The view from a yacht

Serversys case study

Yacht-racing club thrives with solutions built on Microsoft products

A longtime yacht-racing club seeks digital innovation

Junior Offshore Group (JOG), a yacht-racing club in the United Kingdom, wanted an enhanced online presence and a better way to manage its events.

Digital transformation enabled by Microsoft products

Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft partner Serversys created a web portal and other solutions for JOG.

Solutions increase engagement and create a new revenue stream

JOG now has a central source of information for club members, along with online payment capabilities, real-time reporting of race outcomes, and more.

Serversys helps customers achieve their goals with Dynamics 365

Serversys, based in the United Kingdom, serves customers through implementation, consultancy, support, development, and training for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform products. Serversys has been a Microsoft partner for 18 years and engages with the automotive, financial, insurance, and facilities management industries. The company’s five-day proof of concept, available on Microsoft AppSource, uses Dynamics 365 to help organizations realize their customer relationship management goals.

Since 1950, JOG has strived for a competitive but friendly yacht-racing environment, as well as making coastal and offshore racing accessible to small boat owners. JOG recorded race results by hand, so it took days, or even weeks, for results to be publicized. The club’s communications were scattered, and members lacked a website that provided up-to-date information about upcoming events. JOG wanted a better, more modern system for its members.

Customized solutions invigorate club’s events

Serversys built JOG a Dynamics 365 web portal that delivers round-the-clock access to all critical information, documents, and contact details related to events. Because the event portal is optimized for mobile phones, crew members receive fresh information throughout a regatta, even when their internet access is limited. The Dynamics 365 portal also enables JOG to accept transactions using Stripe and PayPal for merchandise and tickets to race events. This has opened up a valuable revenue stream.

The Microsoft Power Platform combines Power Apps, Power BI, and Power Automate, allowing users to customize, extend, and build apps that unlock the potential of Dynamics 365. Using Power Apps, Serversys developed a bespoke solution that enables real-time event management and reporting using mobile devices. Additionally, Serversys made an application in Power Apps that enables JOG to record the time each yacht completes a race. Then, from the moment competitors cross the finish line, an SMS message enabled by Power Automate informs them of their race time, accompanied by a live link to race results. Live results are also displayed on TV screens in the clubhouse, creating a buzz with spectators and competitors, who can now follow the progress in real time. To complement this, Serversys implemented a digital gallery of images shot by professional photographers covering the event, along with drone-shot video of race starts. These media assets, combined with a live Twitter feed, have stoked excitement.

As a result, JOG was able to promote and organize the largest event in its history, JOG Week, which took place July 22-27, 2018. More than 250 competitors registered. The Dynamics 365 portal was the engine behind a coordinated social media campaign that reached 19,603 people and garnered 146 event responses. During the event, the JOG website attracted more than 1,000 visitors, who spent an average of five minutes using the website, viewing at least four pages per session.

“With Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Power Platform, we were able to guide JOG through a digital transformation that changed how they communicate and engage with a thriving community.”

—Stuart Lawrence, Project Lead, Serversys

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