Arada boosts efficiency and customer engagement with Dynamics 365

Established in 2017, Arada is not just building homes but cultivating environments where the public spaces and green landscaping are as vital as the residences themselves. It develops integrated, engaging communities in the United Arab Emirates. Arada's portfolio of brands includes Wellfit for fitness, Zad for food and entertainment, and Manbat, a farmers' market launched in partnership with Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to help support and grow the UAE’s agricultural sector.

To streamline customer experience—from post-sales through the entire lifetime of a property—the real estate developer also launched Arada Care. Through the Arada Foundation, it also consolidates its philanthropic activities like the partnership with The Big Heart Foundation and UNHCR to introduce a landmark initiative, Home for a Home, building over 700 homes and providing clean water access for refugees in Kenya.

With a constant drive to try new ways of doing business, Arada embarked on its EVOLVE strategy, a move towards greater digital transformation and collaboration. “If we want to be at the forefront of the rapid pace of change that we see today, then we must accept disruption and embrace technology. By increasing our efficiency and effectiveness, we can create beautiful spaces and contribute more to communities,” shares Shrikant A. Kabboor, Chief Technology Officer at Arada.

In this journey, Arada chose Microsoft as a technology partner. “Microsoft’s proven track record, robust security features, cloud compliance, transparent data handling, extensive ecosystem, and commitment to innovation aligned with our EVOLVE vision,” remarks Kabboor.

Building a bridge between staff

Arada needed to first empower employees, especially those working remotely, to connect and collaborate in a unified platform. By implementing Dynamics 365 Finance, it eliminated the divide between its back and front office staff, bringing both sales and internal accounting into a single space. It also consolidated disparate third-party solutions into a secure platform using the productivity tools and relying on the security capabilities of Microsoft 365 E5.

Arada also embraced Power BI for obtaining business insights, as well as leveraged security features like Microsoft Defender for comprehensive cybersecurity, Microsoft Purview to improve data governance and management, and Microsoft Entra ID to ensure secure user access and identity management.

By bringing all customer and internal data into a single platform, Arada’s teams can work in perfect harmony and serve customers faster. “Previously, we lacked a comprehensive view of our processes, customers, and other partners. We had to search multiple systems for the information. Now, with MS Dynamics platform and analytics, all details are accessible with a click,” highlights Shrikant Kabboor. Arada’s internal operations also move more quickly. “Our business process cycle times were reduced from days to hours. We can also prepare periodic reports instantly, saving hundreds of man-hours,” adds Kabboor.

Doing more with less

This new-found speed has led to lowered costs. “With a more advanced system for handling important tasks in a quicker, more transparent manner, we have saved about 15 to 20% in operational expenses and around 20 to 25% in administrative expenses,” adds Kabboor.

Arada also spends less on its infrastructure. “We reduced our communication costs by more than 50% with Microsoft Teams,” adds Kabboor. The company was also able to eliminate high costs and effort in refreshing its devices and hardware. “By shifting 90% of our workloads to Azure, we have moved towards a zero footprint on-premises data center and reduced the effort spent on hardware maintenance,” adds Kabboor.

Finally, by making company-wide information accessible, Arada employees are now more data-informed. “Improvements in our processes and real-time analytics via Power BI lead to increased visibility and transparency, promoting informed decision-making,” notes Kabboor.

Vision for a digital future

“Actively seeking and responding to feedback ensures continual improvement and adaptation to changing business dynamics. Our user-centric design approach has been fundamental in our success,” Kabboor adds, reflecting on Arada’s EVOLVE journey.

Looking ahead, Arada is focusing on advanced solutions like Azure Cognitive Services, Azure OpenAI Service, and Microsoft Copilot to leverage artificial intelligence. Additionally, they are looking into further processes integration and automation using the Power Platform. “Our journey has taught us the importance of embracing change. By staying at the forefront of technological advancements, we plan to not only build better communities, but also shape the future of real estate.”