Christian Wanner remembers his Excel days the way most of us recall dial-up internet: with a shudder and a wry smile. There he was, armed with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, a tangle of email tools, and spreadsheets galore—unsung hero of Commerz Real’s ever-bustling sales and marketing circus. His team, determined to keep investors and clients in the loop, would painstakingly assemble newsletters from data scattered like confetti after a parade. “It took a week just to prep a biannual investor update,” he says, “and that was a good week.” And with 48 different versions of each email to send and zero way to track who actually read them, the word “inefficient” seems like a polite understatement.
Welcome to the not-so-distant past at Commerz Real, the real asset investment arm of Germany’s banking behemoth Commerzbank—trusted steward of billions in real estate and renewable energy funds. A company famous for putting its tenants, investors, and the public first, Commerz Real prides itself on transparency and relationships. But in the breakneck world of institutional finance and real estate, time is golden, competition is fierce, and no one wants to end up with an inbox full of unread “Dear Investor” emails.
If your idea of a high-tech marketing workflow is a spreadsheet, an email merge, and maybe a miracle, then you’ll recognize the pain Commerz Real’s teams felt. Their marketing department, experts at crafting content and managing complex events, found themselves mired in manual labor. Newsletters, initially a gesture of goodwill, became an Olympian chore—48 personalized versions, sent twice a year, each taking hours to tweak, check, and send.
Things didn’t improve behind the scenes. Event managers, the unsung rockstars of in-person and virtual gatherings, struggled to wrangle RSVP lists. Contact details? Exported by hand, one clumsy column at a time. Registration forms? Outsourced to agencies at steep cost. Tracking attendance, confirmations, and follow-ups meant a frenzied tour through Excel, Outlook, and whoever was brave enough to ask for a status update.
As Christian Wanner recalls, “We produced and sent the emails ourselves, tried to track registrations in Excel, and worked with a third-party agency just to create the forms.” Not exactly the well-oiled machine you’d expect from a firm trusted with other people’s money.
Commerz Real didn’t start from scratch. They’d been using Microsoft Dynamics CRM, but the old setup was more like a patchwork of home remedies than a modern workflow. The addition of Customer Insights, implemented in partnership with the consultants at DIGITALL, brought a new era of unified data, streamlined processes, and yes, actual insight into their clients’ responses.
Within six weeks, Wanner’s team was up and running—sending out their first four newsletters straight from Customer Insights. No more manual merges, no more tracking responses in Excel. As the immediate integration slashed the need for cumbersome third-party tools, Commerz Real could finally focus on what mattered: communicating value, not just managing data.
Instead of cobbling together customer lists from wherever they could find them, the marketing team now draws on a single, centralized pool of data. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights stitches together information across platforms, offering a 360-degree view of each investor, tenant, and event attendee. Instead of blasting out generic messages and hoping someone replies, the team can tailor content to each recipient, tracking interaction every step of the way.
Now, when an event is forthcoming, invitations go out with a click. Registrations flow in through forms integrated with the same system. Attendance, confirmations, follow-ups—all logged, tracked, and ready for analysis. There are no longer any “lost” responses, mysterious black holes where RSVPs might never return, or frantic catch-up calls to third-party agencies.
Change management isn’t just an HR buzzword. It’s what makes or breaks digital projects. Commerz Real’s approach: communicate openly, involve key stakeholders, demonstrate early value, and get buy-in by letting teams see how the new workflow would directly cut their workload.
Within six weeks, the skepticism started to fade. The numbers told the story—hours saved, responses tracked, events run smoothly from invitation to feedback. Employees got back the time they needed to be strategic, not just operational.
Investors, both institutional and retail, appreciated the difference. They were no longer bombarded with irrelevant messages, nor left in the dark about critical updates. Information got where it needed to go—quickly, clearly, and reliably. The “black box” of email marketing and event invitations became transparent: who responded, who registered, who still needed a follow-up.
That level of granularity transformed investor relations from an old-fashioned game of telephone to a data-driven, modern conversation. Investors might not see the machinery behind the scenes, but they certainly felt the results—timely updates, relevant communications, and event experiences that just worked.
