MVP Insights: Heidi Neuhauser on Summit NA Sessions, Tips for Community, User Adoption
Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem.
In episode 18, Heidi Neuhauser, Vice President, reenhanced, joins John Siefert to discuss how she became a Microsoft MVP, her areas of focus within the ecosystem, how she overcame tough projects, and Community Summit NA 2024.
This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.
Key Takeaways
- MVP overview: Heidi’s journey to becoming an MVP began with their involvement with Dynamics Communities as part of the CRM User Group, which provided a platform for scaling her skills and leading to her role as the Philadelphia Chapter UG leader. The realization that she could contribute to the community in a new way was a pivotal moment, transitioning from local UG involvement to presenting on stage.
- Areas of expertise: As it relates to her career, Heidi was initially focused on CRM but evolved with the industry’s shift to the Power Platform. Her involvement in Power Automate, particularly during 2020-2022, led to the creation of connectorreview.com, a community resource for Power Automate connectors, earning them recognition in Customer Engagement and Power Automate as an MVP.
- Toughest projects: The most challenging – and rewarding – project for Heidi was digitally transforming a paper-based business, which involved significant change management and training to shift employee mindsets. She notes that this technology overhaul was both difficult and fulfilling to witness. In general, Heidi’s passion lies in user adoption and training, emphasizing a people-first approach, which is often overlooked in tech projects.
- Summit NA sessions: Heidi will be leading a number of sessions at Summit NA 2024, and she first describes her Academy class, “Dynamics 365 CRM System Admin 101.” This class is designed to empower attendees with skills for self-reliance, reducing dependency on partners, and covering essential system admin tasks and integration with tools like Copilot, with a mix of lectures and hands-on labs. She’ll be leading four other sessions at Summit NA, and you can get the details here.
- Tips for the community: Finally, Heidi encourages attendees of Summit to engage with speakers during their sessions, emphasizing a genuine passion for the subject and approachability for networking, follow-ups, and problem-solving at the tech medic desk, enhancing the value of the event for participants.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
