Relationship Insights. Available on any device, the new Relationship Insights “assistant” tracks all of. Dynamics 365 Business Central is a business management solution that helps companies connect their financials, sales, service, and operations to streamline business processes, improve customer interactions, and make better decisions, in real time. In this blog, we will outline some of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CRM) agenda items and key features. Quickly capture call notes: Dynamics CRM allows you to quickly capture call notes. You can log call notes, update account data or information, create follow-up tasks and do more. Schedule follow up activities: Microsoft Dynamics CRM’s activity management offers an intuitive way to rapidly record and schedule follow up on activities. Dynamics CRM features Excel export functionality, Dashboards, and Views so users can make the best use of the valuable data entered into CRM. With each new release, we’re seeing more ways to analyze and take action on your data. Keeping up with new releases is the best way to take advantage of all the enhancements.
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Cracking the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Features and Functions Code!
Microsoft Dynamics CRM got really ‘serious’ in CRM version 4. Since 2007 Dynamics CRM has changed significantly and is now on version 2016. This blog seeks to demonstrate those changes as succinctly as possible and demonstrate the capability it now has. One of the most significant changes was the focus from On Premise licensing to Online licensing which Microsoft released in 2011.
The blog signposts resources, videos and release previews which give a great understanding of what Dynamics CRM is all about. Included at the end of the blog are updates on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales application and customer service application.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to 2013 updates
In 2011 you will see there was a navigate pane on the left hand side where in CRM 2013 a new menu bar replaced that. In 2013 a new ribbon (the line across the top) came into play. We did a round up of all the changes in this blog post called CRM 2013 new features and licensing. with 2013 also came auto save, people photographs, access teams (business units, ownership teams, access teams) as well as command bars and slicker sitemaps. Dynamics CRM v. 4 and 2011 both had pop ups which some users found difficult to work with, however in 2013 came inline editing. This meant that you could now update a record by clicking on it without moving to another screen. This video gives you a little more information about InLine editing in CRM.
With the updates to the 2013 interface also came new Microsoft Dynamics CRM features and functions.
For example, the emergence of social integration using ‘Yammer’, and the biggest functionality change in my opinion was the process bar. The process bar offers visual steps to take for each feature, for example lead management. This helps users to follow actionable steps to progress a lead and has staged gating to ensure that each lead is following the process correctly.
Another great feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 was the role-based security teams, whereby restrictions can be set to give teams rights to records with different access levels.
In 2013 there were two releases, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Spring and Fall.
In the Fall release came more focus on the user experience offering intuitive and actionable intelligence within Dynamics CRM. In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 release preview guide it demonstrates the “reimagined user experience” with simplified data entry and customer summaries. The process agility keeps users on track and is easily configurable so we can tailor it to your processes and what’s important to you. Mobile and tablet functionality was a focus of Dynamics CRM 2013 as well, keeping users in touch when out and about.
Microsoft Dynamics Crm Key Features Key
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2014
In the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2014 Spring Release preview guide came new acquisitions which were added to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013. For example, Marketing Pilot brought Dynamics Marketing, there was also ‘Parature’ and ‘Inside View’. See our blog we did at the time to capture this information about what was new in Dynamics CRM 2013.
The Dynamics Marketing function included personalized email marketing and is included in the Enterprise license. Power BI is also used with Dynamics Marketing to give a full view of the customer using demographics, online behavior overview and marketing reporting tools.
It is important to note here that many of these new acquisitions are only released to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online platform and not the On Premise licensing. This has happened with Insights which was provided by Inside View. Inside View is now part of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as a professional license, and it enables sales people with ‘data and connections’. The features include:
- Company data to show financials, family trees and industry profiles
- Insights which pulls in company news, social insights over Facebook and Twitter and the ability to target social profiles of decision makers.
- The features also include Connections using LinkedIn and Facebook and sharing for co-workers.
Dynamics CRM 2013 Online also saw the emergence of the Unified Service Desk feature, which is a powerful desktop providing metrics such as:
- Average handling time
- First call resolution
- Customer satisfaction.
The unified service desk feature allows service desk handlers to engage with customers over several channels such as voice, chat and email whilst handling customer sessions simultaneously. All this information can be found in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2014 Online Spring release, and this video from Microsoft is a good round up of CRM Unified Service Desk.
With Microsoft CRM Spring 2014 update came another great Microsoft Dynamics CRM Features and Function: Parature, which provides an online 24/7 customer support centre (knowledge management and self-service). Again this is included in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online professional license. Parature also comes with a Facebook portal which provides the opportunity for customer service management over Facebook including real-time chat.
In Spring 2014 another major release was the SharePoint and CRM integration. The enhancements were really coming thick and fast!
Another huge release in Dynamics CRM 2013 Online (Spring 2014) was Social Listening – now called Social Engagement.
