Case Study Modernising Payment Systems for a National Publisher

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📚 Case Study: Modernising Payment Systems for a National Publisher

✨ At a Glance

• The Challenge: Legacy in-house subscription and payment platform with clunky UI and high maintenance costs.
• The Solution: Migrating to Stripe integrated with Salesforce, simplifying payments and improving customer service workflows.
• The Result: £72,000 in annual savings, streamlined customer support, and reduced PCI compliance burden.

🔍 The Challenge

A national publishing client approached us with a critical need to move away from their legacy in-house subscription and payment platform, which had been built 12 years ago (in 2012). The platform, built using ASP.NET Webforms and hosted by a third party, cost them £100k per year for support, maintenance, and hosting.

Despite its long lifespan, the platform required constant updates to comply with PCI SAQ-C and BACS Direct Debit regulations. The user interface (UI) was outdated and cumbersome, causing customer service agents to navigate through multiple screens and manually copy-paste customer details for regular tasks like taking payments or managing subscriptions.

With a contract renewal looming in 6 months, the client was eager to find a more modern, cost-effective solution.

🛠️ The Solution

We began by assessing the client’s existing tech stack and discovered they were already using Salesforce CRM to manage customer relationships and track subscription events. This insight led us to recommend Stripe as a payment solution to replace both one-off and subscription payments.

Key steps in the solution:

• Integration of Stripe for seamless payment processing
• Custom Salesforce workflows that integrated key customer service actions directly into the CRM, streamlining the process for agents
• Migration of 8,000+ active direct debits from the legacy system to Stripe
• A comprehensive training program for 15 customer service agents, offering both in-person and self-paced learning options to ensure smooth adoption of the new system

Throughout the project, stakeholder alignment and clear communication were critical. We worked agilely, with regular check-ins, and used Slack and other communication channels to keep everyone informed.

The most complex technical challenge was aligning a 12-year-old product catalog with a more streamlined version in Stripe, requiring careful data mapping during migration. Despite this, we completed the transformation in 6 months, just in time for the client to serve notice on the maintenance contract.

🚚 The Result

The new system delivered impressive results:

• £72,000 annual savings in maintenance costs (after factoring in ongoing Stripe and transaction fees)
• PCI SAQ-C compliance and much of the BACS Direct Debit burden were eliminated
• Customer service agents reported significant time savings thanks to Stripe’s user-friendly interface and the automatic syncing of customer data between Salesforce and Stripe

🔄 What’s Next

The client’s customer service team is now exploring ways to enable self-service options for customers using Stripe’s hosted portal, further streamlining operations and creating new revenue opportunities.

💡 Key Takeaway

This project highlights how digital transformation can drive cost savings, improve efficiency, and reduce compliance risks. By integrating modern tools like Stripe with existing platforms like Salesforce, we were able to deliver a solution that not only improved internal workflows but also enhanced the customer experience.