MVP Insights: Malcolm McAuley on Dynamics 365, Community Engagement, Tips for Summit Attendees

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 24, John Siefert is joined by Malcolm McAuley, Practice Lead – Dynamics 365 CE/CRM, C5 Insight, Microsoft MVP. The two discuss Malcolm’s journey to becoming an MVP – influenced by his interest in data, challenging projects, and he outlines his sessions at 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: Malcolm’s MVP journey began unintentionally by sharing insights and information within the community, which led to presenting at events and engaging more with others. Encouraged by fellow users like Rick McCutcheon, Malcolm began telling his story, eventually leading to more presentations and participation in panels, resulting in an MVP nomination by fellow MVP Kylie Kiser.
• Areas of expertise: Originally a social worker by trade, Malcolm became intrigued by system management and relational databases, which led him to transition into the tech space. His journey began with hands-on learning and community engagement, eventually leading to a pivotal role in his organization’s transition to Microsoft Dynamics CE/CRM, where he fell in love with the logical nature of relational databases and the power they hold.
• Reflecting on toughest projects: There have been challenging moments, notes Malcom, but C5 Insight aims to be a solid partner for organizations. One particularly tough project he references involved integrating a robust system with messy data from four different systems, causing significant stress and frustration due to the inability to normalize the data and make it cohesive.
• Summit NA Academy classes: Malcolm will be leading two Academy classes at Community Summit NA 2024. The first class, co-presented with Jordan Loeffler, “Elevate Your Enterprise: Workflow Wizardry with Microsoft 365,” taking place on October 13, will delve into the integration of Microsoft 365 elements, highlighting the growing interest and relevance of features like Copilot for Sales, Outlook, and Teams for all organizations, not just Dynamics users. His other Academy class, presented with Haley Ward and Traci Winter on October 17, “Learning Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys and Data,” will explore various capabilities of Customer Insights, stressing that technology alone isn’t the solution; the process and organizational approach are crucial for maximizing investment and achieving success.
• Summit NA sessions: In addition to his two Academy classes, Malcolm will be presenting two sessions. His session on Wednesday, October 16, “It’s About Time: Rethink Time Management with Dynamics 365 CE,” will focus on the importance of good data for AI success and how activity management is one of the most valuable features in Dynamics. Also on Wednesday, Malcolm will be leading the session, “Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Data: Create a Definitive 360-Degree Customer Profile,” which focuses on Customer Insights data, emphasizing that it’s not as intimidating as it seems and offers great functionality. It will cover the basics of getting data into customer insights, building customer profiles, and understanding customer personas to support them through their journey.
• Tips for the community: In closing, Malcolm shares tips for attendees coming to Community Summit. He encourages users to wear comfortable shoes, as they’ll be doing a lot of walking. He also notes that attendees shouldn’t be afraid to talk to the people around them – striking up conversations at events leads to valuable friendships and resources.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: