Cegeka's key to success and growth with Microsoft for consulting organizations

As you could read in the previous part of this blog series, the most important aspect of business software today is flexibility. In the past, ERP solutions were often complex, monolithic systems aimed at product-oriented companies. These systems were cumbersome and required significant investments. Nowadays, however, ERP has evolved into a holistic approach where every application fits within the larger framework of business processes.

Cegeka embraces this modern approach by using Microsoft Dynamics 365 as the solution for its clients. Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers a range of modular solutions that seamlessly integrate, enabling companies to make tailored choices without having to make final decisions regarding integration or scalability. This approach gives organizations the flexibility to select the modules that best suit their specific needs, from financial processes and HR to customer-focused sales and customer service.

But enough about that, let’s get to the point. Do Cegeka and Microsoft have what it takes to meet all the needs of a consulting organization? We looked into it for you, based on the ‘Core Professional Services Business Applications’ diagram from Service Performance Insight.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Resource Management

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations or Supply Chain delivers a complete solution for Enterprise Resource Management by intelligently connecting financial processes—from planning and control to reporting and efficient resource management.

• Financial Planning and Analysis: With features for comprehensive reporting and analysis, this module provides companies with real-time insights into their financial performance, enabling accurate budgeting and forecasting.
• Accounting and Financial Management: Supports multi-legal entity and multi-currency transactions, which is essential for international operations and complex business structures. Intercompany transactions are also simplified.

"Thanks to Microsoft Dynamics 365, our processes are now much more integrated than before. Cegeka implemented a user-friendly and future-proof ERP platform that perfectly aligns with our objectives. It also provides significant benefits in terms of efficiency, transparency, and reporting."
Frank Lambrigts - CEO at Securitas Belgium

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations & Professional Service Automation

• An end-to-end solution for operational project planning and execution, including resource management, time and expense tracking, financial management, and real-time insights and reporting, but without inventory consumption and goods production as part of project execution. In its technical documentation, Microsoft refers to this as Project Operations Resource / Non-stocked.
• A more finance-focused solution as part of Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, which does include inventory and goods production as part of a project. Microsoft refers to this in its technical documentation as Project Operations Stocked / Production.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement & Client Relationship Management

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement includes various modules or apps that can make significant contributions with the goal of optimizing the customer experience for consulting organizations:

• The Sales module helps manage and optimize sales processes by tracking leads, opportunities, and customer interactions, resulting in a streamlined sales cycle and improved customer relationships.
• The Customer Service module provides tools for managing customer inquiries and requests, as well as problem-solving, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• The Marketing module – Customer Insights helps set up and execute targeted marketing campaigns, boosting brand awareness and attracting new customers.

"The three modules we implemented work seamlessly together," Marco continues. "Our sales, customer service, and marketing teams all use the same customer data, so it made sense to centralize that data for the entire company. However, the modules also offer specific functionalities. Our customer service team works with cases (such as complaints and inquiries), while the sales teams use a pipeline approach. Marketing focuses on marketing automation. In short, Dynamics 365 provides one central platform and one database for our customer-facing teams, while still being tailored to the processes of each team."

Marco Schillemans - Digital & IT Manager at Q8Oils

Human Resource Management

Microsoft Dynamics 365 HRM includes all the modules that can contribute to the organization’s success by streamlining HR processes, increasing efficiency, and creating a positive employee experience, ultimately driving organizational growth and success:

• The core HR module provides a centralized system for managing employee information, including personnel records, contracts, and regulatory compliance, resulting in more efficient workforce management.

• Talent Management in Microsoft Dynamics 365 HRM helps attract, develop, and retain talent through recruitment, onboarding, and performance management processes, fostering a strong and motivated team.

• The payroll module automates payroll processing, ensures accurate and timely payments, and complies with legal requirements, reducing administrative burdens and minimizing errors. Other payroll systems can also be easily integrated with other HRM modules.

• Benefits management enables organizations to manage and communicate employee benefits, increasing employee satisfaction and engagement.

• The time and attendance module helps track working hours, leave, and attendance, which is essential for accurate payroll and resource planning.

"This allows all HR managers to work with a single source of truth. Data is no longer scattered across various Excel files or tools, which has also led to fewer frustrations and errors. Employees now benefit from a streamlined HR workflow, allowing them to spend far less time on administrative tasks." Zahra Khiare - Head of People & Culture at Learn365

Business Intelligence

Cegeka Business Insight (CBI) is a modern and user-friendly BI platform for professional service organizations that delivers crystal-clear insights from sources such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations and Customer Engagement. Built on Cegeka best practices and Microsoft technology, CBI enables the transformation of data from various sources into valuable business insights without the need for a large-scale BI implementation. The platform offers advanced calculations for domains such as cost details and traceability, and it aggregates data from both internal and external sources. Through integration with BI tools like Azure Synapse and Data Fabric, BI goes beyond being a technical framework by translating Azure data into easily consumable insights.

In addition, users can perform advanced analyses, build predictive models, and automatically generate insights using machine learning and AI features such as Q&A, AutoML, and Azure integration.

"In recent years, we have acquired many new companies as part of our growth strategy. Previously, each of them had their own digital environment. It is a major challenge to get them all working with the same technology and terminology. For example, two companies might have a completely different understanding of a revenue report. That’s why we sought out generic, standard tools to simplify the adoption process for each individual company." 
Michaël Roman - Financial & Administrative Analyst at Duomed

And one more efficiency bonus...

Collaboration is essential for an organization’s success. Think of tools for knowledge management, where employees can easily store, organize, and share documents. This fosters a culture of transparency and knowledge sharing, giving team members access to the information they need to do their work effectively. Or tools that enable efficient and fast communication, file sharing, and real-time collaboration on projects, regardless of team members’ physical location. Microsoft 365 (M365) offers the ideal solution for all of this, with powerful applications like SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive that work seamlessly together to support these processes.

Cegeka & Microsoft: the perfect combination

Together, these modules provide an integrated platform that helps consulting firms streamline their processes, improve operational efficiency, and achieve better client outcomes, ultimately contributing to the organization’s growth and success.

Bringing all business processes together on a single platform, such as Microsoft, and having it implemented by a single partner, like Cegeka, offers significant advantages. You work with one project team and one vendor, which eliminates vendor battles and ensures a streamlined implementation. Instead of dealing with multiple applications, technologies, and providers, Cegeka delivers an integrated solution as the sole vendor. This simplifies management, increases efficiency, and ensures consistent results, as there are no conflicts between different partners and suppliers. This allows companies to focus on their core activities while Cegeka ensures a seamless implementation and integration of the platform."

"Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the solution we need to support our business objectives and growth goals. This robust IT platform enables us to seamlessly integrate our processes and data." 
Danny Jacxens - Director IT & Digital at Hudson Belux