The Client
Genesis Homes is part of the Genesis Housing Group, a housing association responsible for more than 40,000 properties in London and the South East. One of the key roles of Genesis Homes is to sell properties to eligible applicants under the shared ownership scheme – a government funded initiative designed to help first-time buyers on to the property ladder. The entire sales cycle, from marketing and lead generation to supporting the customer through the conveyancing process, is managed by Genesis Homes.
The Brief
Genesis Homes had enjoyed positive growth in sales fuelled by a new marketing strategy which generated a 100% increase in responses. This surge in numbers resulted in increasing pressure on existing IT systems.
Combined with this, the system for tracking enquiries and sales had evolved on an ad-hoc basis with information spread across several areas. The concern was that poor data management could have several negative impacts on performance, ultimately leading to inefficient conversion of prospects to sale and customer dissatisfaction.
Crimson’s reputation for successfully tackling similar issues led Genesis Housing Group’s IS Director, Rob Sproule, to approach the company for a solution.
The Solution
A workshop was held where Crimson captured all the project requirements and discussed how Genesis Homes could engage with key stakeholders during the process.
This allowed Genesis Homes to assess the true value of a proposed solution and understand how it would tackle their immediate issues.
The workshop uncovered a number of key requirements including accessibility, security, administration impact, human error reduction, integration into existing systems and flexibility to engender future business change.
Crimson then implemented a solution based around Microsoft Dynamics CRM/xRM and SharePoint. This resulted in powerful out-of-the box functionalities and workflow customisations that precisely met Genesis Homes’ needs.
End-user adoption was critical and the combination of the Microsoft based systems and Crimson’s agile delivery method addressed this. A friendly, simple and familiar interface was designed to give confidence to less technical staff members . The agile delivery method meant a rollout of the solution over several months. With regular feedback from both board level stakeholders and end users, the process was smooth and ensured a high user adoption by the end phase.
Client Feedback
Genesis Homes reported that the impact of the new system had been impressive both internally and externally. They observed a marked reduction in administrative tasks required to manage the old system which meant staff could concentrate on using the new centralised view of customers to provide better advice and improved service.
Management benefitted at both board and operational level from a new set of powerful reporting and interrogation techniques on the newly centralised data. Cashflow was much easier to predict accurately and managers were able to forecast resource needs and develop a framework for continuous improvement.
Crimson are continuing to work with Genesis Homes to further enhance the system and ensure it continues to reflect evolving business needs. Crimson are engaged to support the existing SharePoint environment and to further enhance the value of the online experience for customers.
Group IS Director Rob Sproule said: “We were looking for a solution which would address the high priority issues we knew of in our sales cycle. Crimson helped us develop this need and offered a viable solution. Their expertise in change management was integral to the success of our project. Real insight and a continuous focus on technology supporting our processes and people – rather than leading them – ensured a highly successful implementation with high take up. I can see us looking to utilise Crimson’s advice and experience for some time to come.”
Crimson is an IT consultancy, an IT solutions provider, an IT recruitment agency, and a Microsoft Gold Partner operating across the UK.
