Our customer, a leading electronics manufacturer, provides diagnostic testing equipment and software that power companies use to maintain high-voltage transmission systems.

Unlike traditional manufacturers, this organization operates on a hybrid model – they lease equipment and also license the software required to use it. That means revenue depends on accurately managing complex contracts tied to physical assets, renewals, repairs, and ongoing service activity. As the business grew, that complexity outpaced the systems supporting it.

They partnered with ForeFront to transform how contracts, service, and financial data work together. Our goal was to move from fragmented processes to a connected, real-time operating model built on Salesforce.

The Challenge: Contract Complexity and Limited Visibility Led to $5M in Unbilled Backlog

This manufacturer’s revenue model depends on precise coordination between contracts, assets, and service activity. But the systems supporting that model weren’t built for scale. Contract management was largely manual, with limited visibility into renewals, amendments, and billing status. Exception-heavy processes made it difficult to manage contracts consistently, and teams often focused on larger agreements while smaller, high-volume contracts were missed.

The result was significant revenue leakage. By early 2020, the company had accumulated nearly $5M in unbilled contracts — revenue that should have been collected but was delayed due to process and visibility gaps. Operational challenges also extended beyond contracts:

• Service workflows were slow and manual, with RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) processes taking 3–5 days to generate documentation for customers.
• There was limited tracking of repair status, unit-level costs, and customer follow-up.
• Teams were duplicating work across Salesforce and ERP systems, increasing effort and risk of errors.
• Legacy integrations with Microsoft Dynamics NAV required ongoing maintenance and limited scalability.

These issues weren’t isolated to a single department or function. By the time ForeFront was engaged, they had compounded across the business and were impacting cash flow, customer experience, and internal efficiency.

The Solution: A Phased Transformation Connecting Contracts, Service, and ERP

The manufacturer partnered with ForeFront to address these challenges through a multi-phase transformation that combined process redesign with platform integration.

Phase 1: Rebuilding Contract Lifecycle Management

The first priority was fixing contract visibility and billing accuracy. ForeFront implemented Salesforce CPQ to centralize contract lifecycle management, giving the customer a single system to manage subscriptions, assets, and renewals.

This was not a simple system replacement. The project included a full redesign of end-to-end processes, including reducing exceptions, improving standardization, and ensuring that contracts could be tracked and managed consistently across the business.

Phase 2: Transforming Service and RMA Workflows

Next, we addressed service operations. Previously, generating an RMA required multiple touchpoints and days of back-and-forth with customers. There was limited visibility into repair status, and teams spent significant time creating and managing documentation.

ForeFront redesigned the process:

• Implemented self-service capabilities through Experience Cloud, allowing customers to initiate requests directly.
• Enabled payment capture during intake, preventing untracked or delayed work.
• Established a one-to-one relationship between units and work orders, improving cost tracking and visibility.
• Automated RMA document generation, reducing turnaround time from days to minutes or hours.

These changes improved both operational efficiency and customer experience — giving the customer better control over the repair lifecycle while reducing manual effort.

Phase 3: Modernizing ERP Integrations

With core processes aligned, modernization of the customer’s integration architecture was next. ForeFront migrated 22 integrations from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Business Central using Boomi, rebuilding connections with modern, secure protocols and event-driven architecture.

This eliminated duplicate work between systems and enabled real-time synchronization of orders, contracts, and financial data. Order processing time dropped significantly, and teams can now focus on higher-value work instead of re-entering data across systems.

The Outcome: Revenue Recovered, Backlog Eliminated, and Operations Accelerated

By connecting contracts, service, and ERP data into a single operating model, our customer achieved measurable improvements across the business:

• Reduced unbilled contract backlog by ~98%, from $5M to under $100K within one year.
• Recovered $5M+ in annual revenue through improved contract visibility and lifecycle management.
• Reduced order processing time by 80–85%, from 10–15 minutes to approximately 2 minutes.
• Cut RMA turnaround time by over 95%, reducing document generation from 3–5 days to minutes or hours.
• Saved approximately 1,900 hours annually by reducing manual documentation effort across thousands of cases.

Beyond individual metrics, they now operate with a connected system where contracts, service activity, and financial data remain in sync. Teams can see where a contract stands in its lifecycle, track service activity in real time, and act quickly when issues arise. Customers benefit from faster response times, better communication, and more transparency throughout the repair process.

With a unified platform in place, they have established a foundation for continued growth and innovation. Salesforce now serves as the system of engagement across contracts, service, and customer interactions, while Business Central remains the system of record for financials, with everything fully connected through a modern integration architecture.

This foundation has enabled faster, more informed decision-making, continued expansion across global business units, and future adoption of advanced analytics and AI-driven capabilities.