The anticipated 2015 release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is now available with new functionality to excite end users and developers alike. Those already using CRM 2013 or older will spot features that will improve existing processes and those new to CRM now have more reasons to look closer.
Here are the top five new features, as chosen by Core's in-house experts.
Mobile working is increasingly popular, as we rely on the ability to check and update key information at home or on the road (with security and permission levels applied). On Windows 8, iPad and Android tablets, the CRM app now offers flexible, tailored marketing and sales dashboards and analytics, personalised homepages and the ability to navigate by hierarchy. If the connection drops, offline drafts allow new records to be created and synchronised when the connection resumes. Also, for the first time, digital marketers can speak their commands to the CRM interface via Cortana voice-command technology. 2015 users will be able to set up meetings and reminders, search for contacts and create new customer data using voice commands.
Conversations about your brand, your products, or your customers' needs can happen anywhere or anytime. Microsoft Social Listening lets you spot trends, monitor sentiment and connect on social media with your customers, prospects, and partners.
Online customers automatically have access to Social Listening as part of the subscription and on-premises CRM customers can now access Social Listening directly from within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015.
David Jennaway, our Head CRM Architect and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional, explains: "Business Process Flows were introduced in CRM 2013 and provide an effective means to guide users through stages in a business process.
2015 now allows conditional branching within business process flows, and greater control over the display of the business process components. Putting these together allows Business Process Flows to be used effectively in many more scenarios."
Features:
With this release, information such as accounts, products or people, can be displayed in new visual hierarchies, showing users how they are related or grouped at a glance. A click on any tile navigates to more detailed information or launches an action.
For example, from the hierarchical view for accounts, you can view overall revenue, credit limit and latest activities instantly and drill down by clicking on tiles to see sub-accounts or to contact the account manager, without having to look anywhere else.
2015 has improved search encompassing all entities, not just the one you're currently working in.
David Jennaway says: "a very useful feature is that there are additional query operators within Advanced Find and the workflow editor even allows querying across a hierarchy".
Improvements to Search:
Improvements to Advanced Find:
"Both of these improvements speed up ad-hoc searching considerably", comments David. For more advice from our consultants on CRM 2015, contact the Core CRM division on 0845 246 2400.