How Peabody is simplifying operations, enhancing customer experience, and future-proofing their sales and marketing with Dynamics 365 and Crimson’s expertise.
Three years after Peabody adopted Microsoft Dynamics 365 to unify its sales and marketing operations following the Catalyst merger, the journey is far from over. We caught up with Kayleigh Gordon, Head of Sales Operations, and Tom Leslie, Digital Operations Manager, to explore how the system has evolved, the challenges they’ve overcome, and their bold vision for the future.
Key benefits:
- Sales team now saves significant time by reducing manual work and duplication.
- Data accuracy has improved, enabling faster, more reliable reporting.
- Property listings are automatically published to multiple portals from one system.
- Customers can track their purchase and update details through a self-service portal.
- Marketing is moving to automated, real-time campaigns to boost engagement.
A mission with purpose
For Peabody, sales are a means to fulfil a broader social mission.
As Kayleigh puts it, “Every sale helps build more affordable homes. All the profit goes back into improving lives, investing in our communities, and providing more pathways into homeownership.”
However, managing hundreds of transactions, ranging from new-build sales to staircasing and complex resales, brings operational headaches. With up to 700 live transactions at any one time, Kayleigh’s team needed a platform that could handle complexity while freeing staff to focus on customers, rather than administration.
The challenge: complexity, silos, and inefficiency
Before Dynamics 365, Peabody’s teams were constrained by rigid, disconnected systems. Each function worked in isolation, processes were manual, and staff often relied on sprawling spreadsheets to track sales progression.
Kayleigh recalls, “It wasn’t uncommon to have three or four different systems or spreadsheets just to get a sale through. We were duplicating work, manually rekeying data, and spending more time fixing errors than helping customers.”
At the same time, Peabody’s need to compete with private developers added further pressure. “We’re a housing association, but we’re also a developer,” explains Tom. “We have to operate like a Taylor Wimpey or a Barratt. We’re building homes next door to theirs, competing for the same buyers. Our digital experience needs to be on par.”
The legacy CRM system couldn’t deliver the seamless digital journey Peabody aspired to provide. Disconnected systems slowed down sales progression, limited customer visibility, and created barriers to scaling operations.
The solution: a flexible, evolving platform
In 2022, Peabody implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 with support from Crimson, aiming to unify sales and marketing, streamline processes, and lay the foundation for digital transformation.
For Kayleigh, the key benefit was flexibility. “Our old systems were rigid. Dynamics lets us adapt. People can build views that work for them, pull reports they actually need, and we can evolve the system as our roles change.”
Rather than adding more features, the focus was on simplification. Kayleigh’s team worked to streamline unnecessary processes, eliminate duplicate data entry, and integrate everything onto one platform. “We’re knitting it all together to create a seamless journey for both staff and customers.”
Meanwhile, Tom’s digital marketing team leveraged Dynamics to automate previously manual workflows. One breakthrough was integrating Dynamics directly with property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla. Instead of uploading listings separately for each platform, Peabody’s team can publish once in Dynamics, with listings pushed automatically to multiple portals.
“It sounds simple, but it’s a game changer,” says Tom. “It saves time, reduces errors, and lets us act like a private developer—while staying true to our purpose.”
Another key step was launching a customer portal using Microsoft Power Apps. The portal enables buyers to submit applications, update their contact details, and view the status of their purchase, all without needing to make a phone call. Initially launched as a standalone platform, it’s now being integrated into Peabody’s new website for a more cohesive experience.
Kayleigh explains, “We want customers to log in at midnight if they want, check their progress, upload documents securely, and avoid chasing us for updates. It’s about giving them control—and making life easier for our team too.”
The outcome: stronger data, better experience, and a future-ready platform
Three years on, the results are tangible. Peabody has reduced manual data entry, cut duplication, and improved data quality across sales and marketing. Reporting is faster and sharper, thanks to Power BI dashboards that deliver live insights to senior leadership, giving them much more confidence with cashflow forecasts linked to the sales pipeline.
For customers, the experience is becoming more self-service and transparent. Buyers can now manage key steps online, rather than relying on email or phone calls, which reduces delays and improves overall satisfaction.
Tom sees Dynamics as a foundation for even bigger shifts ahead. “We’re now moving to real-time marketing. The goal is to significantly reduce the need for manual email campaigns , automate follow-ups based on customer actions, and create journeys that feel more like an e-commerce experience.”
He explains, “Right now, we send manual campaigns every day. We want to move to a system where, if someone clicks a viewing link but doesn’t book, they automatically get a reminder sent via email or SMS, or a call from sales. We want triggers and automation doing the heavy lifting.”
The vision extends beyond sales. Peabody aims to extend the portal’s functionality to cover the entire post-sale journey, including live transaction milestones, solicitor document uploads, and integrated live chat.
Lessons learned: keeping the big picture in focus
Both Kayleigh and Tom highlight a vital lesson: system governance matters. With Dynamics’ flexibility comes the risk of fragmentation if every team builds their own fixes.
Kayleigh reflects, “It’s easy for people to only focus on their bit. But if you don’t look at how it all connects, you end up with a mess. You need someone keeping that big picture in mind.”
She advises other housing associations to avoid “quick fixes” that create long-term complexity. “Keep evolving. Don’t stand still. And make sure every change works for the whole business—not just one team.”
A partnership for growth
Throughout Peabody’s journey, Crimson has been a critical collaborator. Tom describes the relationship as hands-on and empowering.
“Crimson haven’t just delivered solutions—they’ve helped me grow as a CRM lead. We’ve worked side by side to turn ideas into reality, and they’ve taught me the technical skills to keep improving.”
For Kayleigh, the collaboration has helped translate sales and marketing needs into practical, scalable solutions. “They understand how our teams work, how the processes connect, and where things need to improve.”
What’s next?
Looking ahead, Peabody plans to embed real-time marketing, enhance the customer portal, integrate live chat and document sharing, and continue simplifying internal processes. With ambitions to double their development pipeline over the next decade, Dynamics 365 is proving to be a strategic platform for growth, customer empowerment, and operational resilience.
As Tom puts it, “We’re not finished. We’re just getting started.”