How Burkhart Dental Supply Modernized Operations with Encore and Dynamics 365 Field Service

Encore Business Solutions partnered with Burkhart Dental Supply to modernize its field service operations using Dynamics 365 Field Service, giving technicians real‑time visibility, leadership greater confidence in data, and the business a scalable foundation for growth.

Burkhart operates across multiple regions in the United States, supporting customers nationwide through a network of 70 field technicians working across branch-based service teams.

When Burkhart’s legacy field service system was set to be retired, the organization faced a pivotal decision: replace unsupported technology without disrupting delivery, while also addressing long-standing gaps in visibility, inventory control, and payment timelines.

Working with Encore, Burkhart implemented Dynamics 365 Field Service to modernize service operations. The result was improved visibility for technicians, faster and more reliable billing cycles, stronger inventory management, and a scalable foundation for ongoing growth.

Key outcomes included:

• Approximately 15% increase in productivity, measured by billable hours.
• Fewer open or lost work orders, reducing revenue leakage.
• Reduced inventory write-offs and excessive van stock.
• Compressed scheduling-to-billing cycles, improving cash flow.
• Simplified the user interface design for technicians.
• Enhanced transparency for customers, supporting new business wins.

Company Overview: Burkhart Dental Supply

Founded in 1888, Burkhart Dental Supply is a privately held dental services organization headquartered in Tacoma, Washington. The company has grown its footprint across multiple regions in the United States while maintaining a strong focus on customer service and long-term relationships.

Burkhart supports dental professionals through a broad portfolio that includes consulting and office design, recruiting and continuing education, consumable supplies, capital equipment, and ongoing installation and repair services.

The business operates across three tightly connected pillars: equipment, merchandise, and service. While each plays an important role, service is central to how Burkhart builds and sustains customer relationships.

Field service technicians are often the first and most frequent point of contact with customers, acting as the day‑to‑day representatives of the Burkhart brand. Their ability to respond quickly, travel efficiently, and resolve issues onsite directly influences customer satisfaction and long‑term relationships.

Challenges with Legacy Systems Limiting Visibility and Growth

Burkhart’s transformation began with an unavoidable inflection point. Their highly customized legacy field service application, supporting dispatch, scheduling, inventory, and technician workflows, was maintained by a small boutique vendor that announced plans to retire the product.

The system had evolved through years of customization and tight integration with Burkhart’s ERP, resulting in data silos, growing IT complexity, and limited flexibility for future innovation.

Continuing to operate the system would have required taking on significant technical debt, while transitioning to unsupported technology introduced increasing business risk.

At the same time, abandoning a purpose-built field service solution altogether was not an option.

Burkhart needed a modern, enterprise-grade field service platform—one that could scale with the business, integrate with existing systems, support technicians working across wide territories, and provide leadership with accurate, real-time insight into operations.

Operational Impact and Risk

Visibility was limited at every level of the organization.

Technicians could see only the supplies physically in their own vans. To determine whether a needed part existed elsewhere (in another van or a warehouse), they relied on phone calls, emails, and manual coordination.

Scheduling and workloads were similarly constrained. Technicians had little awareness of what peers were working on or whether help was available nearby. This made collaboration difficult and reduced dispatch efficiency, especially across large service territories.

For leadership, work order status and billing readiness were often unclear. Determining whether work had been completed required follow-ups across teams, which extended invoice timelines and increased the risk of revenue leakage.

As Burkhart worked with larger, multi-location dental organizations, customer expectations around estimates, approvals, and work documentation increased because the existing system could not reliably meet them.

Leadership knew that even if the legacy system had not been retired, continuing down the same path would undermine service quality, margin protection, and customer confidence over time.

Choosing the Right Platform and Partner

Burkhart initiated a formal RFP process to evaluate various enterprise field service platforms. While multiple platforms met functional requirements, the decision ultimately came down to implementation approach and partner alignment.

Encore differentiated itself through continuity between presales and delivery teams, creating confidence that expectations set early would be carried through execution. Encore also reinforced the importance of process and behavior change, rather than promising a purely technical fix.

Burkhart chose a phased transformation approach, modernizing field service first while continuing to operate its existing ERP. This reduced implementation risk while still delivering immediate operational improvements and laying the groundwork for future transformation.

Implementing Dynamics 365 Field Service with Encore

The phased implementation approach prioritized structure, clarity, and alignment with how Burkhart’s teams operate day to day.

The solution was designed around two distinct user experiences: a mobile-first interface for technicians and a browser-based interface for dispatchers and coordinators. This ensured each group could work within a streamlined environment tailored to their role.

Inventory management was a critical requirement, and with Burkhart being on a legacy ERP, additional customization was needed within Dynamics 365 Field Service. Encore was transparent about where additional expertise was needed and brought in Ludia Consulting to support specific customizations, ensuring the right expertise was applied while maintaining overall coordination.

