We all know Microsoft isn’t one to stay still for long, and the Dynamics suite is no exception to the host of changes announced this financial year.
Say goodbye to Dynamics 365 Marketing as a standalone tool, as it integrates into Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to create a one-stop shop for customer data and journeys.
“Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Dynamics 365 Marketing are coming together as one offering named Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) driven solution which will revolutionize your customers experiences,” wrote Jim Nakashima, Partner General Manager for D365 Marketing and Customer Insights at Microsoft.
As a result of the change, the new D365 Customer Insights will now have two elements, Data and Journeys.
Customer Insights – Data
Customer Insights – Data is the new name for the existing Customer Insights solution, functioning primarily as a customer data platform that provides a 360-degree view of your customers.
Customer Insights – Journeys
Once known as D365 Marketing, Customer Insights – Journeys will be available from the 1st September, according to Microsoft.
A unified approach to customer communications and insights
Microsoft says, bringing both marketing and customer data under one brand will align with the long-term vision for Dynamics. You’ll be able to run campaigns based on customer entities stored in the Dataverse or based on profiles stored in Customer Insights from a range of other sources.
For existing D365 Marketing customers, the transition from outbound to real-time marketing will continue as part of the product change. Starting this month (August 2023), new customers will only have access to real-time marketing capabilities. Existing customers can continue to use outbound marketing, but Microsoft will not be releasing any further improvements.
D365 Marketing will officially be folded into Customer Insights from September 2023, from then it will be sold as a single offering encompassing both elements.
Microsoft have been encouraging users to create any new processes/journeys within the Real-Time area of Marketing, adding new features continuously to support this, stating that Outbound Marketing will fade away. The move to Customer Insights solidifies this.
Completing the customer journey
While the change will require marketing users to move away from the traditional journeys and processes, they are used to, it offers the opportunity to better synchronise efforts across sales and marketing teams. As home to marketing communications, lead nurturing and customer insights, this change accelerates the alignment of sales and marketing teams and elevates the importance of accurate customer data.
The challenges of the transition from outbound to real-time marketing will be there for all users, and whilst this transition may require some adjustment for existing D365 Marketing customers, you should benefit from the renewed focus on data and business alignment.
If you’re looking for support in this transition, have further questions or looking for a demo on how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights can help your organisation, then contact us here.
