Consumer Duty has changed the game for UK financial services. It requires firms to prove they deliver good outcomes for customers; not just in policy, but in practice.
For digital workplace practitioners, this means a requirement for targeting relevant updates to specific audiences and tracking mandatory reads and attestations, to be sure that every employee understands and acts on the latest regulations.
The challenge? Outdated SharePoint intranets simply aren’t up to the task.
Many firms still rely on scattershot emails and static PDFs to share policy updates. These methods lack visibility, accountability, and targeting. Once an email is sent, there’s no guarantee it’s read or understood. In fact, a recent survey found 65% of financial institutions struggle to get employees to follow communication policies and PWC report that 85% of executives say compliance requirements have grown more complex in the last three years.
Early enforcement is already underway. The FCA has begun reviewing firms and penalising shortcomings. PwC estimates the average financial firm spent £5 million preparing for Consumer Duty, yet without robust internal communication infrastructure, that investment could be undermined.
No confirmation: Email blasts offer no reliable way to track who read or understood the update.
No targeting: Generic messages often miss the right audience, while overwhelming others.
Audit headaches: When asked for proof, “we sent an email” won’t satisfy regulators.
Information overload: In hybrid workplaces, vital updates can easily get lost in the noise.
These gaps aren’t just inconvenient; they create compliance risk. Firms need a smarter, auditable way to communicate.
A modern digital workplace, built on the Microsoft 365 platform, turns compliance communication into a structured, trackable process. Here’s how:
A centralised hub: Your Consumer Duty framework can live in one accessible location, reducing confusion and version-control issues.
Targeted alerts: Push critical actions and updates from the framework to the right audiences via Outlook, Teams notifications, or mobile alerts.
Mandatory read & acknowledgement: Ask employees to confirm they’ve read updates, with automated reminders and audit-ready logs.
Attestation: Capture formal attestations to prove understanding.
Analytics & Reporting: Track engagement in real time and produce evidence for audits instantly.
These features transform compliance from a guessing game into a measurable, managed process.
We’ve helped leading financial organisations deliver on their Consumer Duty requirements using SharePoint. Don’t wait for an audit to expose compliance communication weakness. Reach out to us to see how we can turn your Consumer Duty communications into a source of confidence.