Joshua described that portion of the project by sharing:

“Encore did a great job being the mediator. They didn’t just assume the client was right or that Ludia was right. They really made us talk to each other and understand each other.”

Inventory processes were streamlined by separating technician responsibilities from backend supplies and financial systems. Technicians simply log parts usage during service, while integrations automatically update inventory levels and trigger downstream processes in Burkhart’s ERP system.

Encore maintained alignment across all parties, ensuring decisions reflected business needs rather than assumptions.

Navigating a Change in Timeline

Midway through the project, Burkhart experienced a ransomware attack that halted operations temporarily. Encore responded with flexibility, maintaining continuity, preserving team familiarity, and re-engaging quickly once Burkhart was ready to move forward.

“Encore kept the project warm and stayed in contact through our pause in operations. The minute we were ready, they were ready too. We didn’t have to start over again with a new team or repeat the discovery. I’m forever grateful for that.” — Joshua Strong, Chief Information Officer, Burkhart Dental Supply

To adapt to revised timelines, Burkhart and Encore followed a train‑the‑trainer model. Internal subject‑matter experts led testing and adoption, while Encore consultants provided behind‑the‑scenes support. This approach helped accelerate adoption and reinforced internal ownership of the solution.

The rollout itself was done in stages at each sales branch, giving time for validation, stabilization, and learning at each location. After several months, Burkhart had successfully completed deployment and training across the organization.

Improvements in Daily Operations

Dynamics 365 Field Service fundamentally changed how Burkhart’s teams operate.

For technicians, the mobile application provides a simplified, task-focused experience. They can view daily schedules, access customer and location details, navigate to job sites, and log services or parts used—all within a single interface.

“If a technician wanted to know anything outside of what was in their van, they had to pick up the phone or write an email, which took time to wait for an answer. But now they’ve got the answers on their phone. They know what everybody else knows.” — Joshua Strong, Chief Information Officer, Burkhart Dental Supply

Work orders can be updated and completed in real time, eliminating the need for handoffs or follow-up communication with other teams. Once a job is completed, backend processes such as materials updates, ERP synchronization, and payment readiness are handled automatically.

The experience is intentionally streamlined, surfacing only the information technicians need and reducing friction in day-to-day workflows. Joshua shared that,

The solution also introduced replenishment workflows, enabling technicians to request replacement stock directly within their workflow and helping ensure vans remain appropriately stocked without manual coordination.

Dispatchers and coordinators now manage work activity through a centralized scheduling board, allowing them to assign work, monitor technician availability, and manage workloads by branch. Each team operates within a region-specific view, improving clarity while maintaining control across the broader organization.

“The resilience of Dynamics 365 Field Service through the uptime, the availability, the nuance it affords us for role management and visibility for different personas is amazing.” — Joshua Strong, Chief Information Officer, Burkhart Dental Supply

For leadership, reliable, accurate data provides a holistic view of operations. Decisions around labor allocation, service versus installation work, and long‑term capacity planning are faster, more informed, and more consistent.

Customers feel the difference as well. Burkhart can now provide real‑time estimates and service documentation, helping meet the expectations of larger, multi‑location dental organizations and strengthening relationships through transparency and responsiveness.

Proven Business Outcomes

The impact of the transformation is measurable across operations.

Burkhart saw an approximately 15% increase in productivity, measured by billable hours, as fewer jobs fell through the cracks and the cycle from scheduling to billing compressed significantly.

“With Dynamics 365 Field Service, we have clear visibility into technician availability months ahead, which makes scheduling easier. We have more reliable information of where technicians are, a better holistic view of what they need, and how they’re being utilized in the field.” — Joshua Strong, Chief Information Officer, Burkhart Dental Supply

Improved inventory visibility and system-based controls have reduced inefficiencies, supporting better stock management and lowering write-offs.

The transition from service completion to billing has also become faster and more consistent, improving cash flow and reducing revenue leakage. Joshua shared that,

“We can now give customers real‑time estimates and receipts, which we simply couldn’t do before.”

In addition to operational gains, these improvements have strengthened Burkhart’s ability to win new business and support long-term growth.

Building a Foundation for Lasting Impact

Reflecting on the project, Joshua describes the implementation as a benchmark for success. Clear requirements, defined stakeholders, agreed‑upon ROI, and strong commitment on both sides created a foundation not just for go‑live, but for ongoing improvement.

Encore’s role extended beyond implementation, acting as a trusted advisor that balanced technical expertise with transparency and collaboration. Encore continues to provide support and guidance for Burkhart when needed. For Burkhart, the partnership has become a standard against which future technology initiatives are measured and a foundation for continued innovation across the business.

Photo from Burkhart Dental Supply.