Martin Currie Case Study: Connecting the Global Front Office

Helping Martin Currie to connect the global front office using Microsoft Dynamics 365

Case Studies | 17 December 2021

About the customer

Disrupting the market by digitising the client onboarding process

Martin Currie Investment Management Limited is a global organisation that offers asset management, equities, securities, investment strategies, financial planning and advisory services to customers worldwide. Operating since 1881 with £11.2bn Assets Under Management, the business has 110 employees operating across five global offices.

Martin Currie’s stock-focused approach is driven by in-depth fundamental research and skilled portfolio construction. It’s key goals are to gain a holistic view of investee companies and an insight into culture to build an understanding of material risks and opportunities, develop conviction in ideas, and deliver differentiated client outcomes.

Martin Currie Investment Management Limited is a Specialist Investment Manager of Franklin Resources, Inc. which has Assets Under Management totalling $1.4 trillion.

The Challenge

Unifying multiple business units across disparate time zones

As its legacy Dynamics system approached end of life/support, Martin Currie Investment Management Ltd required a new CRM system to support its global Sales, Marketing and Business Development front office, who operate in disparate time zones. The project was deployed in two phases.

Migrate and upgrade to Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Implement and integrate Dynamics 365 Marketing

Stability, maximised efficiencies and a simple UX were key requirements, as well as the ability to augment existing systems and provide teams with a single customer view. The project sought to future proof digital infrastructure and processes and end reliance on a single system, provider and partner. The team sought a stable cloud-based system, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and in all time zones.

The Solution

Customising Microsoft Dynamics 365 to meet the requirements

Telefónica Tech’s approach was to rebuild Dynamics 365 Customer Service online, hosted by Microsoft. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing was also implemented to provide an integrated digital marketing suite.

Out the box functionality was maximised with customisations and configurations, rather than development, to remove any dependencies on specific partners going forward. This approach allowed Martin Currie to leverage existing Microsoft 365 licenses using the out the box integrations to Outlook, SharePoint and Power BI.

Hayley Keenan, Head of CRM, Data and Change: “Our analysis and scoping led us to Dynamics 365. It offers more features available out the box, was customisable to current and future needs and suited our wider technology suite. Microsoft then recommended Telefónica Tech as a technology partner for implementation.

Apart from understanding the scope of work, they were a stand out partner in terms of approach and rapport. They didn’t try to oversell or overdevelop the project, they listened carefully and met our requirements.

Telefónica Tech’s approach and turnaround was efficient and effective. During implementation, updates and progress reporting were daily and structured. Communication was good and I was aware of progress at every stage. They’re a great client facing consultancy with strong people. The weekly project call and status report gave me really useful insight to share with the key stakeholders and financial teams too.”

The Outcomes

Foundation for the future

Telefónica Tech’s approach was based upon sound, proven methodologies that ensured the new Dynamics 365 system and integrations were built precisely to the client’s needs. The project’s digital and data infrastructure not only achieved Martin Currie key outcomes but provided the perfect foundation for the future continuous digital improvement that the business sought.

Business outcome highlights:

Stable and secure cloud system
Single customer view
Connected front office
Sales enablement
Significant annual cost savings
Informed decision making and reporting
Resourcing efficiencies
Productivity gains.

“The project was delivered on time, it restored system dependability and increased confidence across our sales and commercial teams in multiple geographies. A key objective was removing reliance on a single system and partner. Dynamics has solved that for us. The team now spend more time on qualitative data analysis and access data much easier, thanks to improved visual reporting and management information (MI) capabilities. We have such great visibility now on workflow and can manage resource effectively. We’re actively using every capability the solution offers, to the huge benefit of the business.” Hayley Keenan, Head of CRM, Data and Change

Customer Quote

“

“The team now spend more time on qualitative data analysis and access data much easier, thanks to improved visual reporting and management information (MI) capabilities. We have such great visibility now on workflow and can manage resource effectively. We’re actively using every capability the solution offers, to the huge benefit of the business."

Hayley Keenan

Head of CRM, Data and Change, Ultimate Finance