Maudsley Learning

Transforming Event and Course Management with Dynamics 365

Maudsley Learning is a training and education provider specialising in mental health. Part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), they deliver courses, workshops and resources to improve mental health knowledge and skills for professionals, service users, and carers.

The Challenge

Cantarus engaged with Maudsley Learning to enhance their digital learning platform, streamline operations, and future-proof their public-facing website.

In order to fully understand the project scope, we started by conducting a detailed audit of both the web and CRM elements of the client’s implementation. A number of significant bugs and issues with the solution’s existing code were highlighted, including custom entities replicating standard entities and functionality, alongside an unnecessary dependency on Azure components that could be replaced with standard Dynamics 365 functionality, thereby saving compute costs.

Another key recommendation from the audit was to replace the client’s existing events system with our Events App, built on Dynamics 365. This solution was rapidly implemented for the client, closely integrated with Maudsley Learning’s existing systems to improve both efficiency and the user experience.

In addition, the client’s website was running on Umbraco v7 which was approaching end-of-life and lacked support for the latest .NET technology. A complete upgrade to Umbraco v10 was required to ensure the solution remained secure, involving not just a CMS migration but also the refactoring and replacement of third-party packages, as well as a full transition of the codebase to .NET Core.

The primary objectives for the CRM transformation included:

Replacing the existing solution with our Events App to manage various aspects of event planning and execution
Utilising standard Dynamics 365 functionality where possible
Provide an API for website integration, replacing the integration embedded on the website
Integration with Stripe
Semi-automated refunds
Automated course booking confirmations
Automated course reminders
Automated Blank delegate reminders
Learning Management System (LMS) integration
Exam marks integrated back into Dynamics 365 from the LMS (Totara)
Course attendance tracking
Certificate creation and distribution
SMS integration

We chose to collaborate with Cantarus for their flexibility, professionalism, and practical approach, qualities that were difficult to find in other partners. Together, they successfully delivered a training course registration website integrated with Dynamics 365 to manage courses, streamline business processes, and integrate with external business applications including our LMS and payment providers.

Dimeji Odebode Head of Marketing, Maudsley Learning

Our Solution

We implemented our Events App and extended its capabilities where needed to manage different aspects of Maudsley Learning's operations, including creating courses, pricing/tickets, capacity, payments, cancellations, transfers, automated communications, refunds, SMS messaging, website integration, two LMS integrations, and data migration from their legacy system.

A significant challenge was auditing the undocumented legacy systems and architecture that needed to be replaced. This required us to define a complex data migration process to ensure all data was accurately transferred to the new system.

In parallel to the CRM transformation, we delivered a complete upgrade of Maudsley Learning's website to Umbraco v10. This included:

Auditing and modernising all third-party packages to ensure compatibility
Migrating the entire codebase to .NET Core in order to define performance, scalability and security improvements.
Incremental enhancements to accessibility, SEO, and security posture

The Results

The implementation of our Dynamics 365 solution has provided Maudsley Learning with a unified system that brings together contacts, courses, course bookings, attendance, activity, communications, and financial data across the business, resulting in increased efficiency, reduced manual work, and more reliable overall operations.

The website upgrade ensured that the security of Maudsley Learning's digital presence was significantly enhanced, aligning the solution with modern development standards and enhancing its accessibility and SEO posture.

We're proud of our successful collaboration with Maudsley Learning and continue to support their ongoing needs, ensuring they benefit from the latest enhancements across both Dynamics 365 and Umbraco.

Beyond understanding our requirements and procedures, they provided valuable recommendations to enhance workflows and improve existing integrations, reducing manual processes and optimising our team's use of the CRM. Their punctual, responsive, and friendly approach, coupled with clear advice and effective solutions, has made them an outstanding team to work with.

Dimeji Odebode Head of Marketing, Maudsley Learning

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