Delivering amazing customer experiences and rapid issue resolution across multiple engagement channels is immensely challenging. Without advanced AI and automation—across voice and digital channels—customer journeys meet friction and service reps struggle to work efficiently, leading to spiraling costs and dwindling customer loyalty. 

However, when customers and service reps are supported with AI-powered automation and contextual guidance, the experience is smoother for everyone, whether it’s in self-service or assisted service. 

2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center 

Microsoft has been recognized as a Leader.

As we enter this new era of AI-fueled customer service, we’re proud to announce that Microsoft has been named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant* for CRM Customer Engagement Center.

We believe this placement recognizes our comprehensive AI-powered omnichannel capabilities, our continued commitment to rapid AI innovation, and the successes our global customers are achieving with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service.  

Gartner defines CRM customer engagement center (CRM CEC) as a cohesive set of software built around core case management tools used to provide customer service and support by engaging with customers, while intelligently orchestrating the processes, data, systems, and resources of an organization. CRM CEC applications also offer workflow management capabilities and may be used as a system of record for customer interactions. 

AI fuels customer service excellence 

Customer service leaders understand that resolving customer issues is not the sole measure of success. Long-term customer loyalty depends on the ability to deliver fast, personalized experiences in every engagement channel. That’s why it’s so important that Customer Service provides comprehensive, AI-enhanced capabilities across omnichannel customer journeys and throughout service processes—on a global scale.  

By delivering intelligent self-service and giving service reps the tools and insights to boost productivity, fuel collaboration, and strengthen customer relationships, we help service organizations transform operations and increase customer satisfaction. What’s more, with Microsoft Copilot in Customer Service, organizations can now take their service capabilities to new heights. 

Since Microsoft introduced Copilot into the applications millions of people use every day, its generative AI capabilities have empowered people to achieve more—and that’s especially true in customer service. 

Copilot is one of the capabilities that sets Customer Service apart. It provides an AI assistant to help service reps onboard faster, accelerate resolutions for even the most complex cases, and free up time to build stronger customer relationships. 

Service reps worldwide now rely on Copilot to handle routine tasks—such as accessing knowledge, summarizing, and drafting personalized emails—releasing them to focus on delivering high-value engagements that build customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Lenovo increases service rep productivity by 15% and reduces average handle time by 20% 

One organization that is seeing the benefits of Copilot in its customer service operations is the global technology company Lenovo. The company’s Premier Support services give customers access to thousands of advanced technicians to resolve issues and minimize downtime.  

To keep pace with growing demand, Lenovo needed automated, AI-based solutions that could streamline operations, automate repetitive tasks, and boost customer satisfaction. The company uses Customer Service and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center to enhance the support experience for customers and service reps. 

When a customer reaches out for support, they interact with Copilot in an AI chat assistant to explain their issue in natural language. Copilot then offers service reps suggestions for optimal solutions, based on millions of historical customer interactions, so reps spend less time finding information and can focus on resolving the issue. Copilot also completes post-call summarization, saving reps even more time. 

The results are a 15% improvement in service rep productivity, a 20% reduction in average handling time, and record-high customer satisfaction. 

“Our Premier Support service reps are seeing a boost to their productivity and seamless service delivery…average handling time has fallen by 20% and agent productivity is up 15%.” 

Chen Lu, Director, Services IT Delivery, Lenovo 

Apollo helps customers have smoother journeys 

It’s a similar story at Apollo, a major tour operator in the Nordic region, which is using Copilot to help enhance the customer experience for more than one million travelers a year.  

The company has built a chatbot in Microsoft Copilot Studio that it expects to respond to up to half of its customer inquiries, providing tailored answers in seconds in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, and Dutch. When cases need to be escalated to a human service rep, Copilot can assist by surfacing relevant information at the right time and completing routine administrative tasks such as call summarization. 

“It is always our goal to provide our customers with the journey of a lifetime. Thanks to [Microsoft] Dynamics 365, we can offer each customer personalized experiences with the details that matter most—and we can do it quickly, which is a win for our customers and our business.” 

