Case Study
The Oddfellows
At City Dynamics, we are no strangers to dealing with big projects. Perhaps one of our biggest involved bringing non-profit association the Oddfellows onto a new Dynamics GP powered solution. The Oddfellows operates 216 branches nationally, providing their service to over 314,000 members. We spoke to Graham Erritsos, Head of IT, about the solution that we provided and how Dynamics technology powered the organisation’s growth and success.
Finding
The Problem
The major obstacle for the Oddfellows was a challenge that many growing organisations experience: an outdated legacy accounts system. Whilst this may have worked in the past, the Oddfellows’ ever-expanding size and large customer base were putting pressure on their current system – a replacement was urgently needed.
Graham spoke to us about the challenge at hand: “We were operating on a bespoke legacy accounts system which just didn’t meet our requirements anymore, so we began asking our accountants and auditors for their suggestions on a new replacement solution, which eventually led us to Dynamics GP.”
Solutions
In Depth Analysis
After recognising Dynamics GP’s suitability as a replacement solution, Graham detailed how City Dynamics became their solution provider of choice: “After we decided on Dynamics GP, we were recommended to speak to City Dynamics by a previous client of theirs, so we arranged for us to come down to our offices to discuss how we could make this a reality.”
As with all our clients, it is vital that we gain an understanding of exactly what is required for their solution. From this meeting, it was agreed that a Dynamics GP solution would be the ideal platform for the Oddfellows, as its SQL server connection made their systems reliably accessible for all their 216 remote, global branches.
Dynamics GP’s high degree of customisability also greatly appealed to the Oddfellows. “We needed more than just an accounting system,” explained Graham. “What we provide to our customers is far more than just that. Dynamics GP’s ability to be custom-built to perform a variety of functions was ideal for us.”
Membership Management
A Tailored Solution
Once we met with the Oddfellows, we sought to gain a clear understanding of exactly what their organisation would need to continue providing their large customer base with an excellent service. As well as replacing their existing legacy accounts system, Graham equally mentioned that the Oddfellows looked to City Dynamics once again to update all their 300,000+ memberships to the new Dynamics GP system: “We asked City Dynamics if it were possible to bring our membership databases and membership licencing procedures onto the new solution, which they said would be a simple task thanks to Dynamics GP’s high level of functionality.”
Reliability & Effectiveness
The Benefits
Straightaway, the benefits of the Oddfellows’ new Dynamics GP solution were made clear through the far greater level of connection between the organisation and its lodgers and customers. This improved level of connectivity meant that the Oddfellows were able to provide their service with a far greater level of reliability and effectiveness, whilst also allowing for the continuation of their own growth, thanks to Dynamics GP’s prominent level of scalability.
Thanks to these benefits, Graham said he felt in safe hands with City Dynamics as their solution provider. “With City Dynamics, I know that I can pick up the phone at any time and speak to someone about an issue that we’re having. We’re really happy with the deep level of understanding demonstrated by City Dynamics and their ability to support our new solution.”
Continued Support
The Future
Going forward, Graham said he saw the partnership as long term. “We’re definitely going to remain using our Dynamics GP solution, with City Dynamics as the solution provider for the foreseeable future. We are actually looking to upgrade to the latest version of GP soon, which we will definitely be looking to carry out alongside City Dynamics.”
If the way we assisted the Oddfellows in their migration to a new Dynamics solution resonates with you, why not see if City Dynamics is the right choice for your CRM or GP solutions? Email us at moreinfo@citydynamics.com or call 020 7065 6868