Hawksford's Digital Transformation: Integrated Systems and a Refined Online Experience

How Huble and Hawksford streamlined systems and enhanced Hawksford’s online presence.

Introducing Hawksford

Hawksford is a global leader in Corporate, Private Client, and Fund services, dedicated to helping businesses and individuals succeed. With a mission to understand and meet unique needs, Hawksford provides tailored solutions that go beyond the ordinary.

Hawksford operates in 19 locations globally, serving clients in more than 100 countries.


Hawksford Huble

Hawksford’s search for digital transformation

Hawksford encountered significant challenges with their outdated website infrastructure, largely due to the complexity of managing Sitecore, their existing CMS. 

Following its recent transition from Dynamics CRM to HubSpot CRM, it became clear that consolidating all systems into HubSpot was the strategic next step. This move not only aimed to simplify operations but also to provide a unified, 360-degree view of customer interactions, enabling improved reporting across the entire customer journey - from first touch to last touch. 

Additionally, by integrating everything within HubSpot, Hawksford anticipated future cost savings, as it allowed them to eliminate the need for running both Sitecore and Dynamics alongside HubSpot.


In this context, improving the website's functionality became a priority. The site needed enhancements in several key areas:

 

  • Knowledge Hub: This page includes insights and guides, the latest industry analysis, business news, industry events, and case studies. It was essential to reorganise and update this content to ensure relevance and accessibility.

  • People Page: This page features an overview of the Hawksford team, including detailed profiles and introductions. Streamlining this section was essential to ensure users could easily find the right expert they were looking for, improving both team visibility and user engagement.

  • Recruitment Pages: These pages highlight current vacancies, career opportunities, and insights into the work culture at Hawksford. Updating and optimising these pages was essential for attracting top talent and enhancing the overall recruitment process.
Anthony Green
Anthony Green
Head of Digital, Hawksford

"Working with Huble has been key to our digital transformation. Their expertise in system consolidation and web redesign has helped us create a cohesive and user-centric platform that truly represents the Hawksford brand."

Website redesigns to improve UX

Hawksford’s previous website featured an excessive number of forms scattered across numerous pages in an attempt to maximise customer touchpoints. However, this led to a cluttered and overly complex website. The abundance of forms made navigation more difficult and disrupted the user experience, ultimately resulting in a confusing site structure. This complexity likely hindered visitor engagement and negatively impacted lead conversion rates.

 

Hawksford aimed to achieve several benefits by modernising the website and adapting it to meet the needs of various teams within the business units. The goal was to enhance user experience, boost engagement and lead generation, and strengthen their global brand, while ensuring easier navigation, efficient information dissemination, and overall business growth.

As Hawksford worked with Huble on the CRM conversion, they recognised the next phase of implementation: the redesign of their website. 

 

This move was driven by recognising potential risks, including the possibility of losing valuable web traffic and experiencing a drop in SEO rankings. Hawksford was particularly concerned that without professional guidance, changes to their website might negatively impact their search engine visibility, leading to decreased organic traffic, lower engagement rates, and ultimately, a loss of potential clients and revenue.

Launching a new and improved Knowledge Hub

Hawksford's initial challenge was managing a vast Knowledge Hub with valuable content accumulated since 2014. While having extensive content is an asset, it needed better organisation to maximise its potential. Recognising this, Hawksford worked with Huble to leverage our expertise in restructuring and strategically refreshing the Knowledge Hub, ensuring it became a more efficient and user-friendly resource.

The Solution & Results

Huble began a thorough assessment of Hawksford's knowledge base. The goal was to identify valuable content while recognising the need to weed out obsolete information. This phase was crucial not only for curating the content, but also for laying the foundations for an optimised, relevant and SEO-friendly knowledge library.

The existing library suffered from poor searchability and URL structure, which impacted the overall user experience and caused lost SEO opportunities. Huble's consultants looked closely at user behaviour and preferences to develop a solution that would improve search functionality, provide better content categorisation for the end user and enhance overall navigation.