Glenn Bisgaard, Sales Director, Apollo 

Copilot and Agents: The next evolution of AI-fueled customer service 

Building on the capabilities of Copilot, we’re now introducing AI agents in Copilot, as well as empowering organizations and individuals to create their own agents in Copilot Studio. These agents help transform operations by executing business processes, working alongside or on behalf of a person, team, or organization. 

Copilot agents range from simple information retrieval and summarization agents to fully autonomous agents capable of working independently, planning, and orchestrating other agents. 

Over the next few months, we’ll be releasing several autonomous agents specifically for enhancing customer service: 

• The Customer Intent Agent continuously discovers new intents from customer conversations and keeps self-service tools and service reps updated with new customer issues and how to resolve them. 
• The Customer Knowledge Management Agent uncovers insights from human-assisted case notes, transcripts, summaries, and more to update existing knowledge articles or draft new ones, keeping self-service tools evergreen and empowering service reps with up-to-date knowledge and guidance. 
• The Case Management Agent reduces reps’ administrative burden and shortens handle times by automating key tasks, including case creation, updates, wrap-up, summary, follow-up communications, and closure. 

We’re thrilled to be recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, and we’re equally excited about what the future holds as we continue to advance the capabilities of Customer Service. But most importantly, we look forward to seeing the results as we work alongside our pioneering customers to help them deliver even more efficient and effective customer service. 

Next steps 

Read the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center report. 

Learn more about: 

• Customer Service 
• Microsoft 365 Copilot for Service 

¹Gartner, Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Center, ,                             

*Gartner is a registered trademark and service mark and Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.   

**This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Microsoft.   

The post Microsoft is named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CRM Customer Engagement Center  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Imagine a large retailer with a contact center that supports customers who speak multiple languages. Previously, they needed separate bots for each language, making things complicated and slowing down deployments. Now, with multilingual voice agents, the retailer can handle all customer calls using one phone number, easily switching languages mid-call based on customer input.

That is why we are excited to announce support for multilingual voice agents authored with Copilot Studio for the Dynamics 365 Contact Center voice channel. This new feature expands Copilot Studio’s capabilities from messaging to voice interactions, enabling businesses to handle calls in multiple languages using a single bot. 

Simplified multilingual support

Voice agents are IVR bots that leverage the capabilities of Copilot Studio. With multilingual voice agents, contact centers no longer need separate bots for each language. A single voice agent can support multiple languages, leverage unified business logic and integrations, and be deployed across all languages with just one click. This can help organizations to: 

• Lower TCO: Managing one bot reduces maintenance complexity because updates are centralized rather than spread across several language-specific bots. 
• Accelerate deployment: Updates and new features are deployed to all languages simultaneously, accelerating the overall rollout process. 
• Improve CSAT: Customers can switch languages mid-call without needing to dial different phone numbers, offering a more personalized and seamless experience. 

Key scenarios

The multilingual voice agents support two key scenarios for managing voice interactions in different languages. 

Mid-call language switch

In multilingual regions, a single phone number serves all customers. The voice agent can switch languages mid-conversation based on user input, such as selecting a language from a menu. Designers must localize content for each supported language and manage the logic-switching within Copilot Studio. 

Language based on dialed number 

Alternatively, to start the conversation in the language based on the dialed number, the contact center admin can assign dedicated phone numbers for each language, leveraging a single voice agent. When a customer calls, the voice agent initiates the conversation in the correct language, delivering a seamless experience as long as the bot supports the voice channel’s primary language. 

Escalation to a service representative

When the voice agent can’t resolve a customer’s query, or when the customer requests human assistance, administrators can configure routing rules to escalate the call to a customer service representative queue matching the conversation’s language. This feature ensures the service representative continues the conversation seamlessly in the customer’s preferred language, improving the overall customer experience.

Streamlining the experience 

This simplification reduces operational complexity and costs while boosting CSAT, as customers no longer need to memorize different numbers for language-specific support. Moreover, if a customer requests to speak with a service representative, the system can route the call to a service rep fluent in the appropriate language, ensuring a smooth handoff. 