Social Listening measures sentiment and tracks brands, products and influencers across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, news and forums. This really helps to analyse social usage and how you stack up against the competition giving ability for social campaign management. Again Social Listening was part of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 professional license with a minimum 5 user count. Today, in 2016, Social Engagement has progressed.
Social Listening measures how much people are talking about you and is a key feature within Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The volume of posts is called “Buzz”. Social Listening offers control to improve customer service and brand perception. It also is able to measure sentiment using a numerical rating between -10 and +10, even measuring sentiment of your competitors. You can set up lists of terms you want to listen for, and collect insightful information so that you can be prepared before contacting someone.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Review
In the 2016 Spring CRM release, there is more exciting functionality released. For example, you can now take a social media post and send it to a case within Dynamics CRM by just clicking a few fields. This really drives customer issues for reporting and resolution. To keep track of the posts you have developed in CRM there is a new filter which shows all linked posts. Direct publishing allows you to post to social media networks straight from Dynamics CRM, and intention analysis and automation rules are also new features that detect customer intent based on the content of the post. Posts can also be sent easily to teams or individuals via Dynamics CRM.
In 2015 social conversations could be listened to in 19 languages. For more information on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Social Engagement see the resources on this link.
In the 2016 release, there is functionality that allows users to search boards, forums and custom sources via RSS including internal non-public sources such as Yammer. Social also moved to role-tailored views to increase sales and service efficiency. Social Engagement has also now extended to Instagram and extended blog coverage beyond Tumblr and WordPress.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 release preview guide brought new capabilities, functionality and features to deliver amazing customer experiences.
There was a greater focus on Microsoft Dynamics Marketing enabling marketing teams to plan, do and review (using Excel and Power BI), campaigns from start to finish. Another focus was the “guided sales processes” which built on and improved the Microsoft CRM 2013 processes, allowing complex processes using branch selection.
Another new feature added was the ability to add product families to cross sell and up sell as well as the sales hierarchical views. Microsoft continued with the mobile and tablet enhancements and also enhanced the business rules that were released in Dynamics CRM 2013.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Features and Functionality
There were 2 releases during 2016. This round up offers the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 release preview guides and a short 2 minute video to help bring the new functionality to life.
This video of Microsoft Dynamics CRM features and functions showcases ‘field service’ and ‘project service’ optimizing staff and resources required for each project, as well as featuring guided user navigation facilities and portals.
The Dynamics CRM 2016 release focused new features on productivity, intelligence, mobility and unified service. SMS was added as a marketing channel. Included in Dynamics CRM 2016 is Voice of the Customer; a new survey feature designed to send out questionnaires and surveys.
The Unified Service Desk improves auditing and diagnostic settings, and an out of the box integration is now offered with any third party systems such as Azure HD Insights. Another feature released to CRM 2016, is the ability to view documents using CRM mobile applications.
An important feature in Dynamics CRM 2016 is Machine Learning (ML), which offers configuration and insights into the CRM interface particularly within social engagement.
The second (Spring wave) Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 focused on personalising customer experiences, creating proactive experiences and making customer engagement predictive.
The ADX studio offered web portal functionality into Dynamics CRM Online and pre-configured portals including customer service, community, partner and employee self-service portals which are now available.
Dynamics CRM Field Service video is available here:
- Field service is an end-to-end solution which offers scheduling, stock tracking and asset management for service teams and organisations.
- Project service functionality helps to quote, plan and assign resources as well as capturing progress data and expenses.
Server-Side Synchronization now allows you to connect CRM on-premises with Microsoft Exchange Online.
To see the most up to date resources and check out more Microsoft Dynamics CRM Features and Functions, check out the Microsoft Dynamics CRM help and training material guides.
UPDATE: 4.4.17
Please also see our update on Dynamics 365 uncovering what is included in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales App and the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service App.
More Reading:
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CRM Consulting using Caltech CRM :
Get ready for CRM resources
This blog was written by Catherine Carlyle, marketing manager at Caltech IT Limited. We would love to hear from you. Let us know what you think or if you would like a closer look at any of these features or functions.
Last fall saw the release of Microsoft’s new Dynamics 365, a combined offering of CRM and ERP services. The new improved combination builds and improves upon the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Dynamics 365 brings a superior CRM performance, along the with the security, functionality, and pricing familiar to Microsoft customers. I’ll outline just 10 of the most popular new features of Dynamics 365, although there are certainly many, many more.
1. App Modules
One of the most celebrated new features of Dynamics 365 is the use of app modules. While Dynamics CRM allowed for the use of apps within it, the app modules of Dynamics 365 greatly expand those capabilities. The app module within Dynamics 365 allows users to create a collection of apps or business process flows, and then to use those apps without limit throughout the platform. Apps are no longer limited to a single site map or page. Instead, users can use apps throughout the platform. The new modules offer substantially more flexibility and functionality than the previous versions of Dynamics CRM.
The app module also enables users to create highly targeted apps through a simple drag and drop program. Not only are add-ins and plugins no longer required, but Dynamics 365 users can create new applications without writing a single line of code.
