Project Overview
Liaison Financial Services, a financial recovery specialist that saved the NHS £234m in 2024, recognised that its on-premise finance solution was becoming outdated. The organisation needed to move to the cloud while preserving its existing interface with its Dynamics 365 CRM application and keeping disruption to its established business processes to a minimum.
Transparity delivered a smooth migration from Microsoft Navision to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the cloud, fully integrated with Liaison’s existing CRM system. Paperless invoicing and payroll functions have since been migrated to the platform, and Transparity continues to provide ongoing support and identify further opportunities to optimise business processes.
The Challenge
Liaison recognised that its on-premise financial solution was becoming outdated and sought a cloud-based solution to future-proof the organisation, whilst also keeping its existing interface with its CRM application.
“We were looking for a cloud-based solution which leveraged our integrated Microsoft ecosystem and supported our existing business processes which have worked well for us, including an interface to Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. By keeping within the Microsoft ecosystem, we would also benefit from a simplified migration process.” — Pam Simkiss, Group Chief Accountant, Liaison Financial Services
Liaison’s CTO was familiar with the work of Transparity and was invited to present its approach to the implementation. Liaison appointed Transparity as its implementation partner based on its track record, its cultural fit and its ability to quickly understand Liaison’s business model and requirements.
The Solution
The migration to Dynamics 365 Business Central was straightforward, being essentially an upgrade from Microsoft Navision. With a dedicated Transparity consultant on site driving the requirements gathering, planning and delivery, the project proceeded smoothly. All the necessary testing was completed and the cutover happened with practically no issues.
As a service-based business, Liaison now benefits from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which delivers all the functionality its finance team requires. Liaison also used the transition to Business Central to adopt paperless purchase invoicing, saving time and effort, and once the system demonstrated its reliability, the organisation migrated its payroll functions to Business Central as well.
“The standard finance functions were a given, but a key requirement was the ability to integrate seamlessly with our CRM system. We needed to link clients to projects and automatically populate draft invoices in Business Central, leaving us only to check the details and send the invoice.” — Pam Simkiss, Group Chief Accountant, Liaison Financial Services
Business Central also delivers all the advantages of a cloud-based solution, including the retirement of on-premise servers, automated regular updates, and easy access from any location.
“In the past, upgrades were labour intensive and had to be carefully planned. Now, updates are applied automatically. We receive webinars explaining any new functionality, and we can quickly assess whether those features are relevant to our business.” — Pam Simkiss, Group Chief Accountant, Liaison Financial Services
Transparity continues to support Liaison with a single point of contact for when issues arise or opportunities to improve processes are identified. For example, Liaison is currently exploring the possibility of automating some repetitive manual processes using the AI capabilities of Business Central.
The Outcome
Robust financial operations
Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a comprehensive solution supporting all of Liaison’s financial operations across all its business processes.
Integrated CRM
The solution is fully integrated with Liaison’s CRM system, enabling visibility of invoicing status for all its clients by project, avoiding the need to re-key information and reducing the risk of errors.
Future proof
The move to cloud-based Dynamics 365 Business Central ensures easier maintenance, no need for in-house hardware and seamless future upgrades, protecting Liaison as it expands.
Ongoing support
Transparity delivers continuous support for the solution, serving as a single point of contact to resolve issues and identify opportunities to optimise business processes with Business Central.
