CE (CRM) Microsoft Platform General Session: Changing Dynamics From a System of Record to a System of Action

The CE (CRM) Microsoft Platform General Session highlighted the realities of CRM for sellers, outlined ways that the Microsoft ecosystem supports sellers, and recognized members and leaders across the community.

Learning & Leadership

Heidi Neuhauser, Vice President at Reenhanced, Sarah Jelinek, Director Power Platform and Tribal Solutions at Arctic IT, and Pam Misialek, VP, Community Director, Dynamic Communities at Dynamic Communities, kicked off the general session.

They recognized the efforts of leaders and volunteers across the CE/CRM user group. Additionally, they encouraged attendees to take advantage of the Learners Platform for educational resources, online meetings, discussions, local events, and roadshows.

Microsoft Keynote

“The reality is, sellers spend huge amounts of time doing things that are actually not driving investment,” Mike Morton, VP, Dynamics, Microsoft, raises in the keynote. “So, how do we change it?” He challenges what it would mean if sellers were able get rid of the busy work, like CRM administration, and rather focus on direct selling and driving value.

A reality of CRM is that it wasn’t designed for sellers but designed for sales leaders and managers to have a view of the system. However, sellers are forced to update the CRM. Because sellers are human, and not usually passionate about updating the system, the data in a CRM is not 100% accurate.

Morton notes that there is a better way to navigate managing CRM systems — and that better way is happening now. “We want to change Dynamics from a system of record to a system of action,” he says. AI can be part of making that change by prompting actions and recommending next steps, so the system supports sellers in doing their jobs.

Now, the data helps the sellers and there’s more incentive to updating the system, creating a virtuous cycle.

Morton presents ways the Microsoft ecosystem propels this cycle. For example, Dynamics 365 and Copilot can help sellers prepare, sell, follow-up, and prioritize. It’s also able to share context across other Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, and Dynamics.

While creating journeys manually is possible, AI can help when going through complex processes to really make it happen. Customer Insights Journeys supports AI-generated journey creation and personalized campaigns. Morton explains how users can optimize further by applying Customer 360 and Account 360, which equip users with a unified picture of their customers and accounts.

Powerful AI agents must be well managed and secure. Agent 365 addresses security, auditing, compliance, data access, and agent management. The framework here covers the development of agent experiences. This isn’t just one-size-fits-all. “We’ve developed a system so that your IT is going to have more control than ever,” he says. This will help companies decide what information they want to build, what should be shareable, and how they want to have control.

Closing Remarks

Jelinek returned to close the general session with thank-you notes — Jimmy Fallon style — to attendees and the community, the speakers, and Microsoft. “This is what helps make the community great in sharing our passion, our knowledge, and helping somebody hopefully find something new that will make their lives a lot better.”