Dolese Bros. Co., a longstanding construction materials business, supplies quality foundational building products delivered with the newest and best technology and found throughout the infrastructure of great, 21st-century cities and transportation. Founded in 1902, the company’s commitment to customer service and product quality has helped it grow from its humble beginnings to today’s operation of more than 60 facilities with over 1,000 employees throughout Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas. Dolese delivers on a mission to improve communities through its products, actions and support.
The Challenge
In 2022, Dolese was using Dynamics 2015 on-premises for its CRM activity. However, over time, the company began encountering limitations and became aware that several standard functions and features it heavily depended on were scheduled for deprecation by Microsoft.
Desiring continued Outlook compatibility, a system centred around projects and opportunities allowing them to seamlessly link multiple contractors/bidders to a single record, and an effortless means of reporting on their data, Dolese was faced with the challenge of evolving without causing disruption for their users who were accustomed to the existing system.
The Solution
In August 2022, Dolese opted to transition from Dynamics 2015 on-premise to Dynamics 365 online. This strategic move aimed to harness the wealth of new features released by Microsoft over the years, previously unavailable due to the outdated on-premise version. With Dynamics 365 aligning seamlessly with its existing use of Office 365, the next crucial decision for Dolese involved selecting the right partner for project management, setup, customization, and system development. Despite geographical differences, KMS Software emerged victorious in a competitive selection process, securing the implementation role. Our expertise in construction CRM played a pivotal role in this decision.
Initially, Dolese’s vision was to replicate the existing system, leveraging the new standard features and functions within Dynamics 365. Preserving user satisfaction and avoiding any disruptions during the transition to the updated system were paramount. Recognising this, KMS insisted on engaging key system users right from the commencement of the implementation process, empowering them to take the lead in the design phase.
To facilitate seamless collaboration, daily and weekly consultancy and requirements meetings were conducted throughout the project, employing a fluid project management method. KMS, despite acknowledging that this approach might take a bit longer, firmly believed it would yield a more user-friendly interface in the long run and ensure a successful implementation.
The Outcome
Dolese went LIVE with Dynamics 365 in September 2023 and KMS felt the key to the success of the project was due to the close working relationship between Phil and Paul on the KMS side with the key admin and project management team on the Dolese side of Kali, Darcy, Michelle, Tessa and Theresa.
Michelle Stewart, Enterprise Technology Services Manager for Dolese Bro. Co. commented:
“Probably one of the best experiences with my team and I have had working on a project was with KMS on our CRM 2015 migration to CRM D365! The relationship with KMS on the project went beyond expectations and really made us feel we were a partner and not just a customer. You know you have a great team when the project is complete and the attentiveness still remains. We look forward to the continued success of more projects to come.”
Find our more about Dolese Bro. Co here.
