When a fast-growing company like Smarter Furnishings hits the limits of its legacy systems, the cracks become impossible to ignore—disconnected tools, stalled pipelines, and growing complexity across departments. For over 30 years, Smarter Furnishings has been a trusted provider of student housing furniture, managing large-scale installations with precision and care. But as demand increased, their systems couldn’t keep up. That changed when they implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and Business Central with JourneyTeam’s guidance.

This is not just a story about new software, it’s about building a unified platform that connects sales, operations, and finance to drive performance, visibility, and growth.

The Problem: Disconnected Systems, Disjointed Teams

Before adopting Dynamics 365, Smarter Furnishings relied on a patchwork of tools—Smartsheet, Zoho, SharePoint, Outlook, and even text messages—to run their operations. None of these systems were integrated, creating massive inefficiencies across the business. Sales information was buried in inboxes. Forecasting happened in spreadsheets. And key project knowledge lived in people’s heads rather than in a system of record.

Without a CRM, sales reps tracked opportunities manually. There was no shared view of the customer across teams, leading to delays, duplicated work, and missed follow-ups. As CEO Johnny Collins explained, “Our biggest pain point was maybe having one person with all the information in their head.”

To continue growing without sacrificing service quality, Smarter Furnishings needed a foundational change: a fully integrated platform that could unify customer data, streamline operations, and scale with the business.

Choosing Microsoft Dynamics 365: Seamless Integration and Scalable Architecture

Smarter Furnishings evaluated several options, but Microsoft Dynamics 365 stood out for its seamless integration across the Microsoft ecosystem, including Power BI, Outlook, Teams, and Excel. They were already using Power BI for reporting, but realized that without integrating CRM and ERP systems, true visibility would remain elusive.

“CRM, ERP, Power BI all needed to talk to each other,” said Jason Moore, Director of Continuous Improvement. “Dynamics was the only solution that gave us that level of integration.”

Using Microsoft Dataverse as a shared data layer, Smarter Furnishings was able to build a connected environment where CRM, ERP, and analytics all pull from a single source of truth. The native integration with Microsoft 365 tools also made user adoption easier, embedding CRM capabilities directly within the Outlook and Teams workflows employees were already using.

CRM Implementation: A Foundation for Sales Transformation

JourneyTeam led the implementation of Dynamics 365 Sales, mapping Smarter Furnishings’ complex quoting and sales workflows into structured, automated processes. Every customer interaction, quote, and opportunity is now captured in the CRM, creating a unified, searchable customer record.

Key outcome-based capabilities included:

• Automated opportunity tracking triggers account creation, log activities, and pulls in related customer history.
• Outlook emails and meetings are automatically synced to CRM records, ensuring up-to-date timelines and communication logs
• Automated process flows standardize how quotes are created, reviewed, and approved.
• Reps, managers, and executives have customized role-based dashboards showing pipeline status, KPIs, and sales performance in real time.

Reducing Quote Turnaround by 80% with Automated Templates

One of the most tangible improvements came from reengineering the quote-to-close process. With JourneyTeam’s help, Smarter Furnishings deployed templated quote generation directly within CRM. Quotes auto-populate based on selected products, customer tiers, and historical pricing, and are formatted into branded PDF documents using Microsoft Word templates.

The result: reps can create and send polished quotes with just a few clicks. If a quote needs approval, it’s routed automatically through an approval workflow. Once accepted, the opportunity syncs to Business Central to initiate order fulfillment.

“Our sales team is busy—we want them focused on selling, not building quotes,” said Collins. “Since moving to Dynamics, we’ve been able to reduce quote turnaround time by up to 80%.”

Extending the Transformation with Business Central

After stabilizing the sales process, Smarter Furnishings turned to back-office operations and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This move unified project-based accounting, improved cash flow visibility, and streamlined reporting.

Key outcomes included:

• Project accounting is integrated so orders and payments are now tied to job numbers for profitability tracking at the project level.
• Standardized journal entries, approval processes, and data validations have streamlined month-end closing, accelerating reconciliation and reducing errors.
• Sales data flows directly from Dynamics 365 Sales into Business Central, eliminating redundant entry and ensuring consistency.

Thanks to Dataverse integration, the CRM and ERP systems now operate on shared data. Sales can view billing history, finance can access quote details, and operations can track delivery timelines—all from within their respective platforms. “Everything is finally connected. We don’t have to piece together the story anymore,” said Moore.

Building a Self-Service Customer Portal

In another major milestone, Smarter Furnishings deployed a customer-facing portal tailored to university housing managers. Customers can log in, browse a curated product catalog, and submit re-order requests—without sending an email or picking up the phone.

The portal draws from historical purchase data to pre-fill quotes, apply pricing rules, and ensure the correct products and delivery terms are selected. Submitted requests feed directly into Dynamics 365 CRM, triggering workflows in Business Central for review, approval, and fulfillment.

“This portal gave our team time back and gave our customers control,” Moore noted. The portal not only reduces manual data entry but also provides consistent, trackable service—a key differentiator in a high-volume business with tight timelines.

Measurable Outcomes and What’s Next

The impact of the Dynamics 365 transformation has been profound:

• 80% reduction in quote turnaround time
• 30% under budget project delivery
• Elimination of weeks of manual data cleanup
• Centralized dashboards enabling real-time cross-departmental visibility

Sales, finance, operations, and leadership now work from the same real-time insights. Reports are easier to generate, KPIs are clearly aligned, and decision-making is grounded in data—not assumptions.

The next phase? Smarter Furnishings is looking to adopt AI-powered copilots, implement Power Automate for workflow orchestration, and deepen insights with Power BI. “We’re still just scratching the surface of what Dynamics can do for us,” said Moore. “The goal now is to keep building—more intelligence, more automation, and even tighter connections between departments.”

To learn more about this story watch our customer video and read the full case study HERE.

Digital Maturity Fueled by the Right Platform and Partner

Smarter Furnishings’ journey with Dynamics 365 illustrates the real-world power of a unified business platform. By connecting CRM, ERP, and customer service into one ecosystem, the company has unlocked operational efficiency, customer insight, and the flexibility to scale.

Smarter Furnishings credits JourneyTeam with more than just software implementation—they helped architect a long-term solution. JourneyTeam’s agile approach allowed for iterative improvements, structured training, and user-driven feedback that shaped the final rollout. “They didn’t just implement software—they helped us reimagine how we work,” said Moore.

Ready to modernize your business systems?
Let JourneyTeam help you connect your sales, operations, and finance systems with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Contact us today to start your digital transformation.

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