The benefits of combining Microsoft 365 with Dynamics 365
Back in 2016, Microsoft proudly announced that there were 1.2 billion Office 365 users worldwide1. Since then, Office 365 has been rebranded as Microsoft 365, and the number has likely increased, but to put that into perspective, that’s almost a 1/6th of the world’s population using Microsoft products in some way.
Why is this important? Well, in today’s world – be it business or personal – convenience is key. In an increasingly digital workplace, companies may have numerous disparate systems from different providers. They might use Google Workplace for their office suite, AWS for their server hosting, and Salesforce as their CRM.
The problem with these different systems is no matter how many APIs and integrations are built, they are ultimately designed by different companies with different visions and share different infrastructure. Daniel Newman made this point in his opinion piece that Microsoft will overtake Salesforce within three years.
Enter Microsoft. As you can see from the table below, Microsoft’s cloud is more comprehensive than Google, Amazon, or Salesforce. By offering a complete digital solution, Microsoft appeals to a consumer looking for consistency and compatibility across their digital landscape.
Let’s look at how this common ownership benefits the user:
Outlook and Dynamics 365
Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 integration with Outlook allows users to track conversations and threads to relevant entities in Dynamics. Whether it’s a conversation with a new prospect, an ongoing support case, or internal conversations about a client, they can all be automatically tracked against an entity to allow for increased visibility.
Not only that, but you can create Dynamics records from within Outlook, reducing interruptions and disturbances.
You can also create new activities in Dynamics from Outlook, such as scheduling a phone call with a contact or adding a task to be completed.
SharePoint and Dynamics 365
Document management is an essential part of running any business, yet access to digital content can still take a frustratingly long time. Dynamics offers a complete integration with SharePoint thanks to both using the Microsoft Dataverse. All SharePoint data and files are fully searchable within Dynamics, and documents can be associated with entities.
OneNote and Dynamics 365
Like SharePoint, OneNote can be associated with entities in Dynamics 365 to allow for effortless collaboration within a business. This integration reduces the need for offline, personal notes, improving communication and knowledge sharing throughout a team. It can also allow for easier handovers between staff members.
Teams and Dynamics 365
I think I’ve saved the best until last! Demand for Teams surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and most companies are set to continue benefitting from its collaborative features. Microsoft recently announced during their 2021 Release Wave 1 that they would be introduced more features for Business Voice and Teams and Dynamics 365. These include making Teams calls within Dynamics 3655 (currently in Preview), alongside enhancements to the Dynamics 365 connector for Teams. It won’t be long before businesses can utilise one provider for their office suite, CRM and telephony, thus increasing efficiency and reducing billing complications.
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, or how the two can work together to help your business succeed, why not contact Infinity Group today?
