Composable Core for Remote Field Service — No Inbox
At a glance
CLIENT
National commercial roofing manufacturer & field-services provider (family-owned, 60+ U.S. locations)
SERVICE
- Core CRM & Field Service modernization, Cloud integration, Data & dashboards
INDUSTRY
- Construction & Field Services
For more than a century, the client expanded through regional branches, specialty manufacturing, and multi-state service crews. Yet the operational “core” sat on an aging ERP with a bolt-on CRM and a separate point tool for service tickets. Mobile usability was weak, reporting lived in spreadsheets, and simple cross-system data exchanges still required human copy-paste. Leaders wanted a single, extensible enterprise software backbone that scaled with growth, unified sales + service, and gave managers live visibility into pipeline health, work orders, and SLAs—without a risky big-bang ERP swap.
LeanCoded re-platformed CRM and Field Service on Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Sales, Customer Service, Field Service) on Azure, integrated with Microsoft 365 (Teams/Excel), SharePoint, and the client’s production and service-management systems. We introduced role-based dashboards, automated handoffs from technician photos/notes to customer updates, and “work-from-anywhere” access hardened by enterprise security controls. The program landed ahead of schedule and under budget, cut manual email steps in core workflows, and created a pragmatic pathway to gradually incorporate accounting and manufacturing—turning a brittle legacy core into a resilient, composable enterprise software solution powered by custom software development and software development services best practices.
Field Velocity, Not More Forms
Sales reps and regional service managers worked fully remote, but the ERP-bound CRM forced office time for basic updates. Ticketing and work-order handoffs hopped between a bolt-on tool, inboxes, and spreadsheets. Leaders had no single “source of truth” for leads, opportunities, proposals, dispatches, or close-outs. Mobile UX was thin; attaching photos from jobsites was tedious; and chasing status required phone calls. Every integration—pricing, scheduling, inventory, billing—depended on IT-managed exports. The result: swivel-chair tasks, slow follow-ups, and “inbox archaeology” to understand what happened last and who was on point now. The mandate from the COO was clear: modernize the core around a modular platform, unlock mobile, make work visible in real time, and reduce manual steps—without pausing service or disrupting manufacturing.
We implemented Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, and Field Service as the transactional core, with Azure AD for identity, built-in role security, and standardized entities for accounts, assets, and work orders. Field techs capture photos/notes in the job record; customers receive automated updates; supervisors track SLA risk from a single dashboard. Sales leaders see calls, meetings, proposals, and wins by territory and product line, and coach earlier in the cycle. We instrumented intake→dispatch→completion with API-level exchanges to production, inventory, and billing systems, removing manual re-entry. Microsoft 365 and SharePoint unify documents and communication threads around the same records. The result is a measurable reduction in email-based steps, faster dispatch-to-technician setup, and forecast accuracy that finally reflects real activity—delivered on time, under budget, and ready to grow. (Keywords used: enterprise software, custom software development, software development services, devops.)
90 Days to a Usable Core
In the first quarter, we stood up a secure, cloud-based operational core accessible from any branch, office, or jobsite. Intake forms became guided flows; territory rules route opportunities; and templated communications cut repetitive typing. Work orders now maintain a complete history—assets, photos, notes, parts—so billing and warranty teams don’t hunt through inboxes. Managers see capacity, backlog, and SLA risk by region and can rebalance in minutes. For sales, activity telemetry replaced “did you follow up?” emails with live evidence—calls, meetings, tasks—piped into coaching dashboards. Crucially, these wins came without freezing field operations or over-customizing the platform. We favored configuration, clean data, and API-first integrations, aligning delivery with devops release practices and cloud devops automation. The business now has a foundation for continuous improvement—feature flags for pilots, analytics to spot bottlenecks, and a roadmap to fold accounting and manufacturing into the same composable core—maximizing enterprise value while minimizing disruption. (Keywords used: devops, cloud devops, enterprise value.)
Modernize the core, not just the UI
Automate field→back-office
Make workload visible
Reduce email dependency
Deliver predictably
Data you can trust
Secure by default
Roadmap beyond CRM
What the Business Gained
The client moved from “check the inbox” to “check the dashboard.” Dispatch cycles shortened because field data arrives structured and on time; sales coaching improved because leaders see the right activities early; and branch managers finally compare capacity apples-to-apples. Instead of brittle one-off integrations, the company has a maintainable, API-first backbone—precisely how custom software development should compound value. The platform now supports remote-first work, standard processes across regions, and faster onboarding for new branches—all while setting a clean runway for finance and manufacturing consolidation.
- Faster dispatch-to-tech setup
- Less manual email work
- Remote-ready operations
- Live SLA & capacity visibility
- API-first integrations
- Under-budget delivery
What’s Next: One Platform, Fewer Gaps
With CRM and Field Service stable, leadership is preparing due diligence for accounting and manufacturing to join the same platform. The objective is end-to-end traceability—from quote to production to install to warranty—and fewer custom connectors to maintain. We’ll reuse the same delivery rhythm: small, reversible changes; environment parity; automated tests and releases aligned with devops practices; and measurable outcomes per wave (SLA compliance, first-time-fix, cash-collection cycles). Data modeling will extend to cost centers and parts catalogs so finance can reconcile faster while operations tracks margins by product and region. By treating the platform as composable enterprise software—not a monolith to swap in one night—the client captures quick wins every quarter, keeps teams productive, and scales capabilities without rewriting the world. (Keywords used: devops, enterprise software, software development services.)