Disconnected Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics systems often create operational inefficiencies that grow over time.
In this article, we explore how Thames Water worked with KE Consulting and Rapidi to improve synchronization between Salesforce and Dynamics NAV, reduce manual work, and create a more scalable integration approach across the business.
Table of Contents
- Why a new integration approach was needed
- How KEC designed the integration
- What changed after go-live
- Lessons learned
- Download the CRM & ERP Sync Playbook
- Resources
WHY A NEW INTEGRATION APPROACH WAS NEEDED
Many organizations running Salesforce alongside Microsoft Dynamics NAV eventually face the same problem: systems that were never designed to work together seamlessly.
Over time, disconnected CRM and ERP platforms create operational bottlenecks that affect multiple departments across the business.
Common issues include:
- duplicate records across systems
- manual reconciliation work
- delayed invoice and payment processing
- inconsistent reporting
- limited operational visibility
- growing dependency on spreadsheets and manual fixes
That was exactly the situation Thames Water was dealing with before redesigning its integration approach with KEC and Rapidi.
The organization was operating Salesforce alongside Microsoft Dynamics NAV and several legacy operational systems. Because the platforms were not properly synchronized, teams often had to manually move information between systems and verify records themselves.
As Laurence Sidney explained during the webinar, the operational environment had become increasingly difficult to manage:
“Every division has at least 10 different programs trying to do something and of course that leads to duplication of effort and inefficiency.”
The longer disconnected systems remain in place, the harder it becomes to scale processes efficiently or maintain confidence in operational data.
HOW KEC DESIGNED THE INTEGRATION
One of the main goals of the project was to automate as much as possible between Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
At the time, Thames Water was already using MuleSoft internally, but the solution would still require significant custom development work and money to connect both systems properly.
As Paul Ison explained during the webinar, MuleSoft is a program that can connect the two systems, but there’s no code in there to be able to do it straight away.
That meant the integration would require development work on the Dynamics and the Salesforce side, and inside MuleSoft itself.
That’s when the team started looking for an alternative approach and found Rapidi.
According to Paul, one of the biggest advantages of Rapidi was the simplicity of the implementation:
“There’s no development work whatsoever. It’s an out-of-the-box solution.”
Instead of building a heavily customized integration layer, the team could focus on configuring and mapping the synchronization between Salesforce and Dynamics NAV.
The integration was designed to:
- reduce manual intervention
- improve synchronization reliability
- support near real-time updates
- simplify long-term maintenance
- allow future Salesforce rollouts across additional divisions
Rapidi allowed the team to:
- reduce implementation complexity
- avoid large custom development projects
- accelerate deployment timelines
- simplify field mapping and synchronization
- create reusable integration structures for future divisions
The approach also reduced operational and technical risk while making future expansion significantly easier.
WHAT CHANGED AFTER GO-LIVE?
The operational impact became visible quickly after implementation.
Before the project, synchronization between systems relied heavily on manual processing and delayed batch updates. After go-live, Salesforce and Dynamics NAV could exchange information much faster and more reliably.
As Paul Ison explained:
“With Rapidi, we can reduce it to as little as every 10 minutes.”
The project helped improve:
- operational visibility
- synchronization reliability
- reporting consistency
- workflow efficiency
- customer response times
- scalability for future processes
One of the clearest signs of success came from the support side.
The successful rollout also created confidence for additional Salesforce implementations across other divisions inside Thames Water.
LESSONS LEARNED
The webinar highlighted several practical lessons for organizations planning CRM and ERP integration projects.
WHY PROCESS MAPPING MATTERS
Many integration problems are actually process problems.
Workshops involving operational teams, technical teams, and business stakeholders helped identify dependencies early and reduced implementation risk later in the project.
WHY THE RIGHT PEOPLE MATTER
One of the strongest themes throughout the webinar was the importance of involving experienced specialists across every system involved.
As Laurence Sidney explained:
“Good integration needs good products. Salesforce, Rapidi, Nav, BC, great products. But they all need good people as well to be a success.”
Successful integration projects require:
- ERP expertise
- CRM expertise
- integration expertise
- operational ownership
- stakeholder alignment
- clear governance processes
WHY SCALABILITY SHOULD BE PLANNED EARLY
One of the biggest long-term advantages of the project was the ability to reuse the integration structure for future divisions.
Rather than rebuilding integrations from scratch, the team could extend existing synchronization logic and field mappings into additional operational workflows.
This significantly reduced rollout complexity for future Salesforce implementations.
DOWNLOAD THE CRM & ERP SYNC PLAYBOOK
Connecting Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics is not only about moving data between systems.
It is about creating reliable operational workflows that support:
- scalability
- reporting accuracy
- automation
- operational efficiency
- future AI initiatives
The CRM & ERP Sync Playbook explores:
- common synchronization challenges
- Salesforce and Dynamics integration best practices
- how to reduce manual reconciliation work
- how to improve operational visibility
- practical lessons from real-world projects
Resources:
If you would like to discuss your own Salesforce and Dynamics integration setup, you can also book a free consultation with the Rapidi team.
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