Learn more 

For a complete list of languages supported by Copilot Studio, visit the supported languages page. This article provides details on languages supported by voice agents, helping bot designers in planning effective multilingual customer service. 

Watch a short video introduction.

Read detailed instructions on configuring and localizing your multilingual bot for both messaging and voice channels:

• Configure multilingual voice agents in Dynamics 365 Contact Center 

• Multilingual agent configuration in Copilot Studio 

These articles guide administrators through the detailed steps for voice agent configuration and localization, ensuring smooth deployment of multilingual voice agents with Copilot capabilities in the voice channel.

The post Try multilingual voice agents in Dynamics 365 Contact Center appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

While data is often hailed as the key to unlocking business success, the reality for many sales teams is more complex. How do you sift through mountains of information and determine which leads deserve attention? Which deals are truly progressing, and how can you accurately forecast the outcomes of your efforts? 

At the heart of this challenge lies the core issue of pipeline prioritization. Without clear data-backed guidance, sales teams are forced to rely on intuition, guesswork, or outdated customer relationship management (CRM) systems. The potential for missed opportunities, wasted effort, and inaccurate forecasts is enormous. 

Sales reps have a lot on their plates managing multiple leads at once, and every choice can influence a deal. Real-time insights are crucial, but they’re not always easy to come by. That’s where AI-powered predictive analytics can help. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Close more deals and increase seller efficiency with an AI-powered CRM solution.

Learn more

The need for real-time, predictive insights 

Imagine a sales team that knows not just which leads are in the pipeline, but which leads are most likely to convert. And imagine having the ability to predict the trajectory of a deal with accuracy, and to receive real-time recommendations on how to move that deal forward. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the promise of AI-powered sales optimization. 

For many sales leaders, pipeline prioritization and accurate forecasting have long been elusive goals. Traditional sales systems rely on past data, making it harder to stay ahead and focus on the right opportunities. Real-time insights can solve this by helping leaders prioritize effectively and make smarter decisions to close more deals. 

By using advanced predictive analytics, sales teams not only know where deals currently stand, but also have clear, timely guidance on how to push them over the line. 

The shift to predictive sales management 

So how do we move from a reactive sales approach to a proactive one? The answer lies in predictive insights and AI-powered pipeline management. 

Predictive insights empower sales teams to go beyond surface-level data and identify key trends, patterns, and behaviors that can indicate the likelihood of success. These insights provide sales teams with real-time intelligence about their pipeline, helping them to focus on the deals that matter most. 

Consider a few key scenarios where predictive insights are already transforming sales: 

• Facilitating targeted prospecting. AI tools can analyze past behaviors, customer engagement, and historical data to identify which prospects are most likely to convert. Sales teams no longer need to guess where to focus their efforts—they can let the data guide them. 
• Responding to requests for proposals (RFPs). Crafting the perfect pitch often requires an enormous amount of time and effort. Predictive insights can help sales teams analyze RFP requirements quickly, offer tailored solutions based on previous successful proposals, and even suggest content for a winning pitch. 
• Improving forecast accuracy. Traditional forecasting methods are static, relying on past data. Predictive insights continuously update forecasts based on real-time data, ensuring that sales leaders have the most accurate picture possible of their pipeline’s future. 

These use cases demonstrate that AI doesn’t just help sales teams manage their pipelines—it revolutionizes the way they approach their work, making it smarter, faster, and more precise. 

The Microsoft solution: Turning insights into action 

While the potential of AI and predictive analytics is clear, the challenge for most organizations lies in implementation. Many sales teams already have access to vast amounts of data, but they lack the tools to make sense of it. This is where Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales can make a real difference. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 and its embedded AI capabilities provide the actionable insights needed to optimize pipelines, drive smarter prospecting, and improve deal closure rates. Let’s take a closer look at how these tools solve the problems faced by modern sales teams: 

