Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales Gets Even Better with Built-In AI: What's coming in October 2018?
It’s true. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the world, making us and many of the apps we use on a daily basis smarter.
Microsoft, always on the forefront of technological change, has embedded AI into its ERP and CRM solutions for years. This is especially the case for Microsoft Dynamics 365 which was launched in 2016, well after the AI revolution.
Now, with Microsoft’s publication of the Business Applications Release Notes for October 20181, we learn that the Dynamics 365 AI for Sales app is targeted for a public preview release in October, a mere 2 months away. At a high level, AI for Sales will enhance sales performance and planning capabilities.
NOTE: To save yourself a lot of time, from the Table of Contents you can click directly to the section of the Release Notes that describes all of the enhancements to Dynamics 365 for Sales, which are featured on pages 27-33 of this 238-page document.
If you want to sift through the entire document, we’re happy to offer you that experience.
You can view or download the PDF “Business Applications Release Notes – October 2018”1
Let’s take a closer look at Dynamics 365 AI for Sales
The AI for Sales app takes the hassle out of sales performance analysis by proactively and prescriptively providing useful insights from sales data. The app helps sales managers evaluate and improve the performance of their sales teams on Dynamics 365 and other sales applications. With churn measurement and pipeline forecasting using relationship health scores, sales leaders can better optimize their sales strategies.
The following are the key capabilities being surfaced in the app:
- A home page that provides managers with answers to the most common questions regarding their team's performance, and also provides useful insights to quickly allow them to focus on the right deals and activities.
- A natural language processing-based Q&A that allows managers to conversationally ask questions and receive reports from the sales data.
- Lead prioritization leveraging predictive lead scoring.
- Opportunity pipeline analysis using the relationship health score powered by exchange data.
- Sales team performance analysis and individual scorecards.
- Richer sales activity reports using relationship analytics, bringing valuable data from Exchange and Dynamics 365 graphs
Other noteworthy Dynamics 365 for Sales enhancements coming in October
- Build intelligent sales applications and business processes powered by LinkedIn insights:
Dynamics 365 applications powered by LinkedIn insights are taken to the next level by combining the modular and customizable LinkedIn Sales Navigator controls with the power and flexibility of Dynamics 365 Business Process Flows.
- Empower sellers with Playbooks guided by event-driven sales activities:
Dynamics 365 for Sales is introducing Playbooks, a new capability to help organizations automate repeatable sales activities and respond to external events.
- Increase sales conversions with Predictive Lead Scoring:
Dynamics 365 Predictive Lead Scoring is a machine learning model-based predictive scoring mechanism that scores leads on a scale of 1 to 100 based on their likelihood to become an opportunity.
Find out more
The bullets above are just synopses and there’s so much more.
Bond Consulting Services is a national consulting firm that empowers organizations across the United States to thrive in a digitally transformed world. We operate out of Long Beach, California, where our expert team assists clients with their ERP and CRM needs.
Visit us at www.BondConsultingServices.com or just pick up the phone and call 562-988-3451.
1 Disclaimers:
This document is provided “as-is.” Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it.
Some examples are for illustration only and are fictitious. No real association is intended or inferred.
This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. You may copy and use this document for your internal, reference purposes.
© 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Gets Even Better : What's coming in October?
It’s always a good idea to take the long view.
And Microsoft’s publication of the Business Applications Release Notes for October 2018 gives us a 238-page long look at the new features and enhancements coming to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, among the many products included, in just 2 months’ time.
NOTE: From the Table of Contents you can click directly to the
Business Central updates that are featured on pages 119 to 142.
If you want to sift through the entire document, we’re happy to offer you that experience.
You can view or download the PDF “Business Applications Release Notes – October 2018”1
OR, you can read on.
Although it’s hard to pick just a few, we’re going to highlight our favorite new Business Central features for you, in no particular order.
Business Central everywhere - cloud, hybrid, and on-premises availability
Business Central will now have an on-premises deployment option that effectively serves as a successor to Dynamics NAV. In other words, rather than a new version number for Dynamics NAV, customers can get Business Central on-premises. The experience for NAV partners and customers on-premises is no different from the familiar Dynamics NAV upgrades, except for the change in name. This is a convergence point for Dynamics SMB products. Going forward, customers running Dynamics SL, Dynamics GP, and older versions of Dynamics NAV will also have the option to explore Business Central on-premises and in the cloud.
