Dynamics 365 to Fuel Productivity

Due to launch in the UK next year, Dynamics 365 will combine Dynamics CRM, ERP and Office 365 allowing seamless transition between systems and processes. This will break down the silos of data that exist within organisations, boosting teamwork and productivity. Here we look at how you can benefit from this future innovation

According to Microsoft, 40 per cent of a worker’s productive time is lost when switching tasks, costing global economy $450B per year. To prevent this loss, Dynamics 365 will bring together the best of CRM and ERP into one cloud service, offering applications that fit roles and industries, including Finance, Sales, Customer Service, Field Service and more. This will bring considerable savings on integration, streamlining business processes to ensure interoperability across all the departments.

Here is what you can expect from Dynamics 365

Unified system to manage all business processes

Dynamics 365 will utilise a common data model (CDM), a secure business database with built-in integration across business entities such as Sales, Marketing and Customer Service and other applications, including Office 365 and Power BI. This will reduce the number of systems, applications and screens a user has to navigate between, providing a unified view of business data, removing data silos and improving operational efficiency.

Extensible business application platform

With a common data model, it will be possible to integrate third-party software and services, including custom application programming interfaces (APIs) and on-premise systems. This will be achieved with the new Microsoft PowerApps allowing you to connect to the business applications you already use or build new ones without writing code. For example, you could automatically route new leads from your website, Twitter or MailChimp directly into your Dynamics 365 and organise it into actionable insights.

Built-in intelligence

Power BI and Cortana Intelligence will become a central part of the new platform, providing “predictive insights, prescriptive advice and actionable next steps” to enable cross-sell recommendations. This will be extremely beneficial for sales, marketing and customer service representatives, allowing them to predict which products and services a customer will need.
With intelligent asset monitoring and anomaly detection, Dynamics 365 for Field Service will allow field service representatives to take action before failures occur, avoiding costly customer service issues.

Seamless collaboration

Deep integration between Dynamics 365 and Office 365 will automate workflows between applications to drive collaboration and productivity. For example, if you receive an email requesting a quote, you could respond directly from Outlook with data drawn from both Finance and Sales applications – all without leaving your inbox.

Choice, Flexibility and Simplicity

Dynamics 365 will put an end to often costly customisations, introducing a range of business applications, users can easily subscribe to. Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft, comments. “You’re going to have a very different business model where you can, in fact, have the business applications needed for a particular role, so you get away from suites to plans by role.” This means you can start small, for example with just accounting, and build the solution over time by adding various other modules to the system.

According to Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft, Dynamics 365 will “break down barriers between productivity, collaboration and business processes” equipping businesses with built-in insights, predictive intelligence and workflow optimisation to increase efficiency and boost revenue. The solution will deliver a distinct competitive advantage allowing you to create a bespoke solution that meets your needs, both now and in the future.

Keep an eye on our blog for more news about Dynamics 365.