Guest contributor |
There are a variety of customer relationship management (CRM) platforms that organisations can use to vie for customers’ attention. And while the construct of CRM has remained the same over the years, factoring in aspects like region, scale and industry are evolving and impacting outcome expectations.
Artificial intelligence is also playing a significant role in enhancing CRM platforms, especially during migration from legacy systems. But only a handful of them, like Dynamics 365 CRM, have matured to offer seamless customer experience that resonates with both specific business interests and customer aspirations. Powered by its flexible, user-friendly design, advanced AI capabilities and unmatched interaction with Microsoft products, the Dynamics 365 suite of applications ensures that every client interaction matters.
There are several undeniable advantages that Dynamics 365 CRM offers to businesses. Firstly, the total cost of ownership (licensing and tool maintenance) is lower for Dynamics 365 than other apps, with Microsoft providing various attractive volume-based licensing offers, including capacity-based pricing. The higher the volume, the bigger the discount. Pricing is economical and as per the usage of features, offering complete transparency.
Unlike other established CRM applications, Dynamics 365 integrates seamlessly with Microsoft products like Office 365, Power Platform and Azure. These smooth and pre-built integrations to Microsoft 365 enhance productivity, powered by process automation. Platform components for CRM, operations, supply chain management, human resources, revenue management, finance and project management are all part of Microsoft’s impressive product stack. Extensions are enabled through Microsoft Azure and productivity tools embedded in Dynamics 365 CRM. Copilots and generative AI extensions are also embedded in the product.
Dynamics 365 has also enriched the Microsoft Power Platform with unmatched low-code/no-code capabilities. It has pre-configured connectors and leverages extensible API framework. This capability enables faster AI, Copilot Studio extensions, virtual assistants and robotic process automation building. The Power Platform capability makes it easy to replace existing customisation with low-code development.
Furthermore, the Dynamics 365 platform provides AI-enabled insights across sales, service and embedded copilots. It also has mixed reality offerings, which are ready to use and amplify field services. The platform has natively embedded reporting analytics through Microsoft Power BI, Copilot and a host of ready-to-use dashboards. There is an ease of extensibility with copilot extensions and custom copilot features.
The platform is also secure. It has an uptime service legal agreement commitment, which is not on request or to be negotiated – it is a pledge. It is hosted on extensible Azure infrastructure as a service and has dedicated centres for hosting of data.
These benefits are driving organisations, big and small, to make a beeline to upgrade their legacy CRM applications to Dynamics 365. While the decision to transition may be easier to make, based on the perceived benefits, it could be a daunting proposition to administer across the organisation.
To make it easier, Infosys has launched an assessment-based offering under its SmartMove banner of solutions for legacy migration. Titled ‘Competitive Sales & Service Transformation Offering’, this offering is powered by Infosys Topaz, Infosys Cobalt, our Digital Operating Model designed for AI-first enterprises and Microsoft’s AI asset toolset. The offering encompasses legacy applications, integration analysis, data migration, change impact analysis, project planning and a final cost assessment for migration. It prescribes a comprehensive approach towards building a robust foundation for initiating the modernisation to Dynamics 365 CRM.
The offering has various elements that make it easier for businesses to produce assessment and return on investment reports, an AI roadmap, migration timeline, commercials, scope of integration and approach finalisation.
Organisations are witnessing trends like predictive customer journey mapping, real-time sentiment analysis, autonomous (agent-led) customer support, intelligent sales assistance, hyper-personalised marketing and augmented reality integration. Therefore, CRM applications will continue to play a pivotal role in enhancing customer relationships, driving growth and gaining competitive edge, with considerations like data privacy and AI bias, notwithstanding.
Deepak Kumar Parashar is director and industry principal for Microsoft Practice, and Ramana Raju Nidadavolu is manager of go-to-market for Microsoft Practice, at Infosys
This article was originally published in the Autumn 2024 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.