Do you want your manufacturing organization to take advantage of predictive analytics?

If you answered yes, then get ready to learn about how Microsoft Dynamics 365 can help manufacturers. This article will share the latest in manufacturing processes. We’ll cover the benefits from supply chain management to customer service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Steps Up

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an integrated, data-driven software solution. It helps manufacturers shorten and optimize their sales cycle. In addition, the tools empower a personalized customer service experience and enhance customer loyalty.

This tool strengthens customer relationships with the manufacturer. It also centralizes, optimizes, and streamlines the customer’s experience data. Some of the benefits include:

• Identify critical customers for revenue opportunities
• Control leads campaign from lead generation to capitalization
• Provide personalized engagement based on customer’s journey
• Run simultaneous campaigns using web content, email, and events

Dynamics 365 transforms the customer’s journey into a great buying experience. This documented experience empowers sales, marketing, customer service, and customer insights.

Sales

Microsoft Dynamics 365 connects salespeople to customers through their preferred selling and communication channel. The software’s AI can shorten the sales cycle with suggested best action steps. These steps focus on the highest-priority activity that has the most significant potential to close.

The system also predicts revenue fluctuations. When addressing the funnel, the system highlights the customers needing attention from the salesperson.

Marketing

The software supports the marketing team in finding and nurturing the right leads. The unit can focus on the latest trends and create a connected customer experience. The experience is a personalised journey that strengthens relationships and builds loyalty.

For a holistic experience, marketing, sales, commerce, and services impact the customer journey. Marketing can use AI-driven content recommendations to enhance the experience. Also, the AI provides relevant actions for customer segmentation, channels, and analytics.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 connects with other tools most marketing departments use. The built-in features protect the customer data and provide the information needed for personalisation. The best part is its ability to customise the experience journey.

The marketing team will also enjoy the predictive, design, and delivery aspects of the tool.

Customer Service

Customer service employees will appreciate the connected experience. Before a customer connects to a customer service employee, they’ll have the choice of working with an automated self-service module. This module uses virtual agents and a portal to a deep knowledge base.

For those customers wanting to speak with a live person, the AI productivity tools take the guesswork out of case resolution. The system provides the correct information at the right time. Also, AI insights and analytics improve the customer and agent experience.

Field Services

Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides everything needed to optimise resources that help improve the technicians’ efficiencies. The result includes reduced operational costs. Most of these savings come from the team being more proactive.

The system provides predictive services that can prevent many reactive situations from happening.

Finance

Operational expenses decrease by using the system along with the simplification of financial complexities. These successful results come from AI-driven insights.

The fine-tuning of the financial controls generate reports and embedded analytics to keep the team on task. The automated processes also reduce the time needed for financial reporting.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 can also watch financial performance and budgets. The automated tasks boost productivity to maximise financial performance. Regulatory reporting and financial planning also take advantage of the AI process.

The system uses rule-based charts, a no-code configuration process, and automated tasks to boost productivity. In addition, this solution connects to electronic invoicing and global payments.

Operations

Supply chain management uses predictive operations. As a result, the manufacturing process gets simplified and automated. Also, the system extends the life of the assets.

Managing the process in the cloud helps ensure business continuity.

Commerce

Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides the ability for customers to connect when, how, and where they want on any device. The system creates a consistent engagement across both online and offline channels. You also get a comprehensive view of your customers and partners.

The process uses a unified commerce platform to foster relationships. The solution scales to meet your needs both on the vendor and consumer sales side. The user-friendly applications create a friction-free retail experience.

The infusion of AI plays a role in your ability to scale commerce solutions. This ability drives a strong ROI and supports the optimisation of business practices.

HR

Self-service HR tools provide empowerment for employees to get the information they need when they need it. The data can include:

• Benefits
• Compensation
• Leave and absence
• Certifications
• Training
• Compliance programmes

This process frees up HR professionals to handle complex and urgent issues.

The HR solution is scalable, so it grows as your company grows. The system also connects with partnering systems to centralise the information.

The result is better decision making and happy employees.

Reinvent and Innovate

Microsoft Dynamics 365 brings insight into operations that allow you to cut expenses. This focus inspires positive change in operations to address optimization. It also impacts change with shortened processes and cost-cutting.

This means you can improve on time to market.

The tool also helps with collaboration so teams can improve:

• Speed research and development
• Reduce costing and resources
• Innovate production processes
• React faster to trends and industry developments

Dynamics 365 allows you to reinvent a product. This might come from innovation or the development of a new product based on a shift in the market. The system gives you the agility and needed information to stay in the game

Real-Time Insight

Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides real-time insight. Manufacturing organizations can also capitalize on predictive analytics. Plus, machine learning fuels the communication between CRM and ERP systems.

