Project Overview
Lewisham Council manages over 1,000 customer cases every day through its CRM system, supporting a wide range of citizen-facing services across more than 100 online transactions. As demand for digital services continued to grow, the council needed to migrate from its on-premise Microsoft Dynamics CRM to the latest cloud-based version — unlocking new capabilities while keeping disruption to services to an absolute minimum.
With over 100GB of customer and transaction data to migrate, Transparity delivered a structured, phased approach that completed the transition in a single planned weekend outage. The council now benefits from a more agile, scalable Dynamics 365 platform, providing a strong foundation for continued digital transformation and improved resident engagement.
The Challenge
Lewisham Council was already using Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise to manage citizen interactions and service requests. As demand for digital services grew, the council needed to move to the latest cloud-based version to unlock new capabilities and improve service delivery.
The key challenge was managing the migration of a large volume of data, with over 100GB of customer and transaction information, while maintaining service continuity. With so many citizen-facing processes relying on CRM integration, any disruption needed to be carefully controlled and minimised.
“We’re investing in the latest digital technology to enhance functionality and improve customer engagement as we continue to expand our online services.” — Sandi Leonties, Change and Innovation Manager, Lewisham Council
The Solution
Lewisham Council migrated to Microsoft Dynamics 365 in the cloud with support from Transparity, using a structured and carefully planned approach to ensure a smooth transition.
Following a detailed scoping exercise, Transparity provisioned a new cloud environment tailored to the council’s needs. Existing integrations were reviewed and updated to ensure compatibility with the new platform.
The migration was delivered in phases, with historic data transferred in batches over several weekends. The final migration was completed during a planned go-live weekend, minimising disruption to services.
Working alongside a specialist data migration partner, Transparity ensured the process was reliable, repeatable and low risk, with thorough testing carried out throughout to maintain data integrity and system performance.
The Outcome
The migration was completed successfully with minimal disruption, with only a short, planned outage over a single weekend. The new cloud platform went live smoothly, with services fully restored and operational from day one.
The council now benefits from a more agile and scalable system, enabling teams to improve and extend digital services for residents. Mobile access and improved system flexibility support more responsive working across service teams.
The new platform provides a strong foundation for future innovation, allowing Lewisham Council to enhance customer engagement, increase self-service capabilities and continue evolving its digital services.
“Our new cloud-based CRM makes the platform more reliable, more agile and easier to develop, helping us deliver better customer service and improve efficiency.” — Sandi Leonties, Change and Innovation Manager, Lewisham Council
Benefits
Seamless migration: Large-scale data migration was completed securely and efficiently, with minimal disruption to services.
Improved system agility: The cloud platform enables faster updates, easier enhancements and more flexible development.
Enhanced user experience: Improved accessibility and performance support both staff and citizens interacting with services.
Future-ready infrastructure: The solution provides a scalable foundation for continued digital transformation.
Better service delivery: Improved reliability and functionality enable the council to deliver more efficient, responsive services.
