How a single system replaced spreadsheets, workarounds and disconnected tools
Live and Learn Consultancy needed a single system to manage their full training workflow. They wanted to keep all their data in one place.
- Leads
- Bookings
- Quotes
- Invoicing
- The goal was to cut admin, boost sales and create a slicker customer experience.
- Their team deliver over 90 soft skills courses across the UK, so the system had to scale.
Highlights
They now have one CRM for everything.
- Automated quoting
- Automated booking
- Invoicing
- Trainer assignment built into quotes
- eSign for agreements
- Power BI reporting and dashboards
- Xero integration
- And AMS Grid replacing Monday.com.
The new Dynamics system has completely changed how our team works. Tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. Trainers get clearer information. Our sales team stay on top of their pipeline. And the whole operation just feels calmer and more organised. It’s given us back time and headspace to focus on our learners rather than our admin.
Simon Howe,
Innovation & Compliance Manager
Who Are Live and Learn Consultancy?
They are a UK soft skills training provider. They run practical courses covering leadership, communication, customer service, HR and wellbeing.
They train teams nationwide or host learners at their Sheffield venue. They’re known for engaging trainers and consistently excellent customer feedback.
The Data Management Challenge
Their operation was spread across ACT!, Monday.com and spreadsheets. Nothing was connected and most tasks needed manual effort. Leads needed chasing and bookings needed manual updating. Reporting was slow.
The entire process relied on too many systems and too much admin.
What Were the Issues?
- Duplicated data
- Manual exports for reporting
- No unified quoting or booking workflow
- No automated reminders
- No eSign
- No straightforward way to track trainers or attendee requirements
- No consistent documentation
The Solution
We built a full Dynamics 365 Sales system with automated quoting, bookings, invoicing and communications.
We built the system in three prototype stages, each with its own training and data migration step. This kept Live and Learn close to the progress throughout. They could familiarise themselves with each stage, feedback, and shape the next one before we moved on.
Features
- Lead to Opportunity to Quote to Order to Training Session all stored in the system
- Courses stored as Products
- Multi-trainer support
- Attendee tracking for dietary and access needs
Sales features
- Mail campaigns
- Pipeline reminders
- Deal-agreement reminders
- Kanban style pipeline stages
- Esignatures for T&Cs and order acceptance
Integrations
The Improvements
Dynamics now handles the end-to-end workflow.
- Quotes include trainers and delivery dates
- Meetings automatically populate calendars
- Website enquiries land straight in Dynamics
- The system sends reminders
- Power BI handles reporting
- DCP produces certificates and documents
- Xero syncs invoices and payments
- And AMS Grid means they don’t need Monday.com.
Working with the AMS team was smooth. They didn’t just tick boxes. They challenged our thinking, kept us involved and showed us prototypes that actually felt like our business. Every stage of the build felt controlled and transparent, which made a huge difference to our confidence in the final system.
Simon Howe,
Innovation & Compliance Manager
The Results
Live and Learn now run everything from one place.
- Less admin
- Faster sales cycles
- Better visibility
- Clearer reporting
- More consistent communication
- Stronger financial control through Xero sync
- And a scalable platform that supports growth without adding more tools
