In the ever-changing world of business technology, Microsoft continues to take steps to enable exceptional customer experiences. One of the most recent developments is the merger of Dynamics 365 Marketing and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights into a single integrated solution, which became available on September 1, 2023. But what does that mean for you?
A New Era for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
The new Customer Insights offers two different applications for customer data and journey orchestration. It is designed to improve the customer experience and support the people responsible for delivering it. By breaking down the silos between marketing, sales, and service teams, Customer Insights provides deeper insights into customers, resulting in optimized customer journeys across digital channels and personal interactions. Dynamics 365 users can choose to use both experiences or start with just one and expand when they’re ready. Additionally, you can easily connect to Sales or Service environments when desired.
With the Dynamics 365 Customer Insights customer data platform, teams can quickly consolidate customer data and leverage out-of-the-box insights, as well as first- and third-party insights, to enrich their knowledge. Using the journey orchestration feature, teams can then develop personalized, real-time journeys that align with their customers’ preferences. In addition, Customer Insights enables employees to optimize their workflows and gain in-depth insights more quickly by leveraging next-generation AI support with Copilot.
Name Changes, SKU Changes, and Cost Savings
Starting September 1, 2023, Dynamics 365 Marketing and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights will be available as a single SKU, designated as Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. This represents a strategic shift in Microsoft's approach to its offerings, with the focus on a combined pricing model rather than merging the products themselves.
It is important to note that while the pricing model has evolved, the individual applications and their capabilities remain unchanged. Existing users can continue with their current licensing model for the remainder of their current contract term, ensuring flexibility and choice. The introduction of this unified pricing model translates to a cost savings of 40% on the base license if you previously held licenses for both Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Dynamics 365 Marketing. This is a significant benefit, especially when you consider that features such as Copilot and Generative AI are now included at no additional cost.
Strategy and Opportunities
With the new Customer Insights, you gain access to both the customer data platform and customer journey orchestration. This means the solution has become much more scalable. Your organization can start with customer journeys, customer data, or both, and easily purchase additional capacity when needed. Over time, you can expand and increase productivity through additional capabilities.
This new development from Microsoft in the field of business technology promises exceptional opportunities for companies to improve the customer experience and for us to support our clients in achieving their growth objectives. Combining Dynamics 365 Marketing and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights into a single, integrated solution offers both cost savings and enhanced capabilities for understanding and serving customers. This is undoubtedly a step forward toward the future of customer-centric business operations.