With the new system, administrative headaches started to evaporate. Teams no longer had to juggle spreadsheets, email merges, and frantic phone calls to agencies. Instead, employees could focus on the creative, high-impact parts of their jobs—crafting compelling content, building relationships, and planning memorable events.
It wasn’t just about making life easier. With routine processes automated, skilled marketers could finally execute on strategic initiatives that drove real value. Targeted campaigns, personalized journeys, and nuanced event experiences—these became the new standard, not the exception. The work got more interesting, and the results got more impressive.
With Customer Insights, guesswork gave way to clarity. Every interaction—read, click, registration—was tracked and measured. The marketing and event teams could now analyze what was working and fine-tune their approach for next time. Want to see which subject lines grabbed the most attention, or which events saw the highest turnout? Just run a report.
Perhaps most important, leadership could see concrete, data-backed evidence of ROI. Resources weren’t wasted on campaigns that fell flat or events that didn’t resonate. Instead, the company invested where engagement was highest—strengthening relationships, boosting satisfaction, and delivering measurable return.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, DIGITALL helped Commerz Real identify pain points, map workflows, and customize the platform to their needs. The goal: make the solution work for the people using it, not the other way around.
Implementation time was measured in weeks, not interminable quarters. And because the new platform was already integrated with Dynamics 365, there was no need for tech gymnastics or risky third-party patches. The transition, in the world of enterprise IT, was remarkably smooth.
Imagine predictive analytics that can suggest the ideal timing and content for every client segment. Think about real-time feedback loops, with instant analysis of investor sentiment and interest. Or envision broader community engagement, where tenants and the public enjoy the same streamlined, responsive communication that investors now expect.
In a world that values speed, accuracy, and personalization, Commerz Real’s leap forward isn’t just an upgrade. It’s a blueprint for how financial firms—often considered digital latecomers—can sprint to the front of the innovation pack.
For a company built on personal trust and long-term investments, that means putting people, not process, at the heart of every communication. And as the next chapter in Commerz Real’s story unfolds, investors and employees alike are getting a front-row seat to the future of connected, data-powered engagement.
The transformation wasn’t just a tech upgrade. It was a cultural shift—a move from reactive to proactive, from scattered to unified, from manual to meaningful. The lesson is simple: Digital tools can amplify the best qualities of a business, creating more value for those who matter most.
And as Christian Wanner might now say, with a grin instead of a shudder, “There’s a reason no one’s pining for the days of 48 hand-built newsletters.”
Source: Microsoft Commerz Real improves investor and employee communications with Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Customer Stories
Welcome to the not-so-distant past at Commerz Real, the real asset investment arm of Germany’s banking behemoth Commerzbank—trusted steward of billions in real estate and renewable energy funds. A company famous for putting its tenants, investors, and the public first, Commerz Real prides itself on transparency and relationships. But in the breakneck world of institutional finance and real estate, time is golden, competition is fierce, and no one wants to end up with an inbox full of unread “Dear Investor” emails.
The Digital Paper Chase
If your idea of a high-tech marketing workflow is a spreadsheet, an email merge, and maybe a miracle, then you’ll recognize the pain Commerz Real’s teams felt. Their marketing department, experts at crafting content and managing complex events, found themselves mired in manual labor. Newsletters, initially a gesture of goodwill, became an Olympian chore—48 personalized versions, sent twice a year, each taking hours to tweak, check, and send.Things didn’t improve behind the scenes. Event managers, the unsung rockstars of in-person and virtual gatherings, struggled to wrangle RSVP lists. Contact details? Exported by hand, one clumsy column at a time. Registration forms? Outsourced to agencies at steep cost. Tracking attendance, confirmations, and follow-ups meant a frenzied tour through Excel, Outlook, and whoever was brave enough to ask for a status update.
As Christian Wanner recalls, “We produced and sent the emails ourselves, tried to track registrations in Excel, and worked with a third-party agency just to create the forms.” Not exactly the well-oiled machine you’d expect from a firm trusted with other people’s money.
