Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM: Functionalities, Benefits & AI CRM Features

In this article, we’ll delve into the multifaceted world of Microsoft Dynamics 365, exploring its broad spectrum of functionalities and the advantages it offers businesses, whether they’re startups or established enterprises. From its overview and features to its practical applications and powerful AI capabilities, we’ll unravel how this platform serves as a unified solution for tracking, analyzing, and optimizing resources and customer interactions. Whether you’re seeking to streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, or leverage data-driven insights, Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers a versatile toolkit to empower your business endeavors.

Outdated Tools: Falling Behind in Today’s Business Landscape

Sales, marketing, and service teams often find themselves bogged down by administrative duties such as updating CRM records, resulting in siloed or outdated customer information. Email management becomes overwhelming, consuming valuable time and stifling creativity. Left unaddressed, these challenges contribute to subpar customer experiences and revenue loss. The solution lies in unleashing the potential of talented teams, empowering them to focus on relationship-building, creativity, and collaborative efforts to drive success. The traditional CRM systems are incapable of addressing the evolving customer needs and lacks personalization.

What Is Microsoft Dynamics 365?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive suite of programs, tools, and software designed to support the growth and sustainability of businesses. Serving as both a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform called as Business Central, it enables organizations to focus on enhancing customer experiences and engagement, while simultaneously facilitating the tracking and planning of resource utilization within the company, all from a single integrated platform.

Technical features of Microsoft DYNAMICS CRM

On-the-Go Productivity with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile App

Unlock the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM on your phones and tablets with our dedicated mobile app. Access CRM data anytime, anywhere, and boost your team’s productivity on the move. Customize the app to fit your unique needs and enjoy seamless offline access for uninterrupted workflow.

Securing Your Data in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, data integrity and privacy are safeguarded through a robust security model comprising:

• Role-Based Security: Group privileges into roles to define user or team tasks.
• Record-Based Security: Limit user and team rights to modify individual records.
• Field-Level Security: Control access to high-impact fields within entities for specific users or teams.
• Form-Based Security: Manage access to forms, providing relevant information based on permissions.

This comprehensive approach ensures data confidentiality, compliance, and effective access control.

Maximize Insights with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting

Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers robust reporting capabilities, leveraging the flexibility and power of the SQL Server portfolio for creating, analyzing, and extracting reports. Here’s how you can utilize these features:

• SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): This platform integrates Business Intelligence dashboards and customer analytics, providing an easy-to-use interface for creating and distributing reports in various formats like PDF, TIFF, and Excel.
• Report Wizard: CRM users can create new SSRS reports using this feature, enabling easy summarization of data and creation of printable charts and tables.
• Advanced Find: This powerful tool allows users to visually query customer data for reporting purposes, enhancing productivity and efficiency.
• Export to Excel: Users can export data from Advanced Find to static or dynamic Excel worksheets or PivotTables, enabling further analysis and visualization.
• Filtered Views: Simplify report setup and execution with high security using this feature, compatible with ODBC tools like Microsoft Query or Excel.
• Mail Merge: Seamlessly merge documents from standard templates using CRM’s Mail Merge option, streamlining communication and documentation processes.

These reporting features empower users to extract valuable insights from CRM data, driving informed decision-making and enhancing overall productivity.

Streamlined Integration

Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers two key integration features:

• Software Development Kit (SDK): Customize and extend the system to meet unique business needs using a comprehensive set of tools and APIs.
• Application Programming Interface (API): Seamlessly connect Microsoft Dynamics CRM with other systems and applications, enabling efficient data exchange and process automation.

Next-generation AI CRM is here.

The era of next-generation AI CRM has arrived, offering advanced capabilities to analyze data and generate new outputs like text, images, or data insights. Developed through years of Microsoft research, these capabilities are now accessible through Dynamics 365 Copilot. With intuitive, natural-language prompts, employees can leverage Copilot features to streamline various tasks, from crafting personalized emails to managing CRM data. This empowers teams to work more efficiently, prioritize high-value activities, and foster deeper connections with customers.

• Empowering sellers with AI
• Accelerating customer insights
• Microsoft Viva Sales

If you are not leveraging AI capabilities within your existing Dynamics 365 applications, you are missing out on gaining visibility into customer behavior with Ai driven pattern & sentiment analysis.