Business Central universal app
The Dynamics 365 Business Central universal app is able to connect to the cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments of Business Central. That app is available for:
Windows 10 (desktop, tablet, and phone)
Android (tablet and phone)
iOS (tablet and phone)
The full desktop mode is supported on computers running Windows 10.
Improvements to search
Finding your way around Dynamics 365 Business Central just got easier. Productivity increases when people can find what they need and search is often how people look for things. Therefore, we’ve broadened the search scope, improved the logic that search uses, and made it easier to determine if the results are relevant.
The Search field replaces the Search for Page or Report field. You can use it to find objects such as pages and reports, but also to find actions and product documentation. We’ve also improved the logic behind the search, and search results offer abstracts that clarify each item in the result.
Intelligent Edge for Dynamics GP, Dynamics SL, and Dynamics NAV
Microsoft continues to invest heavily in the Intelligent Cloud, bringing business intelligence, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and numerous other cloud productivity and analytics tools to the marketplace. Customers using on-premises solutions haven’t been able to easily take advantage of these services. Now you can connect your on-premises Dynamics SMB solution to the intelligent cloud through Dynamics 365 Business Central, and get access to Power BI, Microsoft Flow, PowerApps, machine learning, and others.
When the connection is made, we securely replicate your on-premises data to the Intelligent Cloud. You simply decide which companies you want to replicate (all if you choose), and then, within the main pages of your on-premises solution, we’ll deliver back actionable analysis and content. The intelligent cloud leverages solutions such as Power BI, PowerApps, Flow, and AI to provide insight and actionable messages enabling your business to run even better.
Sandbox with production data
A common scenario when working with sandboxes, especially when testing or troubleshooting, is the wish to have production data available. With this release, we add the ability to create a sandbox based on a copy of the latest cloud backup of the production data. To minimize cross-talk with integrations set up in the production data, these integrations will be disabled when the sandbox is created. Using caution, admin users can enable or reconfigure these integrations as required to support the intended sandbox use.
Find out more
Bond Consulting Services is a national consulting firm that empowers organizations across the United States to thrive in a digitally transformed world. We operate out of Long Beach, California, where our expert team assists clients with their ERP and CRM needs.
Visit us at www.BondConsultingServices.com or just pick up the phone and call 562-988-3451.
1 Disclaimers:
This document is provided “as-is.” Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, may change without notice. You bear the risk of using it.
Some examples are for illustration only and are fictitious. No real association is intended or inferred.
This document does not provide you with any legal rights to any intellectual property in any Microsoft product. You may copy and use this document for your internal, reference purposes.
© 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Partner Spotlight | ActivReporter: Reporting. Redefined.
It’s already well known that Management Reporter is no longer being developed, but you have spent blood, sweat and tears investing in MR and building the financial statements you need for your organization. What if you could transfer all of those builds into a new Excel-based reporting tool within a matter of minutes and have full flexibility to add information, view details and see your data directly from GP with minimal financial investment?
With ActivReporter, you can do just that! Gain visibility into your Dynamics GP data by seeing all of your information in one clean space. Use our extensive filtering capabilities to easily see single or multi-company information and be able to drill down into the entry and drill back right into GP.
Using our ActivityHD ribbon and layout wizards, build custom financials with over 50 financial functions and pre-constructed statements like a Trial Balance or Income Statement right there in Excel. With just a few clicks, you can represent segments, accounts, periods and more – pulling this data directly from Dynamics GP into your report.
Gain the freedom of time and the power of information with ActivReporter!
To see ActivReporter in action, join us Friday, June 22nd at 11:00AM (CST) for a 30-minute webinar (click here to register) or contact Bond Consulting Services!
The 4 Signs it’s Time for an ERP System
An ERP solution doesn’t have to be an all or nothing implementation proposition. Software modules can be purchased separately depending on your business needs. This will help your team ease into the implementation piece of ERP and it’ll save having to invest in a major software renovation and migration of historical data, both of which can become complicated and expensive. Investing now will save you in the long run.
