To manage our processes and provide services to our clients, we’re reliant on efficient systems. Most crucially, these systems need to be connected to ensure accuracy and quality across our data, drive efficiency and avoid high levels of manual input.
As a Microsoft Partner, we already knew the unique value of Microsoft technology in being able to integrate and create powerful technology ecosystems for business.
So, when we began to examine frustration in our existing tools, moving to an all-Microsoft suite was the logical solution – with a particular focus on moving onto Dynamics 365.
Since implementing Dynamics 365 to complete our wider Microsoft stack, we’ve already seen:
- Over 180 staff hours saved weekly
- A 14% increase in project profitability
- Projected savings of £1 million+
In this case study, we explore why we moved towards an all-Microsoft infrastructure, how we did it and the benefits we’ve experienced.
The challenge: a curation of disparate tools
Infinity Group has been operating for 24 years. As is often the case with businesses, over that time we collected a range of different tools and systems, each brought in to address needs at that point in time.
This resulted in a technology stack divided across providers, causing difficulties with integration and workflows between systems. We also recognised that some older systems were no longer offering sufficient value.
While integrations were in place, these were custom-built and often difficult to manage. The lack of connectivity also led to staff having to move between multiple systems and risks of data or workflow errors.
These outdated tools needed upgrading to a solution that was fit for purpose, while driving connectivity with the systems we had in place and enabling us to achieve more as an organisation.
Rob Young, CEO of Infinity Group, explains: “The siloed systems and data caused by unintegrated solutions were making it harder to manage compliance. It was also limiting what we could achieve with AI, as we didn’t have a unified platform to get data insights from”.
The solution: a total move to Microsoft technology
The turning point for our move to exclusively Microsoft technology was driven by our need for a more mature sales solution. While the one we had was good enough at the time, we had grown out of it.
By this point, we already had significant Microsoft tooling place, including the likes of Business Central, Microsoft 365 and security solutions. So, it made sense to consider Microsoft for our sales tool, in the form of Dynamics 365 Sales.
And while we were moving to Sales, we decided we could move more of our functions to Dynamics 365 and benefit from advanced connectivity. Due to the Microsoft knowledge we have internally, we knew D365 was a match for our operational needs and existing business processes.
Tristan Shortland, Chief Technology Officer at Infinity Group, explains: “We knew Dynamics 365 was a really good fit for us. We need management across project operations, sales, field service, finance and customer service, which aligns directly with the modules offered within D365.”
There were several benefits we’d gain from moving. Firstly, we could eliminate the complexity of having multiple systems with numerous integrations. By consolidating everything onto one platform, we’d achieve a more streamlined and efficient data architecture. This would be backed by Microsoft Fabric, allowing for comprehensive reporting and analysis across every area.
It would also bring every team onto the same tools, facilitating better communication and collaboration internally. This would make it easier to roll out new technologies across our ecosystem to benefit everyone, such as AI.
A strong technology stack would also be a stand-out for us an employer, attracting the top talent we need to thrive.
Giving us first-hand experience
There was also the added benefit of us being a Microsoft Partner, which requires us to deeply understand their technologies. By giving our staff increased access to the Microsoft suite in their own roles, they could better understand the ecosystem. This knowledge is invaluable when discussing solutions with customers, allowing us to better support them.
Rob emphasises the importance of this knowledge: “It’s crucial for us to understand the journey our clients go through to implement the Microsoft solutions we’re recommending. We can now empathise more with them and understand first-hand the value these solutions can offer, with can drive their own direction forward”.
While Dynamics 365 Sales was the first tool decided to be brought over, this was quickly followed by Customer Insights, Project Operations and Customer Service, giving us tools aligned to the different functions of the business.
What our all-Microsoft tech stack looks like
With the tools we already have in place, plus the move towards Dynamics 365, we can now officially say we’ve got an exclusively Microsoft tech stack. Here’s what it looks like:
1. Dynamics 365
- Dynamics 365 Sales: Manages pipelines and leads across the sales team, allowing them to track deals to close.
- Dynamics 365 Customer Insights: Used for collecting prospect and client data to offer increasingly personalised experiences and drive marketing accuracy.
- Dynamics 365 Project Operations: Manages the entire project lifecycle, including selling, planning, managing and billing projects. It also handles time entries and project plans.
- Dynamics 365 Customer Service: Manages ticket logging (automated and manual) for customer service, with automated features to drive efficiency.