Enter Dynamics 365: A Single Source of Truth
There comes a point when even the most stalwart teams admit: there’s got to be a better way. For Commerz Real, salvation came in the form of Microsoft’s shiny, cloud-powered platform—Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. And, like any self-respecting tech transformation, it wasn’t just about picking up a new tool. It was about reimagining how marketing and event planning could work at a modern financial institution.Commerz Real didn’t start from scratch. They’d been using Microsoft Dynamics CRM, but the old setup was more like a patchwork of home remedies than a modern workflow. The addition of Customer Insights, implemented in partnership with the consultants at DIGITALL, brought a new era of unified data, streamlined processes, and yes, actual insight into their clients’ responses.
Within six weeks, Wanner’s team was up and running—sending out their first four newsletters straight from Customer Insights. No more manual merges, no more tracking responses in Excel. As the immediate integration slashed the need for cumbersome third-party tools, Commerz Real could finally focus on what mattered: communicating value, not just managing data.
Why Customer Insights Changed Everything
It’s not just a story of speed (though six weeks from kickoff to delivery is downright speedy by enterprise standards). The real shift was in mind-set—a cultural transformation that replaced frustration with focus and guesswork with grasp.Instead of cobbling together customer lists from wherever they could find them, the marketing team now draws on a single, centralized pool of data. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights stitches together information across platforms, offering a 360-degree view of each investor, tenant, and event attendee. Instead of blasting out generic messages and hoping someone replies, the team can tailor content to each recipient, tracking interaction every step of the way.
Now, when an event is forthcoming, invitations go out with a click. Registrations flow in through forms integrated with the same system. Attendance, confirmations, follow-ups—all logged, tracked, and ready for analysis. There are no longer any “lost” responses, mysterious black holes where RSVPs might never return, or frantic catch-up calls to third-party agencies.
What It Took to Make Change Happen
Technology transformations often flounder on culture, not code. But Commerz Real was determined to manage the shift thoughtfully. Working with DIGITALL (Microsoft’s trusted partner in all things Dynamics), they didn’t just install software; they tailored the solution to fit Commerz Real’s unique rhythm. Every newsletter, every registration process, every event workflow was crafted to make life easier—not just for IT, but also for the people actually using the tools every day.Change management isn’t just an HR buzzword. It’s what makes or breaks digital projects. Commerz Real’s approach: communicate openly, involve key stakeholders, demonstrate early value, and get buy-in by letting teams see how the new workflow would directly cut their workload.
Within six weeks, the skepticism started to fade. The numbers told the story—hours saved, responses tracked, events run smoothly from invitation to feedback. Employees got back the time they needed to be strategic, not just operational.
Impact on Investor Relations: Tangible Results
Finance is built on trust, and trust is built on communication. With a new, streamlined system, Commerz Real could respond faster to investor inquiries, personalize every interaction, and collect data on what clients actually wanted to hear about.Investors, both institutional and retail, appreciated the difference. They were no longer bombarded with irrelevant messages, nor left in the dark about critical updates. Information got where it needed to go—quickly, clearly, and reliably. The “black box” of email marketing and event invitations became transparent: who responded, who registered, who still needed a follow-up.
That level of granularity transformed investor relations from an old-fashioned game of telephone to a data-driven, modern conversation. Investors might not see the machinery behind the scenes, but they certainly felt the results—timely updates, relevant communications, and event experiences that just worked.
The Employee Experience: Less Drudgery, More Strategy
Ask anyone in marketing what they’d rather be doing, and you’ll rarely hear “manually updating contact lists” or “spending a week personalizing emails.” With Dynamics 365 Customer Insights in place, the employee experience at Commerz Real underwent a subtle but powerful metamorphosis.With the new system, administrative headaches started to evaporate. Teams no longer had to juggle spreadsheets, email merges, and frantic phone calls to agencies. Instead, employees could focus on the creative, high-impact parts of their jobs—crafting compelling content, building relationships, and planning memorable events.
