HFMA Case Study: Driving membership management through Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Telefónica Tech driving membership management for HFMA through Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Case Studies | 19 December 2020

Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is a charity and the leading membership organisation for healthcare financial management professionals in the UK.

HFMA represents over 5,000 finance staff working in UK healthcare and provides practical resources, insightful thought leadership, support through Continuing Professional Development and access to an influential network.

The Challenge

HFMA held information on many disparate systems

HFMA experienced a period of rapid growth where significant changes within the NHS meant finance professionals working in the healthcare sector needed a stronger voice and a clear understanding of the impact of the changes on them. As a result of this HFMA wanted to increase awareness of what they do and improve the visibility of their members within the wider NHS community.

It was recognised that HFMA’s current infrastructure did not support it’s new strategy and member needs as well as it would have liked. So the decision was made to invest in a new system to underpin continued growth.

Historically the organisation held information on many disparate systems. Data was held in 20-30 different places and as HFMA grew this became increasingly difficult to manage. “It was difficult to view and maintain data and searching for and analysing business critical information was extremely time consuming.” explained James Hood, Head of IT. The ongoing management of data and ensuring compliance with GDPR was also proving to be a significant issue.

The Solution

Creating visibility across the organisation and a slick service for customers

HFMA needed a platform to consolidate membership and events data, as well as more traditional CRM information. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online appealed because it was well recognised and supported, and ultimately would extend beyond standard sales, service and marketing.

A key driver for HFMA in their selection process was choosing a future proof solution. James explained, “If we had gone for a niche solution we felt there would have been more challenges. The expectation with Microsoft is that they can respond to the changes in the way people want to work quickly.”

Originally HFMA partnered with another Dynamics partner, but soon realised it lacked support for HFMA’s long term development plans. James Hood, Head of IT and E-Learning explained “We felt they were out of their depth when it came to the customisation and system architecture of Dynamics CRM Online, which is why we came to Telefónica Tech.”

HFMA also wanted to work with a company with specific experience working with event management, and one who could work flexibly with them to meet their changing goals and needs. James explained, “We talked to a number of companies but Telefónica Tech stood out for their professionalism, and the way we felt they would be able to come in and contribute to the project. This has ultimately proved to be the case”.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online has transformed how HFMA manages its members alongside Microsoft Office 365 and Azure web portals. HFMA membership database is now within Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and is integrated with their website. New members can join HFMA online using an Adxstudio portal which is powered by Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

The underlying CRM platform also generates invoices, automates emails and drives HFMA’s renewal process. The implementation of a brand new, automated renewals process has been hugely beneficial to the organisation. Gone is the manual renewal process which was managed over a period of several months. Instead, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online solution automatically manages the renewal notification process via a series of emails. This provides a more convenient and slick service to customers, and frees up HFMA employee time to focus on other activities.

The Key Results

A central source of data and a future proof solution

A central source of membership data
Visibility across the organisation, internally and externally
Automated membership renewals process
A full understanding of membership
Improved communication with members
Integration with existing systems
A future proof Cloud strategy with the potential to extend beyond Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online has enabled HFMA to understand exactly what their members and potential members are interested in, and provide staff with key information at the right time. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online gives HFMA visibility of its members and improved intelligence which means they can better serve their diverse needs. James Hood said, “Fundamentally the system should make us smarter as an organisation allowing us to understand our members’ needs and respond appropriately.”

One of the key challenges HFMA faced in the past has been keeping track of communications and understanding individuals changing roles, particularly within the NHS where there is a lot of movement. James explained, “We can see in the past we have missed opportunities because we have not had knowledge that is easily accessible and centralised. Dynamics gives us a space that knowledge is easily available and as more people use it this will make Dynamics even more beneficial to us”.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online allows HFMA to meet the obligations required by GDPR. By having one central place to manage data they can ensure that member information is kept up to date and accurate.

Customer Quote

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“Having a partner that can work flexibly with us and who can help us evolve Dynamics to meet our changing goals and needs is very important. We felt Telefónica Tech ultimately ticked all of those boxes.”

James Hood

Head of IT and E-Learning, HFMA