Cab Guru Ltd Experience continued growth with the help of Microsoft Dynamics and Synergy Technology
Background
Based in London, UK, Cab Guru Ltd provides a service, based around a smartphone app, which makes it easy to book a cab from the UK’s independent private hire cab operators. The Cab Guru app lets users compare prices between operators and then book a ride.
James Baldwyn, Director of Operations at Cab Guru goes into more detail “The app has an interface which is similar to Uber, in which users can put in their address, or use a map to set a pickup point, and choose the destination. The vehicle type can be specified, if you need a specific car, or minibus, and extra stops can then be added along the way, to pick up friends for instance.”
“Cab Guru works with about 100 private hire taxi companies across the UK and we also work with larger companies that have demands for work to be covered, or would distribute it out to those groups.”
In order to run their back-office operations, Cab Guru needed an ERP and accounts system, and they were recommended Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the predecessor to Dynamics 365 Business Central, by their parent company.
“I guess you could officially say we found out about Synergy Technology by word of mouth,” said James, “our parent company used Dynamics, and historically had a relationship with Synergy Technology. They were really happy with the software and the service they’d received, so it was logical that we should use it as well.”
“There was synergy, excuse the pun, between our parent company and Cab Guru and so we thought we might as well carry that strategy on where we can with our software choices as well, just to keep things simple.
Simplicity
For James, simplicity was the main attraction of Microsoft Dynamics, combined with the fact that it can manage several companies simultaneously. “I like that it can manage multiple different companies, because we are now three separate companies with three separate sets of accounts that need to be managed. The fact that our parent company could click into Cab Guru, and vice-versa, and it all could be managed under one umbrella and supported by one company as well, was really appealing.”
Our Dynamics partners Synergy Technology worked closely with the website developers to ensure there is a seamless integration from the e-commerce website into Business Central, which ensures that our day-to-day operations run smoothly. In addition Synergy Technology provides technical support for our team and deals with any issues that may arise with the system.
Streamlining Processes
Cab Guru have used Dynamics, supported by Synergy Technology, since the company started in 2015 but recently they have had some bespoke development done to help the software better fit their company processes. “We did have some bespoke software developed” said James “which we’ve recently had redeveloped as we’ve grown. It allows Dynamics to align with our self-billing, which is integral to our company.”
The bespoke work Cab Guru have had done allows them to streamline the process of importing data into their Microsoft Dynamics system. “The bespoke development work done by Synergy Technology allows us to import some data into our systems that can then generate what we need to come back out with the invoices and things. None of it is too major, just some mass importing abilities that aren’t available out of the box.”
James was very pleased with the development process. “We had a had a Teams call with one of the developers, just to understand what it is we’re doing now, what we need, and how it needs to be executed, which I thought was really good because I could share my screen and show that person exactly what I needed to be done which made things a lot easier.”
James especially liked the personal touch that Synergy gave to the whole process. “Talking face to face on a video call is much easier than it is over e-mail because it’s much easier to get across what you mean in a video, and you can save a copy, so it is easy to refer back to. That was quite a nice touch I found.”
Since the bespoke part of the software went live, there was one minor issue, but James was happy with the speed at which it was resolved by Synergy Technology. “I think there was one issue afterwards, which will happen. But the team at Synergy were quick to recognise find and resolve the issue. Now everything is working as it should be.”
The software has helped the company save money and increase productivity. “Dynamics is a core part of our business now really, and the development we’re doing is helping us to become more and more efficient. Without the small changes we need it would be a manual process, which nobody wants.”
“If we had to go back to the way we worked before the software was implemented, we’d have to employ more people just to do the same amount of work.”
The Future
James thinks that the support provided by Synergy Technology has really helped the company grow after a difficult period for the organisation. “We started in 2015, and we were happily plodding along and then COVID hit. As you can imagine, that was a hard period for us, but once we got out the other side, we thought, we’re still going, and we’re not a start-up anymore. That was when we started to put things into place to help us grow, and Synergy has helped with the technology to allow us to do that.”
Cab Guru has seen steady growth over the past few years, even reaching the point where they were able to buy out their parent company. They have further growth plans on the horizon and James already has plans on how Synergy can further help with that. “We already have some more development lined up with Synergy Technology, which should be starting soon, just using software to remove manual processes and improve efficiency. Everything has been handled well, so we’re happy with everything”
Want More Information on Implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?
Synergy Technology are an official partner of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and have years of experience of implementing Microsoft systems, both on premise, and in the cloud. We can help you make the switch while minimising disruption to your business.
If you would like to know more, contact us on 03454560050 or email us through our contact page, and one of our expert consultants will be happy to take you through the details.
