NETTING IT OUT

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service is Microsoft’s customer service offering for large and enterprise-class companies. It’s one of several “Apps” in the newly branded Dynamics 365 application suite. Microsoft licenses all Dynamics 365 Apps for either cloud or on-premise deployment.

To date, we estimate that approximately 30,000 to 40,000 customer accounts with several million users have licensed Dynamics 365 and its predecessor products—most recently Dynamics CRM—across the more than 13 years of its product history.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service earns a mixed Report Card in our in-depth product evaluation—Exceeds Requirements grades in Supplier Viability, Case Management, Knowledge Management, Social Customer Service, and Customer Service Integration, Meets Requirements grades in Capabilities, Product Marketing, and Product Management, and Needs Improvement grades in Search and Reporting.

Large businesses and government organizations that have customer service staffs larger than 300 should consider Dynamics 365 for Customer Service. The product is easy to deploy, packages broad and deep customer service capabilities, and integrates seamlessly with Office 365 and Outlook.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service is the customer service “App” of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 application suite. “Dynamics 365 for Customer Service” provides case management, knowledge management, social customer service, and communities and collaboration capabilities on assisted-service, self-service, and social channels for both cloud and on-premise deployment.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a new brand and a new application suite that Microsoft announced in July 2016 and delivered beginning on November 1, 2016. Dynamics 365 replaces and extends both Dynamics CRM, Microsoft’s suite of marketing, sales, and customer service applications, and Dynamics AX, the company’s operations (ERP) applications.

The Productivity and Business Processes business segment of Microsoft develops, maintains, implements, and supports Microsoft Dynamics 365. Customers purchase perpetual licenses of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service for on-premise deployment and purchase subscription licenses of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service for cloud computing deployment.

To date, we estimate that approximately 35,000 to 45,000 customer accounts, mostly small and mid-sized businesses as well as departments of large organizations, have licensed and deployed the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and its predecessor offerings. These customer accounts are companies like:

•       City of Grand Rapids

•       Kelly Roofing

•       Metro Bank (UK)

•       State of Illinois Department of Corrections

•       Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

•       Ingram Micro

•       Reliance Life Insurance

Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft Corporation was, of course, one of the pioneers and early leaders of the software industry. Today, Microsoft is a $90 billion corporation with 120,000 employees that offers software, services, and devices to businesses and government organizations in more than 100 countries.

The Productivity and Business Processes business segment that offers Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service (as well as the other Dynamics 365 applications, Office and Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, and Skype for Business) generates approximately 30 percent of Microsoft’s revenue. Note that the Productivity and Business Processes segment was formed as a part of Microsoft’s June 2015 reorganization, a reorganization that brought a “mobile first, cloud first” focus to the company’s strategy and business.