- Dynamics 365 Business Central: Used for finance management, meeting our billing needs.
- Dynamics 365 Field Service: Used to manage our engineers and facilitate on-site visits, with efficient scheduling.
- Dynamics 365 Customer Voice: Microsoft’s survey tool used to gather feedback through the portal.
- Work 365: An ISV solution for recursive billing, handling Microsoft licenses and support agreements.
2. Microsoft 365
- Office 365: Used for productivity tools.
- Teams: Our core meeting and communications tool.
- SharePoint: Used for intranet and document management.
- Viva: Used for managing our people and driving employee engagement.
3. Power Platform
- Power Apps: An outward-facing portal for logging tickets, ordering new licenses and services, viewing old bills, and product status reports.
- Power BI: Used for bringing reports to life with meaningful visualisation that can be shared internally and externally.
- Power Automate: Used to streamline workflows between and within systems, reducing manual input.
4. Azure
- Azure SQL: Used to manage our cloud databases, with high availability and security.
- Azure DevOps: Streamlines the software development lifecycle with tools for version control, CI/CD and project management.
- Azure Data Factory: Automates data movement and transformation across various data sources.
- Azure Logic Apps: Automates workflows and integrate applications, data and services seamlessly.
5. Microsoft Security
- Defender for Cloud Apps: Provides security by scanning for unauthorised apps.
- Entra ID: Authenticates users across our systems using MFA.
- Secure Core: Our own security package, built on Microsoft Entra, Intune and Defender, to create a strong security baseline.
6. Microsoft Fabric
- Used to consolidate data from various systems into a unified architecture, for comprehensive analysis.
7. Copilot
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: Offering AI insights, connected to our data, within our Office applications, Outlook and Teams for contextualised, accurate outcomes.
- Copilot Agents: Streamlining existing workflows through automated bots, so our people can reclaim time.
- Copilot for Sales: Supporting sellers with personalised content generation, competitor research and lead summaries.
- Copilot for Service: Powering customer service knowledge and enabling us to answer client queries faster.
Any third-party tools we use for support can also be fully integrated with these systems, ensuring that everything is connected for smoother workflows.
The process for moving to Dynamics 365
When moving over to Dynamics 365 to complete our Microsoft stack, we applied the same approach we do on our client projects.
The first step was evaluating all our existing systems, processes, integrations and tools to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. The issue we wanted to resolve included enhancing user and customer experiences in project management, ticket handling, billing and other areas.
The next stage was understanding how the new solutions would fit our organisational needs and map into our existing stack, with emphasis on the inefficiencies we wanted to address. Fortunately, our unique position meant we already knew Dynamics 365’s features would map onto our processes well and offer value.
As we were moving multiple areas of the business to Dynamics 365, it would be a large project. It was crucial to stage work to avoid overwhelming resource and causing disruption. We prioritised projects based on their financial/user impact and effort level. We used a difficulty and importance matrix to assess this for each part of the project.
From this exercise, we uncovered that Project Operations would be the simplest migration, yet still drive an impact, which mean we could complete the process relatively quickly. This contrasted with Customer Service, which was more complex and required careful planning due to its public-facing nature. Instead of taking it all on at once, we focused on the incremental steps we could take to improve without divulging all time.
By carefully undergoing this process, we built a phased roadmap that would secure value quickly without absorbing all capacity.
Planning resource
We utilised our own staff for the project, including solution architects, project managers, technical and functional consultants and data specialists.
Due to this, it was crucial we managed internal projects against competing priorities with external projects. This would also us to progress while still maintaining service levels with our clients.
Upfront planning was essential to set aside budget and real resources, acknowledging the cost implications and potential impacts to other areas. Constant negotiation and management were required to keep resources on track, ensuring projects moved at the desired pace.
Ring-fencing resources for internal projects was also crucial to avoid delays and maintain progress, allowing us to make positive progress.
Tristan explains: “Internal projects are challenging because they’re always fighting with external projects. Everyone has day jobs, and that day job typically isn’t to work on internal projects. When you’re doing that up front planning piece, it’s crucial to set aside budget and real resources and acknowledge the fact that there is going to be a cost implication.”
Preparing for project success
To ensure the success of our transition to Microsoft technology, we focused on both technical and people aspects.
From a technical standpoint, we undertook significant data transformation, cleaning and migration to ensure that our data was accurate and up to date. This is an ongoing task, as maintaining clean data is crucial for operational efficiency. We were fortunate to already have a strong foundation in place with Microsoft productivity and security tools, such as MFA and conditional access, which made integrating new services smoother.
