118 service calls with AI insights and automate followups to improve customer satisfaction. Using Microsoft tools such as Fabric, Dynamics 365 and Copilot can help B2B organisations to leverage AI tools within their sales processes. Microsoft provides the tools needed to support organisations with their adoption process through resources such as its e-book AI Strategy Roadmap: Navigating the stages of value creation. For example, Microsoft supported Grand & Toy, a Canadian provider of workplace products and solutions, when it replaced its disparate CRM solutions with Dynamics 365. The company wanted to use a single system that would provide a 360-degree view of its customers, reduce inefficiencies, increase productivity and improve customer experiences. The organisation chose Dynamics 365 due to its end-to-end capabilities, out-of-the-box AI potential and the continuous investment Microsoft makes in updates and new features. Phases one and two of the migration took place between winter 2023 and spring 2024 and focused on implementing Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. Phase three involved implementing Dynamics 365 Customer Service and was completed in summer 2024. Now, Grand & Toy is using Copilot to generate summaries and perform sentiment analysis to further improve customer service and increase employee satisfaction. According to Eduardo Fajardo, CRM product owner at Grand & Toy, Dynamics 365 has “introduced a new way of operating” for the firm, and they plan to leverage the platform and AI to “stay ahead of the curve”. B2B organisations like Grand & Toy can also implement Microsoft’s latest agentic AI tools to enhance their operations, drive growth and provide superior customer experiences. “AI agents can transform workplace management by automating tasks, which helps to optimise costs and improve employee engagement,” says Edmonds. “This leads to a more efficient and motivated workforce and ultimately enhances customer satisfaction. “Retail and consumer goods companies can also significantly boost employee productivity by integrating agents into existing workflows and offering real-time insights and personalised support. AI-driven productivity tools align with an individual’s work style, which helps to streamline tasks and improve decision-making, enhancing overall efficiency.” In addition to leveraging Microsoft’s own tools and resources, B2B organisations can implement specialised solutions developed by its comprehensive partner ecosystem. For example, Fractal provides a range of AI-powered analytics solutions, such as the Customer Analytics Suite. These solutions offer capabilities such as call summarisation, which has helped its customers reduce agent call handling time by an average of 20 per cent and improve agent occupancy rate. This has led to a better understanding of customer FEATURE Photo: iStock/graydyreese
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