The Client

Our client provides specialized research reporting, an online catalog of training, and thought leadership events for the financial services industry. This includes banks, credit unions, mortgage, and auto lenders. Reports and Learning Services are provided on a subscription basis with defined start and end periods.

 

The Opportunity

The client was using a proprietary legacy system to support their daily Sales and Customer Service functions. The system had become highly customized for their Sales Processes, but did not have some of the basics of a modern crm system. This means that their system was unable to enforce internal sales best practices, easily track revenue recognition without extensive manual analysis, and more.  

 

The Logan Consulting Solution

After reviewing the requirements and needs with the client, Logan Consulting recommended Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. The first phase of the project involved extensive analysis of the current Sales functionality. Logan Consulting conducted multiple design sessions with the various internal sales groups to design the required structure and  processes that supported their business requirements and sales processes. Additionally, Logan Consulting designed and implemented a custom solution to migrate data from the legacy system to Microsoft CRM utilizing Azure Cloud database services. 

The final solution developed and configured by Logan Consulting included:

  • A master data structure for accounts with multiple branches that can be used across all divisions with easily viewable hierarchy
  • Lead to Opportunity with Business Process flows for three different divisions
  • Extensive use of D365 Workflows and Power Automate(Flows) to automate manual processes
  • Maintaining all product lists from all divisions in one location in CRM
  • Use of Rollup and Calculated fields to provide key summary data at the account level regarding current client status, number of open opportunities by division, and expiration status of current subscriptions.
  • Ability to easily track normal client interaction activities and notes using standard CRM Timeline Functionality without copying and pasting from Outlook
  • Granular Security Roles for access to records and record creation based on Sales Functions
  • Extensive use of custom objects as needed to accommodate the clients unique design requirements, intertwined with normal sales functionality of Accounts, Contacts, Leads, and Opportunities
  • Ability to easily extend and modify the system as new sales requirements arise
  • Migration over 10 years’ worth of data, documents and activities to Microsoft CRM in the cloud
  • Use of Dashboards and views for Pipeline and Sales Activity reporting and analysis, including ability to easily create views and export data to excel for further analysis.

 

The Results

The project was completed in about 5 months from the start of scoping to the actual go-live day. The system was extensively tested prior to going live using Logan’s Conference Room Pilot testing process to ensure minimal issues. Training was conducted in small groups over a 10-day period prior to the go-live date. The legacy system was cut-off at close of business on a Thursday evening, with data migration taking less than 24 hours. The D365 system was up and ready for final checks on Saturday afternoon. Upon arrival on Monday morning, users were able to login and begin using the new CRM system.

The client now has a robust CRM system for all Sales processes utilizing Microsoft Azure hosting platform technology and is easily accessible from anywhere. This is especially important during this time. Additionally, the platform is easily extensible and customizable, with a multitude of techniques to further automate mundane tasks and adapt to changing sales requirements.

Off to Phase Two: Customer Service Implementation….

 

Next Steps

Replace your old ways of doing business with a modern, secure, and customizable system that already works with the Microsoft Office tools that your team is familiar with like Teams, Outlook, Excel & Word. Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 for managing Sales and Customer Service interactions, and Marketing Outreach programs.

Logan Consulting, your Chicago-based consulting firm, has helped clients across the nation find their full potential every day. Stop losing revenue opportunities and start managing your company efficiently. Talk to us and watch your digital transformation begin.