The manufacturing industry can now provide every employee with customer service answers. In addition, the manufacturing processes can also transform with real-time data during production.

Contact us if you’re ready to learn more about the intelligent platform. Also, check out our other blog posts on similar topics.

The Microsoft Ignite digital event was held between 2 and 4 November 2021. This event was the second to be held this year. Over 100,000 attendees from all over the world were expected to attend the November 2021 Microsoft Ignite event.

Microsoft showed up with many of its heavyweights to present the company’s newest services offerings. Here are a few new services that Microsoft either has already implemented or will implement soon.

Industry-specific cloud services.

The company also announced some industry-specific services. One of these is the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing. Some smart factories can generate 1 petabyte of data each day. This data can be precious if harnessed correctly. Still, most companies use less than 1 percent of their data to generate new services or business models.

The Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing connects the intelligent, integrated cloud, and edge capabilities of the Microsoft stack to essential manufacturing processes. It connects your staff, assets, workflow, and business processes to enable you to build a more robust manufacturing business.

Another industry-specific offering announced by Microsoft is the Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services. The Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services incorporates Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform with unique features designed to support the financial services industry.

According to Microsoft, the Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services “was also designed for even the most complex control frameworks and regulatory requirements facing the industry, with [their] multi-layered security, comprehensive compliance, and trust commitments build-in”.

Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services aims to enhance customer and employee experiences, combat financial crimes, and manage security and compliance.

Microsoft also released the Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit. This tool is built for roles unique to the nonprofit sector like fundraisers, program managers, and volunteer managers. Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit assists role players to better engage with supporters, manage data, and design and deliver programs.

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability assists organizations pursue and achieve their sustainability goals. The tool enables organizations to record, report, and reduce their carbon emissions.

Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare also received new updates that will enhance patient experiences, frontline worker collaboration, and care coordination.

New features for Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Dynamics 365 also received new features to assist businesses and their employees in navigating the new hybrid world. These features revolve around enhancing connectivity and streamlining communication and collaboration.

Collaborative apps for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Office 365, and Teams.

Updates to Dynamics 365 that are currently in preview will allow organizations to “operate as one business, everywhere.” Dynamics 365 and teams promote accessibility to business data. That means relevant information gets to the persons who need it most in order to make informed business decisions.

These new features give sales teams access to experts in your organization. This will allow your sales team to build informed proposals that address your customers’ needs. Sales teams can invite anyone in your company to collaborate with them via a Teams chat or channel. They could also make use of the “chat now” pop-up feature in Dynamics 365 or use the inbound/outbound digital voice feature.

The new collaborative features encourage real-time engagement. Collaborators can see who is working on a project with them. The Dynamics 365 apps also make it easy for individuals to contact those who are collaborating with them. These communication options include calls, chats, and scheduling meetings.

Microsoft Customer Experience Platform.

The Microsoft Customer Experience Platform allows your business to harness your customer data to create more personalized customer journeys. “With a deep understanding of customers and rich, out-of-the-box insights, organizations can now understand and predict intent to deliver the right content on the right channel and I the right moment.”

The Consent-enabled Customer Data Platform (CDP) (currently in preview) permits your chief data officer to use consent data in the consumer platform. This can help your business construct complete customer profiles while protecting their data.

The business-to-business CDP merges customer data from various sources. This includes CRM tools, email, websites, social networks, partner systems, and even point-of-sales.

In addition to this, AI content creation features automatically generate content snippers that can be used as the starting point for customer emails. This simplifies segment creation and enhances targeting to specific audiences.

Microsoft Dynamics Supply Chain Management.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can help you to “predict demand shifts, supply constraints, and equipment downtime by eliminating siloed Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to improve visibility of the production floor”.

More than that, Microsoft has added a priority-based feature (in preview) to the planning optimization engine in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain management. This helps to avoid out-of-stock situations. This feature automatically calculates which high-demand stock needs to be replenished based on outstanding orders, current stock levels, and projected inventory. This automation can streamline a company’s supply chain management processes.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service voice channel.

Customer service solutions revealed during the Microsoft Ignite event include the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service voice channel. According to Microsoft, “this addition to the existing omnichannel capabilities leverages the power of Microsoft Teams to bring traditional Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS), Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), and Customer Engagement Center (CEC) under a single, integrated customer service Software as a Service (SaaS) solution with Dynamics 365 Customer Service”.

The Microsoft Ignite event revealed a smorgasbord of exciting new features that encourage more effective and efficient collaboration and business processes, helping your business get on with its business.