Digital CRM transformation at Defaqto with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE

Defaqto, a leading provider of financial product insights, faced the end-of-life of its on-premise CRM and needed a future-proof solution. They partnered with Transparity to migrate to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement—starting with sales and support, then adding marketing and ERP integration.

The new, cloud-based CRM eliminated manual data re-entry, automated order flows into ERP, and brought real-time visibility into pipelines, customer interactions, and reporting across Teams. With a mostly “out-of-the-box” implementation, Defaqto now enjoys smoother upgrades, better efficiency, and a scalable, integrated system that supports growth and profitability.

Smooth Migration

from on-premise to cloud solution for Defaqto sales, marketing and customer service operations.

Increased efficiency

through integration of CRM and ERP solutions

Future proofing

of Defaqto’s business with a cloud-based solution and scalability for growth.

It’s been great to have a partner that’s engaged with the process. Transparity has demonstrated excellent levels of expertise with the solution and a strong understanding of our business and the sector we operate in. We have built a great relationship and it certainly makes a big difference when you enjoy working with people!

Tom Whelan, Defaqto
Head of Business Operations

The challenge

As Microsoft prepared to withdraw mainstream support for Defaqto’s incumbent on-premise CRM system, CRM 2011, it became necessary to look for a replacement solution and a partner to help with its implementation.

“We needed a solution that would put the business in the driving seat for growth over the next ten years and a partner to help us understand the art of the possible with the new technology.” Tom Whelan, Head of Business Operations at Defaqto.

Defaqto selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE), including Dynamics 365 sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to support its sales and marketing operations.

Tom explains, “Transparity provides us with the scale and expertise needed to support a business the size of Defaqto. It also meets our requirements for a deep understanding of our market sector and industry. We were particularly pleased to have named individuals dedicated to us from the start of the selection process to the present day.”

The Solution

Defaqto adopted a phased approach to the implementation of Dynamics 365 CE, initially deploying the solution to support its Sales team with opportunity management and Customer Support, providing ticket management for all issues and queries generated by its customers. Subsequently the solution was rolled out to the marketing department driving email campaigns through the new solution, alongside an integration to the ERP system.

The digital transformation has revolutionised the sales administration process, by eliminating the need for re-keying opportunity data into a separate application on conversion to orders. Orders are now fed automatically through to the organisation’s ERP system, reducing manual effort and risks of errors. The business now has real-time visibility of the sales pipeline, integration across the organisation via Microsoft Teams and improved reporting through Dynamics 365 CE dashboards.

Tom continues, “Transparity helped us to avoid potential pitfalls when designing the solution, ensuring we focused on using CRM for its primary function and avoiding unnecessary customisation of the product. We kept it as out the box as possible, which will benefit us hugely in the future when we come to apply upgrades.”

Dynamics 365 CE also brings all the benefits of a cloud solution to Defaqto, removing the need for expensive on-premise hardware, allowing access any location and providing a platform for future growth.

Since the go-live date a year ago, Dynamics 365 CE is now used by all the sales team, marketing, contracts and licensing management, finance and customer support. CRM has become the backbone of the organisation, driving efficiency and profitability across the business

The Outcome

Increased efficiency: Dynamics 365 CE has increased efficiency by removing the need for re-keying of orders into the organisation’s ERP system, reducing manual effort and the risk of errors.
Improved visibility of sales pipeline: Dynamics 365 CE has enabled real-time visibility of the end-to-end sales pipeline from initial customer contact, through opportunities, to sales orders, allowing better management of Defaqto’s business processes.
Future proofing for Defaqto: Moving from an end-of-life, on-premise solution to cloud-based Dynamics 365 CE brings significant benefits, including easier maintenance, no need for in-house hardware and seamless future upgrades, protecting Defaqto as it grows.
Integration with native Microsoft platform: As a flagship Microsoft product, Dynamics 365 CE is easily integrated with a suite of applications, including Teams and Outlook, transforming CRM into the backbone of Defaqto’s business.

About Defaqto

Defaqto is one of the UK’s most trusted sources of financial products and market intelligence, supporting financial institutions, intermediaries and consumers to make smarter financial decisions. It maintains the UK’s largest financial product database and uses proprietary research methodology to develop independent ratings, reviews, insights and technology.

Defaqto is part of Fintel, the UK’s leading fintech and support services business. Operating at the heart of retail financial services, Fintel provides technology, expertise and insights to help the market operate more effectively and inspire better outcomes for all