How will AI affect Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE

It has only been a few months since Microsoft introduced its first Copilots. In this article, we explore the Copilots currently available in Dynamics 365 CE.

04/12/2024

It has only been a few months since Microsoft introduced its first Copilots. Since then, they have gradually released several Copilots for various sub-processes. In this article, we explore the Copilots currently available in Dynamics 365 CE, Microsoft's relationship management solution, which consists of several apps. Depending on the nature of your business, productivity can increase by up to 25%

In the past, we have witnessed significant automation in ERP systems, where tasks such as buying, selling, and tracking goods have been partially or fully automated. With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to revolutionize communication, we are now witnessing a substantial impact on CRM even though AI was already present, albeit in a less clear way.

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the business world. It involves understanding customer needs, promptly responding to queries, and personalizing every interaction to nurture stronger relationships.

Sybren Mooij

Business Director CE, 9altitudes Netherlands

AI, with its capabilities in natural language processing, predictive analytics, and machine learning, can comprehend, interpret, and even predict human behavior. This makes it a powerful technology for enhancing communication, making it more efficient, personalized, and insightful.

This perspective is especially relevant considering the current trend, where companies are expected to do more than just excel in one discipline of the Value Disciplines model by Tracey and Wiersema. Today, businesses are required to maintain an increasingly high threshold standard in Operational Excellence, Product Leadership, and Customer Intimacy. Fortunately, with the aid of AI, your business can readily elevate its performance in these areas, particularly in Customer Intimacy. And it will no longer be a rather expensive strategy.

Tracey & Wiersema: Customer intimacy, operational excellence, product leadership.

Now, let’s dive into Microsoft’s Copilot where specific scenarios are developed based on the user and the particular job that needs to be performed.

Copilot in Customer Insights – Journeys

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys, (formerly known as Dynamics 365 Marketing) Copilot offers a feature called query assist, which allows marketers to effortlessly target the right audience by describing the segment in their own words. An interesting one could be: “Draft a list of people most likely to attend”. With a quick review and modification of the suggested list, marketers can easily send out their next email campaign.

Copilot's natural language processing and generation capabilities also assist the user in generating the content of that email. By analyzing existing content, Copilot ensures the highest level of relevancy.

Another feature very relevant to both the marketing and sales departments is lead scoring. Copilot enables to qualify and route leads to sales when buying is likely in a smart way.

Copilot in Sales

The Sales Copilot empowers sellers using Dynamics 365 Sales by providing them with more time to focus on customers.

It automatically generates email responses and creates summaries of Teams meetings.
Before heading to a meeting, you’re able to ask Copilot for a summary of that account.
Following a call with a prospect who mentioned that the chances are big that they’ll sign the deal next week, Copilot will automatically generate a task to contact the prospect again next week and will also raise the opportunity win rate to 80%.

Copilot in Customer Service

The Dynamics 365 Customer Service Copilot leverages generative AI to eliminate the need for agents to read lengthy case details, notes, and email threads. Copilot will understand an incoming customer question and will formulate an answer based on several information resources.

This enables agents to provide exceptional customer service quickly. Similar to other Business Apps' Copilot functions, agents can also ask free-form questions as they would to a colleague or supervisor who might have the answer.

The potential productivity gain further increases when combining human agents with a chat bot. It’s a feature that was already available for a few years but now became even more powerful with the launch of Copilot Studio bot.

Copilot in Field Service

Optimized field service intervention

Before the introduction of Copilot, a field technician had access to templates that detailed the necessary materials and time required for effective field service intervention. Now, Copilot enhances this process by evaluating if these templates align with real-world conditions, and suggests modifications as needed.

Efficient resource allocation and scheduling

In addition to optimizing resource allocation, Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service also aids a dispatcher in refining your scheduling processes and boosting operational efficiencies. Copilot can even recommend the most appropriate technician based on existing data. For instance, it might select a technician with the most experience dealing with a specific issue, which is a more strategic approach than simply choosing an available or nearby technician.

At 9altitudes, we’ve launched this Copilot in preview with our customer Joulz. You can read more about the case here.

Copilot in Project Operations

This Copilot allows a project manager to create AI-driven project plans and to generate informative status reports effortlessly. Moreover, it meets one of the main challenges of a project manager: assessing risks and managing issues. This is a significant time-consuming tasks for project managers, especially when handling multiple projects. Balancing these responsibilities with other critical tasks can be a substantial challenge. Generative AI can automate this process by identifying risks that need mitigation and suggesting appropriate plans. This not only saves time but also alleviates some of the project manager's burdens.

You see, the AI-powered version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE transforms the very essence of customer relationship management. By harnessing AI's advanced communication capabilities, businesses can elevate their CRM to unprecedented heights, cultivating stronger and more meaningful relationships with their customers. Keep in mind that prompting the right questions has now become more critical than providing the right answers.

If you want to know what Copilots are available, you can check Microsoft’s release plan. It’s constantly evolving and being updated. Or, reach out to us for a broader perspective.

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