It wasn’t just about making life easier. With routine processes automated, skilled marketers could finally execute on strategic initiatives that drove real value. Targeted campaigns, personalized journeys, and nuanced event experiences—these became the new standard, not the exception. The work got more interesting, and the results got more impressive.
Data-Driven Decision Making: From Gut Feelings to Analytics
Before the digital transformation, decision making was a blend of experience, gut feeling, and wishful thinking. Who opened our newsletter? Who attended the event and asked the sharpest questions? Who needs a personal follow-up? The answers were anyone’s guess.With Customer Insights, guesswork gave way to clarity. Every interaction—read, click, registration—was tracked and measured. The marketing and event teams could now analyze what was working and fine-tune their approach for next time. Want to see which subject lines grabbed the most attention, or which events saw the highest turnout? Just run a report.
Perhaps most important, leadership could see concrete, data-backed evidence of ROI. Resources weren’t wasted on campaigns that fell flat or events that didn’t resonate. Instead, the company invested where engagement was highest—strengthening relationships, boosting satisfaction, and delivering measurable return.
The Role of DIGITALL: A Partner for Change
Even the best technology falls flat without the right implementation partner. Commerz Real tapped DIGITALL—a Microsoft Partner with deep Dynamics expertise—to make sure Customer Insights would fit like a bespoke suit.Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, DIGITALL helped Commerz Real identify pain points, map workflows, and customize the platform to their needs. The goal: make the solution work for the people using it, not the other way around.
Implementation time was measured in weeks, not interminable quarters. And because the new platform was already integrated with Dynamics 365, there was no need for tech gymnastics or risky third-party patches. The transition, in the world of enterprise IT, was remarkably smooth.
Lessons Learned: What Other Companies Can Steal
Commerz Real’s journey holds more than a few lessons for other firms feeling bogged down by outdated workflows:- Don’t underestimate the power of a unified platform. Stitching together data from disparate tools is an invitation to chaos. A centralized system cuts complexity, boosts efficiency, and creates space for innovation.
- Invest in people, not just technology. The right tools only shine when teams are brought along for the ride. Change management and communication matter.
- Speed matters. Accelerated implementation—with a clear deadline and a partner that understands your business—keeps momentum high and skeptics at bay.
- Analytics isn’t optional. In the modern era, you need hard numbers, not just hunches, to drive smart business decisions.
- Personalization pays. Investors and clients respond when they feel seen, not spammed. A flexible system makes tailored communication possible at scale.
The Future: Beyond Investor Newsletters
While the immediate benefits at Commerz Real are clear, the platform’s potential stretches far beyond investor newsletters. With the Digital Backbone in place, the company is positioned to experiment—with new channels, new kinds of events, and a whole spectrum of targeted communications.Imagine predictive analytics that can suggest the ideal timing and content for every client segment. Think about real-time feedback loops, with instant analysis of investor sentiment and interest. Or envision broader community engagement, where tenants and the public enjoy the same streamlined, responsive communication that investors now expect.
In a world that values speed, accuracy, and personalization, Commerz Real’s leap forward isn’t just an upgrade. It’s a blueprint for how financial firms—often considered digital latecomers—can sprint to the front of the innovation pack.
A Human Touch, Amplified by Tech
It’s easy to imagine technology as replacing the personal touch, but at Commerz Real, the opposite is true. By automating the drudgery, they’ve freed up employees to spend more time on what really matters—relationships, strategy, creativity.For a company built on personal trust and long-term investments, that means putting people, not process, at the heart of every communication. And as the next chapter in Commerz Real’s story unfolds, investors and employees alike are getting a front-row seat to the future of connected, data-powered engagement.
The transformation wasn’t just a tech upgrade. It was a cultural shift—a move from reactive to proactive, from scattered to unified, from manual to meaningful. The lesson is simple: Digital tools can amplify the best qualities of a business, creating more value for those who matter most.
And as Christian Wanner might now say, with a grin instead of a shudder, “There’s a reason no one’s pining for the days of 48 hand-built newsletters.”
Source: Microsoft Commerz Real improves investor and employee communications with Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Customer Stories
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