Dynamics 365 – Is there substance to the hype?

There’s been a lot of buzz around Dynamics 365. At their recent world conference, it was Microsoft’s big announcement. And it marks their latest move towards cloud-only computing. Is it just good marketing? Or is it something substantial? Let’s look at this in detail.

Use of the ‘365’ Brand

For those not familiar with Dynamics, Dynamics is currently the overarching name that Microsoft use to refer to their various ERP products (AX, Nav, GP, SL etc) but also includes their CRM suite. We heard a rumour that CRM was going to be separated from the Dynamics brand, but it looks like something much bigger is on the cards. If Dynamics 365 is as good a product as Office 365 then we are in for something truly great.

[1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/21/microsoft_windows_azure_uptake_claim/

A true single source of truth – company-wide.

In a world where Microsoft CRM and Dynamics AX/NAV/GP… etc competes against some big players, offering a common data sync with Office 365 is something that should get everyone else very nervous. Which company doesn’t use at least one of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook? Not many.

At The CRM Team, we already relish being able to say to companies how easily CRM Online links up with their O365 but sharing a common data model is a whole new level of love. Built on Microsoft’s ever developing Azure network, it means easy access to powerful machine learning, and the exciting new development of the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) – think automated monitoring and servicing of devices or machinery.

The end to software bundling.

Do you remember the era of having to buy whole music albums to get the one song you wanted? It sucked. But then iTunes came along, and people could buy just single songs. It was great. That’s what’s happening with Dynamics 365.

Instead of buying CRM you can just purchase their sales module, or just the marketing one – you can mix and match according to your needs. Have a contact centre? Then purchase that module for your contact centre staff. Have a field service team, or project team, then buy those modules. ERP comes in a module called ‘operations’ and a new module is introduced called financials. Simply buy licenses for the modules you want.

Additionally, Microsoft have also introduced different licenses for different types of staff. Some admin staff may just need to have limited access to data in modules but not need the full functionality of each module – they get a cheaper licences, under what’s called a ‘team view’. They can see the data, and do simple tasks but are restricted to certain functionality. Staff who need the functionality can get an app licence. For example, the marketing team can get a licence for just the marketing app. Staff who need greater access across many apps can get tailored plans. We think our customers will love this new flexible way of licensing.

The Evolution of XRM

Another big announcement is Microsoft’s app store, ‘AppSource’. Built on the success of Google’s Play and Apple’s App Store, AppSource is a place for Microsoft Partners and Developers to offer useful add-ons, simply and quickly. Customers can still commission custom adaptions and add-ons (XRM to the initiated) but now there is an option to see if somebody has already developed what you need. This is a great development for partners and customers alike. AppSource is live now so you can check what’s already available.

Dynamics 365 is a bold, exciting move. Something we believe will not only live up to all the hype – but be even better.

Dynamics 365 is here

And it’s arrived just in time.

‘We now live in a digitally transformed world.’

Customers are becoming more demanding. In the 70s/80s, great product was the differentiator. But in the 90s, as processes improved, services became more important. Today we expect great experience. If the experience is not slick and quick – we’ll move on.

When we book taxis, we don’t put up with being misheard anymore. Instead, we bypass call centres and order via an app. “Approximate” arrival times are no good. Instead, we want to track the taxi’s every movement until it gets to us. Wasting time waiting in the rain doesn’t cut it anymore… No wonder the taxi industry has been disrupted across the world.

Coming to an industry near you

This disruption is not just localised to certain industries. In the last 15 years, 52% of Fortune 500 companies have disappeared. Just last year, more than half of the Fortune 500 lost money. And to top that, company life expectancy is getting shorter.

Average Company Life Expectancy

• 1959 = 58 years
• 2015 = 15 years
• 2020 (predicted) = 12 years.

Ray Wang, Founder and Principal Analyst of Constellation Research Inc. put it this way:

“There’s no time to wait… We’re talking about a 3x to 4x compression in terms of age of a company since the 50s and 60s. So, if you’re not making the shift—if you’re not even moving in that direction—you’re probably going to be merged, be acquired, or go bankrupt.”

For the companies that adapt, there is huge opportunity for growth. Look at what Rolls-Royce has done:

Rolls Royce

Thriving in the new digital economy

If you are able to provide the experience customers are demanding, you’ll thrive in this new economy.

Enter Dynamics 365

Built for you

Because of the urgency, Dynamics 365 is designed to get you started really quickly. Choose the area of the business you need to improve and purchase that app. For example, if you just need the sales app. you just buy that.

But Dynamics 365’s power comes when you join a number of apps together – implementing business processes across traditional silos.

Track Prospect to Cash

Because its built on the same data model as Office 365, you can do much of the process without leaving Outlook. Take a look at how incredible it is!

Increase Your Productivity

Transform customer engagements by giving your workforce accurate customer data, wherever they are. Dynamics 365 apps are available on iOS, Android, Windows, and the Web. You can work on or offline and everything will be synced in a way that avoids duplicates.

Access Built-In Intelligence

Use digital intelligence to reimagine what’s possible for your business. The data in the world is growing at a phenomenal rate, but it only is useful is you can make sense of it. Dynamics 365 comes with data vizualisation and Business Intelligence features in every app. You can quickly analyse your data stored in across Office 365 and Dynamics 365 and get intelligent insight, customised to you.

Also embedded into Dynamics 365 is the Cortana Intelligence Suite, so you can make use of the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve your business processes.

For example, McDonalds are using its natural language function to capture orders at their drive-thrus. The system learns as it goes, so it gets better and better, saving staff and customers time.

Adapt to Your Business

As well integrating with existing systems, you can tailor Dynamics 365 with any number of pre-built add-ons in AppSource. So instead of extra functionality built you can check if somebody has already done it and quickly add it on to your solution.

So why not make sure your company adapts quickly in these changing times?

Adopt Dynamics 365. It might be the best decision you ever make.

PS. Do you know what solution Rolls-Royce chose to monitor their 13,000 engines? – I think you can guess.

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