• Prioritizing leads with a dedicated agent. Sales Qualification Agent for Dynamics 365 Sales works hand-in-hand with sellers to research leads around the clock using external and internal data. Sellers receive a prioritized list of leads with recommended next actions. Sales Qualification Agent can then proactively draft personalized customer emails, giving time back to sellers to focus on customer engagements. 
• Optimizing revenue forecasting. Teams can harness real-time insights from their sales pipeline to refine revenue expectations. Traditional forecasting tools are reactive, but Dynamics 365 Sales provides predictive forecasts, continuously updated based on customer interactions and behavior patterns. This enables sales teams to adjust their strategies dynamically, based on the most up-to-date insights. 
• Enabling efficient pipeline management. By automating routine tasks, such as lead follow-ups and report generation, Dynamics 365 Sales frees up valuable time for sales reps to focus on building relationships and closing deals. The result? A more streamlined sales process and improved win rates. 

Close more deals with predictive insights 

When sales success depends on agility and precision, real-time relationship insights and predictive analytics are essential. With Dynamics 365 and Copilot, organizations can transform their data into actionable insights, enabling their sales teams to operate smarter, faster, and more effectively. Sales leaders who embrace these tools will be better equipped to prioritize their pipelines, forecast accurately, and close more deals. 

The post Pipeline optimization: How to prioritize and close more deals  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Introduction 

Since 2019, Dynamics 365 Finance has supported direct system-to-system integration with the web service provided by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to submit Value Added Tax (VAT) returns for UK-registered companies under the Making Tax Digital (MTD) project. 

Due to security requirements, we must modify our implementation approach. We can no longer support this integration for on-premises deployments of Dynamics 365 Finance. 

Deprecation scope 

To meet security requirements, we are implementing modifications to the Dynamics 365 Finance direct system-to-system integration with the HMRC web service for submitting VAT returns for companies registered for VAT in the UK. This involves the adoption of an Electronic Invoicing service as an intermediary to facilitate secure access to the storage of credentials essential for software authorization within the HMRC APIs. These services will not be accessible from on-premises deployments of Dynamics 365 Finance. 

After transitioning cloud-based customers to the new integration, the current access for on-premises customers will be discontinued. 

Deprecation plan 

In version 10.0.43 of Dynamics 365 Finance, we will introduce a new feature with enhanced security protections. In version 10.0.44 of Dynamics 365 Finance, this feature is enabled by default, and all environments will be transitioned automatically. 

Starting June 6, 2025, we will discontinue support for the UK MTD VAT integration feature in on-premises deployments of Dynamics 365 Finance. 

Recommended alternatives 

Do you have on-premises deployments of Dynamics 365 Finance using current MTD direct system-to-system HMRC web services for VAT returns? Consider the following options to maintain compliance with HMRC’s VAT submission requirements. 

Option I: Migrate to the cloud-based solution, Dynamics 365 online 

Transitioning to the cloud deployment of Dynamics 365 Finance offers several advantages. These include enhanced security, automatic updates, and compliance with HMRC’s MTD requirements. This provides seamless integration and access to the latest Dynamics 365 Finance features. 

Additionally, you can use a cloud-based environment as intermediary software for submitting your VAT return to HMRC from your on-premises deployment. To implement this solution, establish a cloud-based environment configured to interact seamlessly with your existing systems.  

With adjustments to the UK MTD VAT Electronic Messaging, you can efficiently submit your VAT returns to HMRC using Dynamics 365 Finance’s cloud-based solution. This approach allows your organization to benefit from cloud capabilities such as more security options, improved data management, and staying updated with regulatory changes. We recommend this option to ensure compliance with HMRC’s VAT submission requirements. 

For more information about how to adopt the UK MTD VAT Electronic Messaging to submit a VAT return, see Submit a VAT return to HMRC’s MTD web service – Finance | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Learn. 

Option II: Explore third-party software alternatives 

Customers maintaining on-premises deployment should consider third-party software for VAT return submissions to HMRC. These solutions should meet your operational needs and compliance standards. 

Review these options and act before on-premises VAT submission support is discontinued to avoid disruptions in compliance and VAT reporting. 

The post Deprecation of VAT return direct submission to UK MTD in Dynamics 365 Finance for on-premises deployments  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.