In response to the challenges uncovered, Huble worked alongside the Hawksford team to develop comprehensive content curation and migration strategies. This included categorising information, deciding on relevance and ensuring that the content retained was in line with SEO best practice. The goal was to create a knowledge library that not only met current needs, but also set the stage for future scalability.

The result is a knowledge hub that fits into Hawksford's business objectives. The library not only serves as a testament to industry expertise, but is also a valuable resource for customers and visitors alike. 

The redesigned knowledge library not only improved search functionalities, but also provided a streamlined user experience. Users can now easily navigate through relevant, up-to-date information in multiple formats, emphasising Hawksford's commitment to being a valuable resource in their industry.

Enhancing website user engagement

Hawksford recognised that their existing website lacked optimal functionality when it came to user engagement and conversion opportunities. The contact forms and avenues for reaching out were not delivering the desired level of user interaction. 

Understanding the critical importance of frictionless communication with clients and prospects, Hawksford set clear goals for improving user engagement. They envisioned a website where users could easily connect with Hawksford through various touchpoints, fostering a dynamic and responsive relationship.

The Solution & Results

The aim was to create a multi-faceted approach to making contact and to ensure that users can get in touch with Hawksford via the channels that best suit their preferences. This involved not only optimising the existing contact forms, but also introducing new and intuitive communication channels.

The collaborative efforts of Hawksford and Huble led to a website that goes beyond traditional contact forms. Users now encounter a dynamic and responsive interface offering multiple touchpoints for interaction. 

Anthony Green
Anthony Green
Head of Digital, Hawksford

"Huble's collaborative and strategic approach has empowered us to streamline our operations and enhance our online presence. By working closely with us to understand our challenges, they delivered customised solutions that have significantly improved the way we engage with our customers."

Expanding Client Connections

Recognising that a significant portion of their clientele prefers direct interactions with team members, Hawksford identified the necessity for an easily navigable People Page equipped with the right contact information.


The existing People Page was not as user-friendly as it could be and did not effectively support clients in finding and connecting with the appropriate team members. This gap had the potential to make it challenging for users to find the experts they were searching for, which likely impacted engagement and the overall personalisation of the client experience.


Hawksford aimed to create a People Page that was more than just a list of names and titles. They wanted a dynamic and interactive directory that could serve as a bridge between clients and their expert team members. The goal was to provide clients with a streamlined, intuitive way to find the right person to speak to, ensuring that their inquiries were directed to the most suitable team members efficiently and effectively.

The Solution & Results

The main goal was to make it effortless for visitors to find the right team member and gather key contact information. To achieve this, the navigation elements were designed to enhance the user experience. The new design included filters and search features that allowed users to sort team members by speciality, department and location, making the search process quick and intuitive.

 

Each team member's profile included not only their roles and expertise, but also direct contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses. These profiles were enriched with professional biographies, areas of expertise and even personal interests to provide a comprehensive picture of the team member. This approach catered to the client's preference for direct communication and allowed for more personalised interaction.


Moreover, addressing the challenge of maintaining more than80 individual profile pages and ensuring a streamlined process for adding or retiring team members, we introduced HubDB functionality. This enabled us to centralise control over the listing page and team categorisation, while also implementing a dynamic page template. Now, all team profiles can be managed efficiently via HubDB, eliminating the need to handle and update multiple CMS pages separately.


In addition, the new People Page was integrated with Hawksford's CRM system to ensure that all enquiries and contact requests could be managed and tracked efficiently. This integration allowed for better follow-up and a more organised approach to customer care.

The enhanced People Page is facilitating a more direct and immediate connection between clients and Hawksford's knowledgeable professionals, fostering a client-centric approach to engagement.

 

The redesign of the people page aimed to make it more convenient for clients to connect with the right experts. By enhancing intuitive navigation and providing comprehensive profiles, the goal was to improve user experience and facilitate more effective communication, helping to address clients' needs promptly and accurately.

 

As a result, the team now finds managing and maintaining their team pages much easier due to the development and use of HubDB. This database-driven solution enhances efficiency in updates and streamlines content management, significantly simplifying the overall web management process. 

