Running bespoke driving tours around the world sounds glamorous. But behind the scenes, it’s detail-heavy, time-sensitive, and unforgiving of mistakes.
For Classic Grand Touring (CGT), every trip means managing hundreds of moving parts — accommodation, itineraries, dietary needs, documents, and customer preferences. And for years, that complexity sat across spreadsheets, emails and an ageing CRM that simply couldn’t keep up.
As the business grew, so did the pressure.
Something had to change.
What Were the Challenges
The current CGT leadership team inherited a legacy Sage CRM system that wasn’t built for how the business operates today.
Key challenges included:
- Overly complex, outdated CRM built around old processes
- Limited integration with back-office systems
- Heavy reliance on spreadsheets to manage tours
- Time-consuming manual emails and reporting
- No single, reliable view of customer or tour data
- Difficulty scaling as the business grew
Karen Leggatt, Operations and Client Liaison Manager, explained:
“It was clunky, overly complicated, and lacked the newer technology and integration we needed.”
Initial Requirements
CGT needed more than a standard CRM. They required:
- A flexible system to manage highly bespoke group tours
- A central place for all customer, booking and tour data
- Granular tracking (from passports to meal choices)
- Automated communications with customers
- Integration with Sage 50 for financial management
- A system that could grow with new tour formats
Off-the-shelf software wasn’t going to cut it. The solution had to be built around their way of working.
Solution
Why Dynamics 365 was the right fit?
Dynamics 365 provided a flexible, scalable platform that could be tailored to CGT’s unique operating model.
Already using Microsoft tools like Outlook, Teams and Excel, CGT felt confident adopting a system that fitted naturally into their day-to-day work.
Most importantly, Dynamics allowed Avrion to design the system around CGT — not the other way around.
Why Avrion was the right partner?
CGT had an existing relationship with Avrion and trusted their advice.
Rather than jumping straight into a full implementation, Avrion started with a scoping project, working from a “blank slate” to redesign processes more efficiently.
This approach:
- Reduced risk
- Built confidence early
- Ensured the system matched real-world needs
- Allowed for iterative improvements through regular feedback
“It wasn’t about forcing us into a system — it was about building the right system together.” Karen Leggatt, Operations and Client Liaison Manager
The Solution in Practice
Avrion implemented a fully customised Dynamics 365 solution designed specifically for CGT’s tour management model. At its core:
- Each tour becomes the central hub for all activity
- Bookings, passengers, preferences, and logistics flow from it
- Every detail — from room type to meal choices — is tracked in one place
- Previously scattered information is now centralised, accessible, and easy to act on.
Power Automate in Action
Over 20 Power Automate workflows were implemented to remove manual work and ensure consistency.
Examples include:
- Automatic booking confirmations and itinerary emails
- Payment received notifications and balance reminders
- Scheduled updates and pre-tour communications
- Creation of passenger-specific records when bookings are added
- Tracking outstanding information (e.g. missing preferences)
- Internal notifications and process triggers
- Previously manual tasks — like sending emails or chasing information — now run automatically.
Sage 50 Integration
CGT’s financial system (Sage 50) is a legacy, on-premise platform — making integration more complex. Avrion used deep experience to connect the systems via Power Automate:
- Payments pushed from Dynamics into Sage 50
- Financial updates pulled back into CRM
- Customer balances kept accurate and visible
This removed duplication and ensured financial data stayed aligned with operational activity.
Benefits
The benefits are endless and consistent:
- A single source of truth: All customer and tour data lives in one place — no more cross-checking spreadsheets.
- Reduced manual admin: Automations handle emails, updates and tracking — freeing up valuable time.
- Faster, more reliable reporting: Tour reports (dietary needs, room types, itineraries) can be generated instantly.
- Improved customer experience: Customers receive consistent, timely communication without manual effort.
- Greater visibility and control: At any moment, CGT can see exactly what’s happening on every tour.
- Future-ready platform: The system adapts to new types of tours and continued business growth.
- Less reliance on spreadsheets: Previously critical processes now run inside Dynamics, reducing risk and errors.
Looking Ahead
With the core system in place, the next opportunity is bringing data together through Power BI.
By connecting tour, booking and financial data:
- Each tour could have a single performance view
- Trends and profitability can be analysed more easily
- Decisions can be made faster, based on real insight
It’s a natural next step — building on a strong data foundation.
Why Choose Dynamics 365?
For CGT, Dynamics 365 wasn’t just a CRM — it became the backbone of the business.
Its flexibility allowed every part of their operation to be brought together, without forcing compromise.
“We’ve now got a system that can manage any type of tour and adapt as the business grows.” Karen Leggatt, Operations and Client Liaison Manager
With Dynamics 365, CGT has a system that works the way they work — and evolves as they do.
Why Partner with Avrion?
Avrion’s approach focused on understanding the business first, then building the right solution around it.
Through close collaboration, regular feedback, and a flexible delivery model, CGT stayed involved at every step.
“Every time we saw it, we’d say ‘that’s going to be a lifesaver.’” Karen Leggatt, Operations and Client Liaison Manager.
The result wasn’t just a new system — it was a better way of working.
The Results
Classic Grand Touring hasn’t just replaced an old CRM — they’ve reshaped how the business runs.
With Dynamics 365 and Avrion, they’ve moved from manual processes and scattered data to a connected, efficient operation that supports their growth.
Now, they can focus on what they do best: creating exceptional travel experiences — while the system takes care of the detail behind the scenes.
