To ensure victims of domestic violence receive legal and medical support quickly, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (DVAS) in Perth, Australia, wanted the ability to store client information in electronic files and selectively share them with other support providers. In 2012, DVAS teamed with a highly agile Microsoft Services Consulting team to deploy a cost-effective solution in just three months. Working with world-class product experts on the Microsoft Services Global Delivery team, a solution architect crafted a customized design with unique application file security features, while an engagement manager ensured the system could be used by associated service providers. Because the new system mirrors established work patterns, employees find it easy to understand. With rapid referrals to legal and medical aid, domestic violence victims find refuge in hours, rather than days.

GIEOM wanted to expedite the deployment of its Graphical Intelligent Electronic Operations Management (GIEOM) solution, which uses business process visualization diagrams to help banks optimize operations. The company added value to the solution by using the simultaneous coauthoring features within Microsoft Visio Professional 2013 to collaborate on customers’ business process diagrams, reducing time-to-benefit by 50 percent while significantly improving marketability.

Bassier, Bergmann & Kindler (BB&K) is a branding and training company in Germany that manages hundreds of projects a year. It recently upgraded to Microsoft Project Online and deployed Microsoft SharePoint Online to better share information, model business processes, and access project tools online. BB&K expects to trim project management costs by 10 percent and has gained more flexible infrastructure scalability and improved communications.

Holland America Line, one of the world’s leading cruise-ship companies, is using Microsoft business intelligence (BI) software to increase revenues and give guests a more memorable experience. By using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, employees can mine data more deeply without help from the IT staff, giving the IT staff more time to improve IT solutions. The company has also eliminated expensive third-party licensing fees.

The University of Colorado Denver provides online programs and degrees to nearly 17,000 students. As tuition prices and online education competition grew, CU Online needed to invest in marketing campaigns that would attract and recruit the right students. Integrating Microsoft Dynamics CRM into existing Microsoft products provided transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision making to invest in the right media outlets and ultimately, provide the best experience for students world-wide.

The Smith Family believes education transforms lives, not just minds. Since its inception in 1922, the Australian not-for-profit organisation has evolved to respond to the changing needs of disadvantaged children and families. In November 2010, The Smith Family upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics AX to manage its financials and in October 2011, deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to manage its donors, sponsors, volunteers and the disadvantaged students and their families it supports. The integrated CRM system gives the organisation a single view of supporter and student data. This will help staff maintain and strengthen relationships with its key stakeholders and ensure funding is allocated effectively. The new systems will greatly improve staff productivity and will support the organisation to achieve its goals for the next five years and beyond.

U.S. Xpress Enterprises is a leading trucking company in the United States with US$1.6 billion in annual revenue. With growth through acquisition, U.S. Xpress Enterprises relied on multiple IT systems and lacked visibility into its nationwide operation and affiliate companies. To solve this, the company established a data warehouse and implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide companywide access to that information and to facilitate end-to-end business processes across strategic planning, bidding, sales, and marketing. Now, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM in place, U.S. Xpress Enterprises has streamlined preparation for sales calls, enabling the company to recover as much as $350,000 a year in lost-opportunity costs. The company has realized improved sales productivity and reduced IT support costs by tens of thousands per year, while improving its closure rates on new business.

The National Careers Service for England is a United Kingdom (U.K.) government initiative. The Skills Funding Agency is responsible for developing the service, built around an interactive learning and careers website. Working with Microsoft Services and using Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 communications and collaboration software, the agency is confident that its site meets government expectations and the needs of 20 million users.

Over a three-year period that began in 2008, the Trade and Land Property Registry of Mexico D.F. completely modernized the way it provides services. In that project, the largest in the institution’s 140-year history, the Registry deployed a centralized management solution and began digitalizing its entire archive. Today, the Registry has reduced the time required for preparing and filing deeds by 65 percent, streamlined customer service, and improved the legal certainty of records—which offers economic and social benefits for citizens of the district and the country as a whole.

Following a change in the city government of Buenos Aires, Argentina, officials created a new department dedicated to working with businesses that want to locate or relocate in the city. To support the department’s operations, the city deployed a custom solution based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. With this solution, the department has streamlined processes, reducing the time needed for a project to meet formal requirements by more than 65 percent, and created a more transparent working environment. This eases the way for developments that generate jobs for citizens, boost tax revenues, and revitalize neighborhoods.