Overview

A few years into doing remote implementations, I’ve come to realize that this shift hasn’t been as seamless or efficient as people like to believe.

I had a recent project where a customer on the East Coast wanted me to help them implement warehousing and shipping for their Dynamics 365 Business Central. From the outset, the client wanted everything to be done remotely to save on travel cost. But if you’ve ever been onsite for a go-live or a hands-on working session, you’ll know there’s simply no replacement for face-to-face collaboration.

The Transformation

Digital transformation didn’t just happen for our customers, it also reshaped how we, as solution centers, operate. We’ve gotten better with video calls, screen sharing, and collaborative tools, but none of that makes up for the lack of in-person interaction.

What’s replaced that face time? Documentation. Lots of it. And while thorough documentation is important, we’re now relying too heavily on it to make up for the human elements that are missing. Timelines get stretch out because we’re going back and forth on things that could’ve been solved with a quick discussion across a desk.

Remote work is great if everyone fully understands what needs to be done. But when you’re trying to transfer conceptual knowledge, it’s extremely difficult to do it remotely.

Even when you write super clear specs and craft a beautiful training manual, the reality is, most people won’t absorb it. The percentage of folks who actually read through the materials, retain the information, and then know how to apply it in real scenarios? Very low. And you’ll see the downstream effects of that right away in testing and user adoption.

It’s the People

Technology is great, it’s a set of tools that can absolutely support the process. We often forget that it’s people who actually deliver the content, simplify the training, and make sure users really get it.

The Real Learning

You can’t just hand someone a manual and call it a day. In fact, implementing “by the manual” is a great way to cause even more confusion. When we rely on virtual meetings to teach or troubleshoot, we lose a key layer of communication: empathy. You don’t get to look someone in the eye and feel what they’re struggling with. Without that, people tend to dig in their heels, and conversations turn more transactional than collaborative.

There’s a higher form of communication that only happens when you’re there in person. You can see body language. You can jump into side conversations. You can roll up your sleeves and figure things out together.

I’ll die on this hill—there is no replacement for face-to-face interaction. And if you’re trying to build mastery in this space, especially if you’re newer, it’s incredibly difficult to do that if you’re not shoulder to shoulder with the customer, working through the issues in real time. That’s where the real learning happens.

We see it more often now from customers complaining that their partners lack basic understanding of what they’re trying to accomplish.

The Solution

Remote work is not going away. Forcing people back to the office (RTO) full time is not the answer either. I believe there needs to be a hybrid between in the office and remote work.

The way APC Dynamics approach this problem is re-imagining our implementation process and how we go about implementing Dynamics 365 Business Central. Everything needs to be extremely simple and to the point.

There are a million ways you can do different tasks in Business Central. We distill it down.

When we design how Business Central fits into an organization, we focus on the key essence of what the client needs. We remove the nonsense, cut out inefficient processes, and focus on what will actually drive clarity and results.

But this level of simplification doesn’t come easy. To quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery:

Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away.

This requires a deep understanding of how Business Central works. A person needs to understand what it can and can’t do in addition to having a strong grasp of the priorities of business owners, managers, and the people actually doing the work.

This is not something a new implementer can just jump into. Like I said earlier, remote work makes it even harder. If you’re not in the trenches, seeing the problems firsthand and working side-by-side with the client, you won’t develop the instinct to cut through noise and get to the heart of the issue. You won’t know how to architect a solution that makes sense and is easy to implement and maintain for both the customer and the partner supporting the customer.

Conclusion

If any of this hit a little too close to home, maybe your team’s stuck, the project’s dragging, or things just aren’t clicking the way they should. We get it. We’ve been there.

At APC Dynamics, we keep it simple, cut the noise, and focus on what actually works in the real world. So if you’re looking for a fresh approach to Business Central that actually makes sense, let’s talk.