Building Dynamics practice creates differentiator, drives growth

When Infinity Group decided to expand its Modern Work and Azure consultancy to include Microsoft Dynamics CRM in 2015, the strategy was to open up new avenues for C-level engagement with its customers. “The MSP [managed service provider] market for Modern Work and Azure is very saturated, so Dynamics 365 was seen as an opportunity for us to do something a bit different. As a pure play Microsoft partner, customers could now turn to us for comprehensive solutions across the entire stack,” said Rob Young, CEO at Infinity Group. “With business applications, you are solving business challenges rather than just technical challenges, so we were able to pull the C-Suite into the conversation.”

Starting up a Dynamics 365 practice began with adopting Dynamics 365 internally. “We were customer zero,” said Young. “We started using the technology ourselves and learned how it worked, how it could benefit our business, and where there was opportunity to help customers.” It was not an easy beginning at the time, but as Infinity Group built skills and developed fixed price, packaged solutions to scale more quickly, Dynamics 365 began to be the center of an increasing number of engagements. By the time Dynamics 365 Business Central was released, the business began to kick into high gear. “Business Central has really matured as a product, and it can be deployed relatively quickly so that customers see rapid operational impact,” said Young. “It is now a credible product for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and midmarket clients, so we were able to move up market. And with Microsoft 365 interoperability built in, the question for many customers became ‘why wouldn’t I move to Business Central?’”

With the recent release of Microsoft Copilot providing integrated generative AI across its Microsoft business applications portfolio, Infinity Group has even more tools to drive customer success and business growth. Dynamics 365 and Power Platform projects now account for 70 percent of its business, revenues have grown by 50 percent year over year, and its staff has doubled in the past two years. “If we were starting our business today, I think we could get to profitability much faster than we did,” said Young. “The maturity of the product, the skyrocketing demand around Copilot, and the program funding and resources that Microsoft now has in place would reduce that time to just a year or two.”

Dynamics 365 serves as gateway to business transformation at WASHCO

WASHCO, a commercial laundry and supply services business that provides laundry equipment, installation, and repair services across the UK, wanted to revolutionize its service offerings by utilizing the internet of things (IoT) capabilities in its machinery. Initially searching for a field service solution that would help optimize engineer routes and proactively service machines before issues arise, the WASHCO team found Infinity Group. Infinity Group recommended a Microsoft-funded Vision and Value assessment to help WASHCO understand the comprehensive needs of its business, which included not only improving efficiency but increasing market share and profitability by becoming the first in the industry to offer an uptime guarantee. The 10-day assessment included participants from senior business leaders and IT stakeholders, along with the finance director from Hughes Electrical, WASHCO’s parent company.

“The Vision and Value assessment is incredibly valuable because you can have conversations with key stakeholders in the business about their challenges. It takes the discussion away from technology completely to focus on what impact they are trying to achieve,” said Young.

The result of the Vision and Value engagement was a road map over two years that addresses the organization’s field service, customer service, sales, operations, and infrastructure concerns. By implementing Dynamics 365 across all of these functions, including Dynamics 365 Business Central for business management, Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Field Service to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction, and Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing to develop stronger upsell and cross-sell motions, WASHCO is expected to achieve 200 percent return on investment (ROI). The leadership team at Hughes Electrical was so impressed with the solution, they decided to implement Dynamics 365 Business Central as well.

“Engaging with a platform like Microsoft Dynamics 365 means we’re not just capable of improving internal processes, it allows us to directly connect those processes to assets in the field, creating an entirely new business model for us,” said Peter Hosking, founder and CEO of WASHCO. “Infinity Group has helped us uncover value we didn’t know existed. Dynamics 365 is our platform to disrupt the market.”

Copilot and Business Central yield new opportunities for SMBs, SMCs

While still in the process of deploying its Dynamics 365 solutions, WASHCO, like many of Infinity Group’s customers, has already expressed interest in expanding its Dynamics 365 deployments to include generative AI. The company is looking into using Copilot Studio to develop a Copilot agent that can process telemetry data from IoT devices to spot patterns around equipment failure and other service challenges. For Business Central, WASHCO is exploring how to activate role-based Copilot functionality to streamline invoice reconciliation and other manual processes.

“Copilot and Copilot agents are really driving the market,” said Chris Marshall, Chief Marketing Officer at Infinity Group. “Small and mid-sized organizations are realizing that these technologies are now within their reach and can create an enormous impact, so they need to sort out their data and core systems like finance and sales to make sure they can take advantage of this AI wave. Copilot and Business Central are a winning combination that allows us to deliver this added value to customers.”

"Dynamics 365 was seen as an opportunity for us to do something a bit different.… With business applications, you are solving business challenges rather than just technical challenges, so we were able to pull the C-Suite into the conversation."

—Rob Young, CEO, Infinity Group

"Infinity Group has helped us uncover value we didn’t know existed. Dynamics 365 is our platform to disrupt the market."

—Peter Hosking, Founder and CEO, WASHCO

Dynamics 365 practice serves as catalyst for rapid growth at Infinity Group