Teams integration with Dynamics 365

In this blog article I want to talk about the announcement made during Ignite 2021. It was announced that there is a deep integration between Microsoft Teams and Dynamics 365.

But before I step into this topic, I want to talk a little bit further about digital transformation.
Digital transformation does not mean anything in regard to technology. Furthermore, it is indicated to change your business approaches. Transform and innovate your business and that should be empowered throughout the entire technology using Microsoft Cloud Services.
Even here we have the question, what does this mean? Transforming your business?
Well, in the past the IT departments told the businesses what is possible or not. This is going to change entirely. From now on ideas, innovations are only made at the business level, across departments of the entire company. The strategy of the company now transforms everything IT is doing. The IT department becomes the service Department for the entire company the first time ever happened. Since IT exists.

Empower all those changes in the businesses. That is the key essence which we've learned. Again to be said, start your innovation. Have fancy ideas and go along with those ideas and ask IT to make them happen.

 

What announcements Were made during the Microsoft Ignite 2021?

Simply expressed, Microsoft Teams is now the central application. It is the application in where you mainly work the entire time during your business days. And I personally think that's great. Switching between applications always distract you from work and makes It's a little difficult.
The dynamic 365 integration into teams. On several stages. First, the marketing module of 365, as well as the CRM, the customer experience integration. Furthermore, there is an integration of lists, SharePoint and OneDrive.
Another announcement made earlier to Ignite 21 was the integration of ASAP CRM. The customer experience module into teams too. This will be part of the entire CRM integration into teams were explained that further.

Let me dig into it with you together now.

 

Starting with the marketing module.

In marketing, customer experience is also the knowledge about customers, especially about the customer journey and this is important. During the COVID crisis, we needed to engage on a digital level with our customers. This is not anything new, but it's the main focus because physical or personal contacts are limited. This requires a completely new insight of the customer journey. A main part of it are Webcasts.

The integration allows us to have a great overview of how our participants interacted in our web costs. Further, the entire journey from the invite social media activities and surveys are important to be centralized within one application. And you want to do this from within teams. From within teams does not only mean that you just engage within setup of a webcast meeting within Dynamics 365. Further, it is also the same approach if you use teams itself.
The illustrations below show you how an entire customer journey and information can look like. If you have the integration setup. I think that speaks for itself. How easy it is for marketing and salespeople at the same time to have a great insight and follow up with the customer accordingly.

It's important to say: Pictures say 1000 things more than just words. Therefore, I want to illustrate with you the entire journey, especially to webcasts and other CRM integrations with Dynamics 365 and SAP.

Setting up a web cast can be done within Dynamics 365 or in Teams. The next picture shows you how Dynamics 365 is integrated when you open it as a tap within Microsoft Teams. You have several options how to set up a webcast meeting.

This is similar if you are choosing a meeting from the meeting option within Microsoft Teams. Besides the regular meeting and life events you have now, the option for a webcast event.

Just as a side reminder if you set up a webcast. Please always share valued information to a customer, not only product presentations. If you have valued information, the customer journey will be easier to track and customers buying cycle can be easier pushed forward.

Especially if you have a greater number of participants within a webcast, it is important to see how the engagement of the joint customer has been. This determines what the next actions are with each individual participant.

 The insight is important. Not only from social media but also from other communication paths. If it is at the end getting feedback from your customer who participated in your webcast, or if it's in regards to other events which might be from interest to the participated who joint.  

 Setting up the customer journey as a flow based and automated Process is somehow important. It is easy within dynamics 365 setting up those workflows. Since you can do it now from within teams, also your work becomes easier and more straightforward. I strongly believe that this will be helpful not only for the marketing Department but especially to the sales representatives which now have further possibilities to engage with customers and close deals easier.

D365 CRM

Running Dynamics 365 within Teams makes the access to CRM not only easier, but it also just gives you within the same application the possibility to interact with your customers and the related sales opportunities. If that is a chat, or even if it's a phone call or any tasks or other related work towards an opportunity you have created, it makes this for you in a very simple way happen.

 If you wish other colleagues or sales specialists having a chat in regard to the opportunity, you will see who is engaged with this opportunity and makes it very fast and easy talking or chatting to this person and share the opportunity.

Having a look how easy it is to just engage via a phone call with your customer. If you open the opportunity, there is a direct contact attached and this direct contact attachment has an opportunity with the Click to Call action. Simply call your customer and talk to him about whatever is necessary. But imagine if you have this call, sometimes there are a lot of information you discuss with the customer and is always the question to be asked: how you can gather all those information and put them back into your opportunity.

 During the customer call, the transcription is saved and stored, which then later, with an AI based algorithm or data model it summarizes you the important topics. Suggestions are given about important information. If you can personally refer to those words said, the gathered data makes your sales cycle easier.

The identified data are highlighted as important wording or phrases. Furthermore, the AI also creates tasks for your customer engagement, for example, you should send me a proposal by date xyz. Having those tasks automatically created helping you doing a more detailed work and maybe you'd never forget the deadline with a customer.  

The next three screenshots show you the interaction with a workmate for preparation of a sales kickoff.  Sharing the opportunity, creating a task or other follow ups.

 

CRM SAP (Customer Experience)

Division of Microsoft is having teams in the center of your work. If you are not using other Microsoft technologies, it is important to that third party applications or other common application used in a company can be integrated within Microsoft Teams. The first company ever did this is SAP. That's why I'm moving forward to cloud services ASAP. Also, use the cloud services natively integrated into Microsoft Teams for the customer experience module.  It is pretty similar to Dynamics 365.  

Helping yourself with daily work tasks is easier with the SAP integration. Regardless, if it's a Microsoft Teams call a phone call, other action items, like setting up meetings or creating tasks which needs to be fulfilled with your customer. Possess AP is the same as with Microsoft. You use a single application to just write emails or calls or tasks working from within a single application makes you work more efficient and easier to engage.

SAP also integrates with common social Media platforms like LinkedIn, the central approach within teams is what counts. 

Teams and Lists/ Tasks

Another Microsoft Teams integration should be in general availability soon. Creating tasks and lists across an organization can be always a hassle. But now with Microsoft Teams and lists, it is easier than ever. It's not only about creating a task, but is also keeping an overview about how the progress of tasks are.

Organizational structures Are organized in Dynamics 365. Creating task across an organization need tool, gather that information from Dynamics 365. Assigning a task must be then handled easy and quick within Microsoft Teams.

 

SUMMARY

 How do I summarize it myself? Simply said, you must have Microsoft Cloud and integrate the digital workplace, especially Teams with Dynamics 365/ SAP. This makes your life so much easier and your innovation in business will be strive towards the future in a way you have not imagined before.