Enhancing Hawksford’s Recruitment Experience

Hawksford recognised the significance of a robust and scalable careers area of the website to fuel its continuous growth. The recruitment section of the website was a crucial component of Hawksford's website transformation, with specific goals centred around creating a user-friendly experience and ensuring scalability for future team expansions.

Hawksford's diverse global operations required a recruitment division that could effectively communicate the company's values, culture and career opportunities. The primary goal was not just to attract top talent but to provide a platform where potential candidates could explore job openings and engage with the recruitment process.

The Solution & Results

Recognising Hawksford's dynamic nature and plans for expansion, the recruitment section was designed to be scalable. This involved creating a framework that could accommodate an increasing number of job postings, diverse and global roles, and evolving organisational needs without compromising the user experience.

The user interface for the recruitment section prioritised simplicity and clarity. Job seekers can now easily navigate through various career opportunities, explore detailed job descriptions, and initiate the application process with minimal friction. The objective was to create an inviting and informative space that encouraged qualified candidates to apply.

From visually appealing job listings to insightful content about Hawksford's workplace culture, the platform aimed to not only attract talent but to provide a genuine glimpse into what it's like to be part of the Hawksford team.

Job seekers experience a streamlined journey from exploration to application, contributing to Hawksford's ability to attract and retain top-tier professionals. The goal of improving user experience and scalability was to increase the number of applications and to ensure that candidates found the platform easy to navigate and clear in its information.

Moreover, Hawksford's enhanced recruitment section has strengthened its employer brand, showcasing the company's commitment to a positive candidate experience. This transformation was intended to not only attract highly qualified candidates but also retain them, as the new platform effectively communicates Hawksford's values and culture, aligning with the expectations of prospective employees.

Overall, the revamped recruitment section has become a vital tool in Hawksford's growth strategy, ensuring a steady influx of talented professionals to support its global operations.

Redefining Hawksford's Website Design

Hawksford

Intuitive design and user experience

Hawksford's distinctive brand identity is a cornerstone of their competitive advantage that sets them apart in their industry. The website redesign therefore needed to not only reflect this identity, but also bring it to life through an intuitive and easy to navigate user experience. The primary goal was to ensure that visitors would find a website that not only reflected Hawksford's unique identity, but also provided quick access to relevant information.


Whilst our main focus was on delivering an exceptional desktop experience, we also recognised the importance of a consistent and streamlined user experience across all devices. To ensure this, we worked with Hawksford to optimise the site for mobile and tablet users too. This approach aimed to increase user engagement and satisfaction by ensuring that the user experience remains consistent and intuitive regardless of device.

 

By combining Hawksford's brand identity with a user-centred design philosophy, the revamped website not only reflects the company's ethos but also enhances its online presence. The result is a website that not only serves as a digital shop window, but also as a powerful tool for communicating Hawksford's values, services and expertise to a global audience.

Next steps

Building on the success of the recent website redesign, Hawksford and Huble will continue to work together to further optimise the user experience.


The next phase will focus on improving click-through rates and refining the ‘become a customer’ journey to ensure a seamless onboarding experience. In addition, we plan to develop and implement customised chatbot interactions and optimise regional conversion paths to better serve Hawksford's diverse global customer base.

 

Hawksford's collaboration with Huble has resulted in a significant transformation of its online presence. Addressing various challenges, from outdated infrastructure to ineffective user engagement, the partnership focused on tailored solutions to meet Hawksford's unique needs and global objectives.

Huble's expertise has led to tangible outcomes. Hawksford now boasts a modernised website that reflects its brand identity and offers a streamlined user experience across all devices. With improved functionalities and intuitive navigation, the website effectively engages users and communicates Hawksford's values.

By partnering with Huble, Hawksford has overcome digital challenges and positioned itself for future growth in a competitive landscape.

Anthony Green
Anthony Green

Head of Digital, Hawksford

"Thanks to our partnership with Huble, our new website supports growth and aligns with our mission. We are confident that this transformation will continue to benefit our clients and strengthen Hawksford's position in the market.”

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