Beyond Key can help you gain AI advantage by integrating AI driven D365 apps on top of your existing Dynamics platform. Our services:

• Custom development
• On-demand integrations
• Resource Augmentation
• Support Contract
• Consultation

AI CRM Module Benefits You Get

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

• Intelligent marketing and advertising tools
• Smart product recommendations
• Streamline processes for shorter Time to Value
• MLbased actions for optimum outcomes

Dynamics 365 Sales Insights

• Accurate sales forecasting
• Prioritize opportunities intelligently
• Build and nurture lasting relationships
• Eliminate bottlenecks and accelerate processes

Dynamics 365 Virtual Agent for Customer Service

• Adaptable chatbots to handle customer requests
• Agent performance indicators
• Custom AI workflows
• Act of customer feedback

Dynamics 365 Customer Service Insights

• AI recommendations for resolving cases
• Act on emerging issues before they multiply
• Case insights and performance monitoring
• Insights into case types and priority

Key Features of Dynamics 365 AI CRM

Real-Time Data Ingestion via Customer Insights API

• Ensures constant real-time updates to customer data.
• Facilitates immediate modifications to customer profiles based on the latest information.

Synchronized Real-Time Profile Unification

• Seamlessly integrates demographic data in real-time.
• Keeps source systems and customer profiles perfectly aligned for accurate insights.

Immediate Customer Activity Updates

• Tracks and updates customer activities as they occur.
• Enables prompt responses and personalized experiences based on real-time interactions.

How to Use Microsoft Dynamics 365: Deployment Methods

Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers three deployment methods to suit various business needs. Choose the deployment method that best aligns with your business requirements and infrastructure capabilities.

1. Cloud Deployment:

• Access Dynamics 365 via the cloud with just an internet connection.
• No need to install anything; load directly from Microsoft Servers and Azure cloud.
• Ideal for on-the-go access or devices with low system configurations.
• Access to cloud-only features.

2. On-Premise Deployment:

• Install software on your device or on your IT partner’s servers.
• Suitable for companies of all sizes with supportive servers.
• Benefits from additional features not available in the cloud-based version.

3. Cloud and Edge (Hybrid) Deployment: Enhancing Offline Capabilities

• Integrated Cloud and Edge Solution: This deployment integrates the entire software on the cloud while crucial data and transactions are installed locally on the user’s system.
• Offline Financial Operations: Users can perform financial operations offline, ensuring business continuity even in environments with limited or unreliable internet connectivity.
• Syncing for Online Accessibility: Transactions and data are automatically synced with the cloud when the system reconnects online, ensuring data integrity and real-time updates.
• Ideal for Retail and Manufacturing: Suited for industries like retail and manufacturing where offline capabilities are essential for smooth operations, enabling seamless workflow management in both online and offline environments.

Key Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI CRM

Unlock the potential of your sales, marketing, and service teams with Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications, driving smarter selling, enhanced customer experiences, and improved productivity through seamless tools.

• Boost Productivity with Seamless Connectivity: Seamlessly share customer information and documents within Microsoft Teams, enabling cross-functional collaboration regardless of location. Accelerate business processes by automating routine tasks and integrating familiar tools like Outlook®, Teams, Excel®, and Word.
• Unified 360-Degree Customer View: Provide a personalized customer experience with unified information across sales, marketing, and service applications. Gain visibility into the entire customer journey, empowering employees to enhance customer experiences at every touchpoint.
• Empower Employees with Guided Processes and AI: Leverage AI-powered insights to generate lead scoring and focus efforts on the most promising customers. Enable proactive decision-making with AI-driven experiences and insights, guiding employees towards successful outcomes.
• Increase Customer Experience: Engage customers across multiple touchpoints with omni-channel engagement and AI capabilities, ensuring seamless interactions and faster response times. Personalize buyer experiences through multi-channel marketing campaigns and align sales and marketing efforts for maximum impact.
• Expandable and Scalable Platform: Dynamics 365 applications offer core capabilities for sales, marketing, and service processes, with additional Insights capabilities and the Power Platform for expansion. Add Insights for actionable insights or use Power BI to build dashboards for key business indicators. Enhance integration capabilities with Power Apps and automate processes using Power Automate, ensuring scalability as your business grows.

Conclusion
The foundational capabilities of next-generation AI, such as creating, summarizing, analyzing, collaborating, and automating, are revolutionizing productivity. Over time, copilot features adapt to employee needs, enabling them to tackle sophisticated tasks and queries effortlessly. Leveraging this powerful technology empowers your team to work smarter and consistently deliver outstanding customer experiences.

At Beyond Key, our Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultants specialize in analyzing your unique business requirements. We offer strategically configured CRM solutions tailored to your specific needs. Our consultants ensure that you achieve faster and superior results with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. By harnessing the rich features and functionalities of Microsoft CRM, we help you enhance profitability and provide greater value to your customers.