Additionally, our team was well-equipped to handle the technical challenges, allowing us to focus on freeing up the right people for the job rather than finding new resources.
Change management was also critical for success. People naturally resist change, so we implemented initiatives like weekly all-hands meetings to communicate the benefits and progress of the transition. Continuous communication, training and providing access to necessary resources such as user guides and knowledge bases were essential.
We made sure to address concerns and feedback, understanding that different personalities require different approaches to change. This ongoing effort in change management ensured that our staff was well-informed, trained and comfortable with the new tools and processes.
Finally, we emphasised the importance of post-go-live support and continuous improvement. Just as maintaining clean data is an ongoing task, so is reinforcing the use of new tools and processes. Regular reminders about the benefits and functionalities of the new system, such as using Copilot, helped embed these changes into daily routines. This approach ensures that we didn’t just implement the new technology but also maximise its value by continuously supporting and improving how it is used.
The results so far
After a phased project, we are now at a point where Dynamics 365 has been tested and implemented. Most of the business has been moved over, with the remainder to be moved in the coming weeks.
While it’s early days, we’ve already seen significant benefits, including:
- 180+ hours saved across our business per week
- 14% increase in project profitability
- Projected cost savings of £1 million+ annually
- 16% increase in CSAT score
- 15 hours saved on billing
- Increased ability to innovate
- Better communication
How each business area has benefitted
From a sales standpoint, the transition to Dynamics 365 has significantly improved our ability to forecast accurately. We now have forward-looking demand, sales and revenue forecasting capabilities, which allow us to predict and adjust resources proactively. This shift from backward-looking reporting to real-time forecasting has saved time and provided a clearer picture of future needs, enabling more strategic decision-making.
In terms of project management, consolidating data into one system has provided immediate visibility into project health. This centralised approach has streamlined project oversight and improved efficiency.
With billing, integration with Microsoft’s Partner Centre and the Work 365 platform has resulted in more accurate billing and reduced errors. This automation has not only saved costs but also provided a comprehensive 360-degree view of customer interactions, including support cases, sales opportunities, licenses and communications. This holistic view enhances efficiency, reduces mistakes and improves customer service.
One of the most unexpected benefits we’re seeing is an increase in AI adoption. By giving our people a single platform, with strong data, people can access contextualised AI outputs. As a result, they can use AI safely and accurately in their roles. We have now seen several Copilot Agent use cases arise, allowing team members to save time for higher-value work.
And there are more benefits to come. Tristan states: “There’s tonnes of potential, covering Copilot, additional self-service channels and more advanced automation. Now, we’re on a platform that is built on technology everyone’s familiar with means we can leverage this innovation much more quickly.”
Rob further iterates: “Microsoft are bringing out new features every six months, and we’re now in a much better position to embrace them. Increased automation and AI implementation are enabling us to take away the cumbersome tasks, saving time and money, and driving our scalability.”
Next steps
While the core project is approaching completion, there is more to come.
We’re already looking to deploy the Dynamics 365 Contact Centre to provide a proper omnichannel experience for our agents, allowing them to interact with customers through various channels such as live chat, SMS and more. This will enhance customer service by offering a seamless and flexible communication experience.
We’re also pursuing AI agents. We’ve already seen each department be empowered to build their own agents. The next step is formalising this process, so everyone has the ability and guidelines to create their own agents. This will enable us to become an AI-powered business.
Additionally, we plan to enhance our intranet and document management system in SharePoint, moving towards more advanced functionalities.
And of course, we will continue to explore new features and updates from Microsoft to ensure we are leveraging the latest capabilities. This ongoing assessment and adaptation will help us prioritise projects that offer significant benefits, maintaining a flexible roadmap that can respond to technological advancements and changing business needs.
Could Microsoft tech benefit your business?
If you’re suffering with the side effects of disparate or outdated systems, you could benefit from moving to a Microsoft ecosystem. And we can help you get there.
We’re Microsoft experts who practice what we preach. Our first-hand experience across the Microsoft tech stack means we know what each tool is capable of and how to implement it best, while overcoming any challenges.
We also know the first step to any effective move to Microsoft technology is a strong business case that covers value drivers, costs and technology strategy to ensure successful implementation.
In the video below, our experts discuss what you need to think about to ensure your solutions meet organisational needs and convince stakeholders to give their support:
