates and functionality. There are great reports and features in Xplan that we never touched - simply because we didn’t have the data in the system.”
From insight to action
With clear priorities in place and support from Iress Consulting, Wingate began simplifying and restructuring its use of Xplan, moving away from heavy customisation and back towards a more standardised approach.
This wasn’t about starting again, but about aligning the platform to better support the business, as Clare highlights:
“The Health Check highlighted the benefits that we could have by conforming slightly to what has already been made, rather than trying to do everything our own way. This was a chance to take it back to how Iress created the system and get the best from it.”
The result was a stronger foundation for consistent data, better integration and more effective automation.
The fact that Iress could come in as experts and make changes for us behind the scenes without impacting anyone else was a massive benefit to the business.
Head of Client Services, Wingate
Unlocking efficiency and new capabilities
With a more aligned system in place, Wingate can now use Xplan in ways that were previously out of reach.
“Now that we’ve gone back to the standard set-up for Xplan, we can integrate more simply because the fields match. PlannerPal integrates - all those sorts of things that we’re now looking at that we wouldn’t have been able to do before.”
As Clare says, these changes aren’t just technical; they’re reshaping how the team works day-to-day:
“It’s about making things more efficient for our teams so that they can focus on the actual client engagement and experience. Clients are starting to say their reviews are the most useful they’ve had; they’re actually making decisions and moving things forward.”
A collaborative, supportive partnership
A key part of the success has been the close working relationship with Iress Consulting. Clare sums it up:
“The Iress team were brilliant at really understanding how we work, what we’re looking to do and how Xplan could support that - making sure Xplan was working as hard as it could for us.”
The team combined technical expertise with clear, practical guidance, making complex changes accessible - even for non-technical users.
Hands-on support, including on-site training and ongoing access to expertise provided by Iress Consulting, helped ensure the changes were successfully embedded across the business, which has been particularly valuable for Clare and the team:
“Although I work on Xplan, it’s not my 24/7 job. The fact that Iress can come in as experts and make changes for us behind the scenes, without impacting anyone else, was a massive benefit for the business. Then, for the team to get proper training rather than me trying to do it was really good.”
Accelerating progress with confidence
Without the Health Check, Clare believes progress would have been slower and harder to achieve.
“If we hadn’t undertaken the Health Check, we’d still be stumbling through what we were doing. We’d still be double-keying, we’d still have inconsistent data, we would still have those inefficiencies, and we wouldn’t be able to look at the client experience in the way that we are.”
Instead, Wingate now has a clear roadmap and the confidence to move forward.
“The Health Check brought us up-to-date and allowed us to use more functionality within Xplan - automating or integrating wherever possible.”
Clients are starting to say their reviews are the most useful they've had.
Head of Client Services, Wingate
A platform for ongoing transformation
With a stronger foundation now in place, Xplan is central to Wingate’s future strategy.
Current initiatives, including data consolidation, AI-driven annual reviews through PlannerPal and a redesigned review process, are all being delivered through Xplan, alongside plans to introduce the MoneyInfo client portal.
“We’ve got multiple projects focused on making things more efficient for our teams and improving the client experience, and Xplan now supports them all.”
With continued support from Iress Consulting, Wingate is well-positioned to keep optimising its platform and improving client outcomes. Clare concludes:
“We’ve talked about using Iress Consulting for other things as well. That’s probably the best thing we can say, isn’t it?”
Iress Consulting is available exclusively to Iress clients. To learn more, please talk to your Iress Relationship Manager.