Here are a few indications you need ERP:
- You were compelled by the title to give this list a read
- The basics aren’t letting you grow
- You’re dealing with disparate systems
- You can’t meet customer expectations
Tip - If you or your staff is asking for a new system and there’s a resistance to an ERP change, one of the ways to combat this is to schedule a demo so everyone can see what’s out there. Plus, when everyone feels like they’re included in on the decision process it’ll make implementation much easier.
Call us today for a consultation!
Scared of ERP? You're safe with Microsoft.
Despite all the options out there, some companies are still hesitant about ERP. There could be many reasons why, but where there’s a fear, there’s a solution.
FEAR: How do I know I’m choosing the right ERP solution for my business?
You don’t have to find the perfect software solution to fix everything. ERP should actually be able to take the best of the business processes you’re using now and bring them together under one system, while letting everyone in your organization view the same information. This is where your choice of at technology partner is important.
FEAR: We can’t afford a major ERP overhaul.
A solution doesn’t have to be an all or nothing implementation proposition. Software solution modules can be purchased separately depending on your business needs. This will help your team ease into the implementation piece of ERP and it’ll save having to invest in a major software renovation without knowing whether or not the functions you’re adding will pay off.
FEAR: We don’t want to lose the systems we have in place now.
As we mentioned, any ERP solution you choose should work with what you’re using now but also include features that can help in your future growth. For instance, if the software you have mostly handles the financial, supply chain, and manufacturing sides of your business, you may want to look for a solution that brings in a strong business intelligence component.
Call us today for a courtesy evaluation and ERP recommendation!
Avoid an "Upgrade Gone Wrong" - Here's How
If you’ve decided to move your business software to the Cloud, there’s no reason why your move shouldn’t be a resounding success. But there are things to consider. Being aware of potential pitfalls in advance can help you avoid them.
At Bond Consulting Services (BCS), stories of “upgrades gone wrong,” pivot on one crucial detail: undisclosed customizations.
Here is a real life example.
One of our clients was positioned to complete a scheduled upgrade over the span of a weekend. Most upgrades are completed over the course of a weekend to avoid any disruptions to our client’s typical business flow during the work week.
Prior to working with BCS, the client worked with a different partner. Many of our clients have been “rescued” from partners that didn’t deliver or meet their expectations and most times the transition is seamless. This was not one of those times.
The contributing factors to the “upgrade gone wrong,” centered mainly on how the original partner had handled the customizations in the previous environment. The original partner did not properly document the customizations, and during our discovery phase, the customizations were not disclosed to us by the client.
The upgrade was not successful and considerable time and expense was needed to finally correct the problem. However, all of this could have been avoided.
How to avoid this pitfall
Customizations that materialize in the middle of an upgrade cause massive deadline disruptions and sometimes costly consequences. To avoid scenarios like this, we encourage companies to:
- Document customizations in greater detail
- Save the original code and store the respective data safely
- Share this information with the new partner on record, before the scheduled upgrade
- Test the upgrade before the scheduled “go-live” date
If you are contemplating upgrades or a move to the cloud, there are other pitfalls you’ll want to be aware of.
Download the free white paper: 7 Pitfalls to Avoid as You Transition Business Software to the Cloud
Bond Consulting Services is a national consulting firm that empowers organizations across the United States to thrive in a digitally transformed world. We help you implement and support solutions to meet your unique needs. Whether you want to control your financial data by hosting it on-premises or want the financial flexibility of SaaS powered by the Microsoft Cloud, contact our experts at Bond Consulting Services.
MBAS Clarified by David Gersten
When I first saw the name MBS Podcast I became excited that there was a podcast for the traditional Microsoft Business Solutions partner (aka Dynamics) but then quickly realized it was also the belongings of three amazing MVPs in the Microsoft channel. Mark Polino, Belinda Allen and Shawn Dorward make up this fantastic trio contributing to this content.
I recently listened to their podcast “Presenting Convergence… Yeah, you’ll understand...” and thought it was very good. I dropped a note to Mark about my concern that it may not be as accurate as possible, but as they mention in the podcast, they know they aren’t always right and also timing plays tricks on us all sometimes too. It was suggested I just write down a few thoughts about the Microsoft Business Application Summit (MBAS) coming up in July that had some inaccuracies in the podcast.
- I do not believe it is the replacement to Convergence. Convergence was so much about the customer and marketing new and exciting items about Dynamics solutions. It was not a very strong learning event nor technical event. The new MBAS is designed to be technical. At first I thought it would be level 200 to 400 from earlier conversations I had, but based on the website it is 100 to 400 and this is how Microsoft is describing it:
“Whether you’re a new user or a knowledgeable expert, you’ll feel right at home in the conference’s 100- to 400-level workshops and breakout sessions….At this event, designed for analysts, power users, solution architects, and knowledgeable users, you’ll learn how Microsoft’s end-to-end solutions can work for you.”
- This is definitely not an event for the Dynamics GP partner. I say that cautiously because many Dynamics GP partners are adding the Microsoft Business Applications to their practices. If they are doing that, then yes, send the right person to this event. Microsoft Business Applications are defined as: Dynamics 365 (Business Central, Finance and Operations, Retail, Talent, Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Service), PowerApps, Flow and PowerBI. Based on the event site this is the product set Microsoft is guiding this event to:
“Attend the Microsoft Business Applications Summit to learn how Microsoft spans the breadth of business process applications powered by the Business Application Platform, built atop a common data model, on Azure and connected to Office 365….Connecting the Microsoft cloud with Dynamics 365, Power BI, and PowerApps creates an unmatched opportunity for digital transformation.”
With this said, we will be sending a few people to this conference. Most likely they will be our VP of Operations and perhaps a Senior Consultant working with these products. This is just another conference in the ecosystem of way too many events already to attend. Although if a practice or company wants to stay current with the speed of technology changes and really experience Digital Transformation, attending these types of events are important. I will be addressing this in the next few weeks with another article I will call “Conference Confusion”. Keep an eye out for that.
In the meantime, make sure you continue to tune in to the MBS Podcast and appreciate everything these MVPs do for our community!
Guest Blog Series | DocuPhase
It’s evident that Microsoft Dynamics GP is an agile financial business management application that enables many mid-sized businesses to, simply put, do better and more efficient accounting. And let’s be honest – who doesn’t like doing productive work? There’s no doubt that the ongoing features and add-ons from Microsoft continue to innovate and keep the software cranking for you.
One example in particular is the advent of the Doc Attach feature in 2013, which helped businesses work with GP’s Web Client and attach documents to designated transactions. This new functionality made it easier to associate documents without searching for all of them at once.
That said, Doc Attach is only the tip of the document management iceberg. There are frontiers beyond this to boost the effectiveness of your AP processes and become a productivity guru like never before.
Let’s go into the specifics as to why you’ll want to venture outside of Doc Attach’s capabilities:
Reason #1: More Automation
It’s very common that your workers may not have access to everything they need, and this can bottleneck project completion. When you do everything manually, things fall between the cracks. While Doc Attach helps you attach documents to AP files, there’s a better way to actually file and archive documents! Any AP Manager knows the pain points – they revolve around resources, missing documents, and a lack of compliance.
However, by having software bots automate AP processes, you cut down on time spent manually doing it. This not only streamlines efficiency and information exchange, but it also reduces human error associated with tasks. This includes Robotic Workflow Automation, advanced online invoice routing, and more.
Reason #2: Continual Upgrades Without the Wait
With Dynamics GP, you must let the clock tick and wait until the next round of upgrades/updates are made available. That one big problem you have with paying an invoice? You’ll have to take that extra step every single time until a new release is out.
Having a document management software vendor can cater to your business and provide ongoing, steady support when you need it.
Here at DocuPhase, we provide comprehensive support via phone and email to all our registered users. You’re not just a number to us; you’re part of our family.
Reason #3: Get Actionable Analytics
It’s one thing to juggle paperwork and invoices, but it’s an entirely different matter when you can zoom out and actually see how your process is working (or not working). Getting access to customized dashboards allows you and your team to monitor and evaluate business decisions, so you can make the best adjustments possible in near real-time.
This far exceeds the capability of Doc Attach because you’ll be able to immediately notice if there’s a delay or issue in your overall AP process. By having a document management system, you can capitalize on the aforementioned robust analytics and keep an eye on everything – not just invoices.
Reason #4: Permission-Based Access
Most files with Doc Attach are housed within GP as part of SQL, so you’ll never have to worry about the security of your files. That said, a document management system can set permissions for each user on what files they can and cannot access. This simplifies the steps involved to mitigate issues of someone not having access vs. having access to something a teammate isn’t supposed to see.
This is huge within an organization, so having the ability to set this up the proper way can save a huge chunk of time down the line.
Making Document Management Work for You
In the world of document management, there are skills far exceeding Doc Attach that you can use to upgrade and heighten your day-to-day accounting capabilities.
To learn more about Robotic Accounting Automation and how it can work for your business, feel free to click here.
SmartList Support for Dynamics GP
We received a support request from one of our clients stating that a specific user was unable to open their SmartList. They stated that the user was able to use SmartList normally and now it would not open. Upon clicking on the icon or going to Microsoft Dynamics GP > SmartList nothing would occur. This client had local installations, so we asked them to try to log in as a different user and see if it worked. When they logged in as a different user, SmartList worked with no issues. The only difference we noticed was that the SmartList icon was in all caps which is uncommon. After rebooting the workstation the error persisted for the specific user.
Action:
Upon further research, we found that SmartList in GP2013 has a known issue. To resolve this issue we had to log in to SQL Server Management Studio and review the table SY01402 where the syDefaultType = ‘96’.
Select * from SY01402 where syDefaultType = '96'
While checking this table we found that all users had a combination of a TRUE statement and an array of numbers, but for the user having the issue she had a FALSE statement and an array of numbers. In order to correct this number we updated the syDefaultType field to another user’s number that we knew their SmartList was functioning correctly.
Update SY01402 set SYUSERDFSTR = 'TRUE~506~792~1~1~177~' where USERID = 'XXXX' and syDefaultType = '96'
With this correction the user was able to launch SmartList with no other issues.
Lupe Haro is a seasoned Dynamics GP consultant at Bond Consulting Services. Need support for your GP environment? Contact Lupe at support@BondConsultingServices.com
BCS is Committed to Microsoft Dynamics GP AND Dynamics 365
Messaging from Microsoft and other partners may not always be clear, but we know that Microsoft Dynamics GP AND Dynamics 365 are both great solutions for businesses, and they will both be available for many years to come.
BCS is very bullish on Dynamics GP, as we have been since our inception in 2000. Dynamics GP is a very robust ERP solution for mid-market clients leveraging Microsoft SQL Server, which can be hosted in the cloud or on-premise. It’s a fantastic solution for companies that need to create integrations with other operational systems, enabling more direct control of the integrations and data management. The reporting and extensibility options for Dynamics GP have grown exponentially in the last several years with Power BI, Power Apps, Flow and Jet Reports. Investments in Dynamics GP are rock solid, and BCS is committed to helping clients implement, extend and support Dynamics GP for the next 18+ years of our business!
A couple years ago, BCS participated in an early adopter partner program prior to the release of Dynamics 365 for Financials in November 2016, which is based on Dynamics NAV. We were impressed with how easy it was to help new clients start using the Microsoft hosted solution, and we helped many new clients deploy this solution. The Dynamics 365 Financials solution was initially limited in functionality, but Microsoft delivered on its promise to consistently add new features, and is now releasing the latest and greatest full functionality release (comparable to Dynamics NAV), and is rebranding the solution as Dynamics 365 Business Central. We’re very excited to share our mid-market ERP expertise and provide these two great solutions for mid-market clients to consider and use to help grow their businesses.
While Business Central is an important part of Dynamics 365, there are many other capabilities within Dynamics 365 including, but not limited to, Customer Engagement (formerly Dynamics CRM), Sales, Service, Marketing, Field Service and Project Services. All companies can leverage the benefits of Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement to automate and more effectively manage their sales and marketing efforts, as well as manage their field service teams and projects. BCS has deployed and integrated Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement with Dynamics GP and Business Central for dozens of clients, and it’s a great way to extend your investment in Dynamics GP or Business Central.
Last but not least, Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (formerly AX) is a very powerful ERP solution for large multi-national organizations to manage all aspects of accounting, distribution and operations. BCS has helped clients deploy and support this solution for over 5 years, and we have a skilled team of professionals to help integrate this solution with Customer Engagement also.
In our 18 years of business, BCS continues to only represent Microsoft business solutions because of the breadth of the product offerings, the depth of the underlying technology, and the commitment from Microsoft to their products and partners.
BCS remains fully committed to Dynamics GP AND Dynamics 365!
Bob Bond
President and Founder of Bond Consulting Services