Dynamics CRM: platform review

Are you thinking about implementing Dynamics CRM in your business?

Check out the Dynamics CRM FAQ to learn more about this leading customer service software.

What is Dynamics CRM?

Dynamics 365 CRM is a comprehensive customer relationship management solution. Dynamics CRM stores all interactions in a common SQL CRM database for your entire business and manages sales, marketing, customer service and customer support, all with full integration with Outlook and Microsoft 365.

One of the main advantages of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is that it easily integrates with other modules of the Dynamics 365 suite, such as Dynamics 365 Sales, Dynamics 365 Marketing, Dynamics 365 Customer service, Finance and Operations and Dynamics 365 Field Service.

As your business develops and grows, you can upgrade your Dynamics 365 CRM software or add various modules from the Dynamics 365 range to get a complete and flexible CRM and business management solution.

At its most basic level, it is a database that helps companies organize and manage their customer data. Using software, you can record the path of interactions with each client. This allows businesses to build a complete picture of the relationship with their customers so that the customer journey can be personalized.

Dynamics 365: who uses it?

Collected customer data is a valuable asset for any company. It’s no wonder that the organization’s management is trying to extract maximum benefit from such information for further development and increasing sales levels.

Most companies using Dynamics 365 are small and medium-sized businesses that sell products or services, although recent product developments and the appeal of Microsoft's Azure cloud service are attracting more and more large companies.

In addition to its many advanced features, many customers are attracted to Dynamics 365 due to its easy integration with other widely used Microsoft business products such as Outlook, Power BI and Office. In addition, Dynamics 365 includes a range of other business management products such as ERP and marketing applications, making it a preferred option for companies that want to completely overhaul processes or create a single digital platform for all operations.

The intuitive interface is also a benefit for many businesses and can help increase popularity among users due to its similarity to other Microsoft products.

Applications Dynamics CRM/Dynamics 365

The main modules (or applications) for CRM include Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, as well as Field Service and Project Service applications, which are designed to automate specific processes and tasks.

Basic CRM applications:

• Dynamics 365 Salesmanages all stages of the sales process
• Dynamics 365 Marketing— managing marketing campaigns and creating reports on them.
• Dynamics 365 Customer Service- knowledge base, help desk, service contracts, email management and creation of automatic responses to customers.

Specialized CRM applications:

• Dynamics 365 Customer Insights -transforms data into useful information, draws general conclusions, predicts key trends, and allows for a better understanding of client needs using analytics.
• Dynamics 365 Customer Voice -quickly collects and analyzes feedback from your customers collected on different platforms.
• Dynamics 365 Field Service- Helps effectively manage field service teams.
• Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation— allows you to manage projects from start to finish, while seeing all the interactions associated with this project.

What does Dynamics 365 for Sales offer?

Dynamics 365 for Sales allows users to manage sales processes from lead generation to account management and reporting. The app brings all of an organization's leads into one database, automating repetitive steps so salespeople can focus on more complex tasks.

The system can automatically score, qualify and assign leads, and provides real-time analysis at every stage of the process to help users focus their efforts on the most profitable areas. All sales and marketing activities are recorded in one place, so sellers have complete information about previous contacts with the client, making it easier to provide quality service. It also offers a wide range of opportunities to send automatic reminders to customers, accompanying every step of the purchasing process. 

One of the features that sets Dynamics 365 apart from other leading CRMs is its built-in LinkedIn integration. For merchants using Dynamics 365, this gives them access to information about the site's 500 million visitors and their connections.

Users also noted the convenient integration of Microsoft Dynamics with other products such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Azure Machine Learning and Power BI.

What offers Dynamics 365 for Customer Service?

Dynamics 365 for Customer Service helps companies better solve customer problems and quickly find answers to questions using features such as chatbots and self-service portals.

The main goal of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service is to help users provide personalized customer service at any time and across any communication channel. Offering a combination of assisted service management and self-service capabilities such as customer portals, Customer Service gives sales managers the tools and resources they need to improve their customer experience, no matter what channel they're on.

With a centralized interface, Customer Service allows you to create cases, record all customer interactions, and resolve queries through the customer's preferred channel. Shared knowledge bases in the application mean that managers are always aware of the history of customer requests.

 What offers Dynamics 365 for Field Service?

Dynamics 365 for Field Service allows users to manage field work, scheduling and resource assignments for workers who work outside the office.

The app also provides central access to information such as manuals, documentation, and training materials.

Field work orders can be created from customer service tickets, customer portals or email, and resources and equipment can be managed and reordered in real time. The app also helps users keep track of preventative maintenance by automatically creating recurring jobs.

The app provides field workers with a channel through which they can access all the information they need while on the job, and allows them to communicate and collaborate with both their customer service colleagues and the customers themselves.

Like all apps in the Dynamics 365 family, Field Service is very mobile-friendly, with mobile and tablet apps available on Android, iOS and Windows devices.

What offers Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation?

Project Service Automation is an application designed to help project organizations get work done on time and on budget with a range of tools for planning, resourcing and executing work.

The app covers the entire project lifecycle, offering features to optimize opportunity management, project scheduling, resource, time and expense management, team collaboration, billing and client collections, and includes detailed analytics dashboards to help companies further improve their processes.

Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation, based on Microsoft software, ties together all aspects of project delivery.

Its contract writing feature helps generate accurate quotes based on available information such as project plans, financial estimates and employee hourly rates, and takes into account factors such as cost-effectiveness and feasibility.

Project Service Automation also comes with the Project Resource Hub app, which allows field workers to access all the information they need and gives them a channel to collaborate effectively with colleagues on any device.

Embedded analytics automates key processes such as assigning tasks based on skills, availability, and predictive metrics. The results and financial impacts of all projects, such as costs, unbilled revenue, and invoices, are fed back into the application analytics and fed into the enterprise's financial systems and ERP software.

Business benefits

Dynamics 365 integrates all sales and customer data into one system, offering users a single source of truth. It gives users a complete picture of the customer journey, helping them track every customer touch with a brand, generate and qualify leads.

By personalizing brand-customer communications, Dynamics 365 can help improve customer satisfaction at all stages of the sales funnel and increase brand loyalty in the long term. By automating certain aspects of the sales and marketing process, businesses can operate more efficiently, reach more customers, and save time and money.

Mobile capabilities and apps like Field Service make it easier to provide quality customer service.

The app's in-depth analytics and reporting capabilities also help organizations get more from their business data, respond faster to changes, and make more informed decisions that will help their business grow. 

Still have questions?

If you are planning to implement Dynamics CRM into your IT infrastructure, just contact us for a free consultation. We at Fanetech help businesses in Kazakhstan benefit 100% from investing in Microsoft technologies.