Modernizing ERP and CRM Improves Efficiency of Sales and Customer Service
When a company is acquired, the IT team sometimes finds itself compelled to migrate the business applications to a new infrastructure environment. They may also be under a tight deadline to make sure they don’t have to keep paying for the environment that hosts the current IT infrastructure.
That’s the challenge Techstreet faced soon after being acquired by the American Association of Mechanical Engineers. Techstreet—which provides subscriptions to industry standards issued by multiple publishers and helps clients access standards—also needed help quickly. The deadline to complete the migration to a new environment was approaching quickly, and the organization maintains a lean internal IT team while keeping them focused on developing applications and assisting clients.
But the migration also presented an opportunity. At the time, Techstreet relied on legacy applications for financial, sales, and customer service functions. The leadership team realized that if they migrated and modernized the applications at the same time, they could solve two problems simultaneously.
Western Computer and Microsoft Offer Powerful Combination
Techstreet first determined that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (for ERP) and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (for Sales and Customer Service) would provide the advanced capabilities the organization required. The leadership team then looked for a partner to implement and configure the solutions. After conducting research and talking to several potential partners, Techstreet identified Western Computer as the ideal choice.
The first phase of the project—completed in advance of the deadline—focused on implementing the Techstreet applications in its Amazon Web Services environment. This included moving off a custom ERP application to Dynamics 365 Business Central. We then integrated Business Central with the Techstreet subscription platform to enable subscription transactions to flow automatically into the ERP system.
We also advised Techstreet on add-on solutions that integrate easily with Business Central. This helps prevent over-modifying the system and includes applications that streamline credit card transactions, document distribution, data integrations, and data storage.
Successful Relationship Leads to More Efficiency Improvements
Because of the success of phase one, Techstreet turned to Western Computer as its trusted partner once again for phase two. This continued collaboration illustrates how we continuously advise clients on improvements they can apply to their Dynamics 365 solutions to gain additional workflow efficiencies.
For phase two, we migrated Sales and Customer Service applications to Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement and designed an automated process in Dynamics 365 Sales that reduces the amount of time the sales team spends on customer quotes. That means no more manual processing through spreadsheets and emails.
Another key enhancement for the sales team is the alerts Dynamics 365 Customer Service generates when customer subscriptions are about to expire. The system notifies sales well in advance to schedule a meeting to discuss renewals, and then sends another reminder to confirm the customer is all set—30 days after closing on the new subscription.
Customer service case management—handled by Techstreet team members working from home—is another key improvement area. Dynamics 365 allows Techstreet to set up self-service options and automated responses to help customers find quick answers to their questions. The reps can also more easily prioritize cases, and they have more visibility into customer activity and interactions with other service reps.
IT Enables Focus on Sales and Servicing Customers
The feedback we received from the Techstreet senior management team demonstrates the value of modernizing ERP and CRM applications. “Our customer service workflow efficiency has improved significantly,” says CEO Michael Klinger. “We also have a more stable environment, and it’s easier to track the status of cases through the service metrics we generate. Western Computer has taken us from being limited by IT to an organization where IT enables us to focus on sales and servicing customers—and that’s where we make money.”
Adds Michael Connor, the Senior Vice President of Business Transformation: “Before we invested in Microsoft technology, we had to hire more people to improve the delivery of our services. But with the solution Western Computer designed, we can now scale and handle more customer activity efficiently so that we don't have to keep hiring more people. The software helps us execute our services.”
Perhaps the best indicator of how Klinger and Connor feel about Western Computer is their desire to continue the partnership. “When we need something, they make sure we get the resources we need,” Klinger says. “And if we have an issue with a vendor, they help us work through it. It's good to have a second set of eyes we trust and a partner we know will do the right thing.”
To learn more about how Western Computer helped Techstreet migrate and modernize its ERP and CRM systems in the cloud, check out the complete case study. And to find out how we can deliver the same benefits to your company, contact us today.