2. Site Map Designer
Another key feature of Dynamics 365 is the Site Map Designer. Related to App Modules, the site map designer allows users to create and edit site maps without the need for third-party developers or designers. Instead, the Site Map Designer gives users development skills in an easy to use, drag and drop tool. Users can create multiple site maps, such as one for every app in deployment, or as a guide for different categories.
Users are now in control of their pages, and can customize sites to fit their personal business, industry or preference.
3. Relationship Insights
Although currently only available online, Dynamics 365’s Relationship Insights tool is a valuable new resource. The relationship insights feature tracks and records all of a given user’s communication and interactions with customers. Once this data has been gathered, Dynamics 365 can then analyze the data and provide suggestions or recommend actions.
The new relationship insight feature is more than analytics or data tracking. The relationship insights assistant can guide users through their daily work, communications and interactions with customers. Some examples of actions that can be advised by the relationship insights tool are reminders for upcoming activities, suggestions for inactive contacts, email alerts on emails awaiting replies, or notifications for opportunities ready to close.
4. Relevance Search
Another popular new feature of Dynamics 365 is relevance search. The new and improved search feature enables users to find matches for words or key phrases based on relevance. Dynamics 365 users can now power their database searches with a powerful and intelligent search engine.
Users can search by key words or key phrases, allowing for valuable time to be saved on searches. Dynamics 365 users can now expect more accurate results without having to further refine or modify their search queries.
5. Mobile Capabilities
The mobile experience has also been greatly improved upon in Dynamics 365. Building upon a mobile platform that allowed for calendars, timelines, and video players, Dynamics 365 has added workspaces, layouts, colors, editable grids, tracking and work task flows.
A new mobile workspace has been created, allowing for a more mobile friendly user experience. Colors, layouts and content has been optimized to reduce scrolling, and make information more presentable. Users can now track content, leads and prospects through a mobile friendly interface.
Dynamics 365 Crm Features
6. Dynamics 365 for Outlook
Dynamics 365 also enables greater connection and integration with Microsoft Outlook. Although the Dynamics App for Outlook was first released in 2015, it received substantial improvements in the new Dynamics 365 release. The new app remains on the right side of the user’s screen and can display recipient lists, related records, new records and can also embed any templates or attachments. Users will be able to work more efficiently, integrating CRM within their email applications.
For users in client facing positions, the ability to access CRM through email, or vice versa, makes email an invaluable customer management tool. Dynamics 365 also supports Outlook on a variety of platforms including Windows, Macs and the Outlook Web Application.
7. Visual Process Designer
Another excellent drag and drop design system in Dynamics 365 is the visual process designer. The visual process designer allows users to create business process flows, business rules and task flows. The visual process designer provides timers, suggestion bubbles and the ability for users to affect workflows directly. The visual process designer also contains an export to image capability that enables users to create a visual representation of process flows.
8. Editable Grids
Another popular and convenient new feature is the introduction of editable grids. Dynamics 365 users can now make in-line edits in both desktop and mobile versions. Rather than opening up accounts to make information changes, users can now quickly make edits within columns. The user experience becomes much more streamlined and less tedious, and customer management is improved. Columns can also now be dragged and grouped according to user preference, further helping the overall user experience.
Dynamics Crm Vs Salesforce Comparison
9. Learning Paths
Dynamics 365 has also made great improvements in the education of CRM users with a new Learning Path tool. One of the most difficult aspects of any CRM implementation is the time and resources necessary to fully train staff in its use. CRM is an expansive technology that requires a significant amount of time and effort to be fully understood.
Microsoft realized this, and included Learning Paths with Dynamics 365 to relieve this pressure point. Learning Paths is a series of videos, guided tasks and how-to documents that allow users to learn how to use Dynamics 365 through interactive resources. The resources can be customized for each user depending upon department or job duties.
Learning paths allows for users to work at their own pace as they learn and understand how to use Dynamics 365. Most importantly, Learning Paths provides customized help to each user, allowing users to get help to fit their exact needs.
10. Integration
Finally, one of the most valuable new features is a further integration with other Microsoft products and platforms. One example is Dynamics 365’s integration with Microsoft’s Power BI.
Microsoft Crm Features
The blending of CRM and analytics gives departments an incredibly effective tool in customer relationship management. Entire dashboards from Power BI can now be embedded into the databases of Dynamics 365. Users now can perform analytical analysis on data that is being received in real time. Visualizations can be performed within Power BI off of relevant customer data from Dynamics 365.
Microsoft Dynamics Crm Key Features Pdf
Conclusion
An implementation of Dynamics 365 will bring a host of new features and benefits to users. Users currently on Dynamics CRM will experience even greater benefits due to Dynamics 365 close integration with other Microsoft products and platforms.
From integration with other Microsoft platforms, to AI personal assistants, Dynamics 365 gives users an entirely new CRM experience. Included in all this is the security, reliability and functionality of Microsoft’s cloud services.