Since its initial launch in late 2016, Microsoft’s ground-breaking business application suite, Dynamics 365, has, with a strong development road-map, undergone a raft of changes and updates, with new apps and services still being added.
With so much going on, it can be tricky to get a clear and up-to-date overview of what Dynamics 365 actually offers, the modules available, and the features included. In this guide, we take a look at the whole suite to help you decipher what each app actually does, and decide whether Dynamics 365 could be a good fit for your business.
Microsoft launched the first product in what would become an expansive, and well-known stable of software in 2001, when it acquired Great Plains and Solomon, two existing ERP programs. The following year, Microsoft purchased two more ERP products, Axapta and Navision, and officially launched its Business Solutions division. In 2003, the division released its first homegrown software, a CRM program known simply as CRM 1.0.
Microsoft re-branded these four ERP platforms, along with their own CRM product, under the Microsoft Dynamics umbrella and the following where rolled out in 2005
In 2016, Microsoft released the next phase of its business software solutions. Consolidating together the functionality of all existing Dynamics products into one umbrella solution, and Dynamics 365 was launched to offer both CRM and ERP capabilities in one streamlined product.
There are currently nine primary Dynamics 365 applications, each of which ring-fences an area of CRM or ERP functionality, and can be used in conjunction with a wider package of apps, or on its own.
These apps are available either individually or as part of a plan; Dynamics 365 Plan, D365 Customer Engagement plan (CE), D365 Unified Operations plan (UO).
In line with the license plan options, these apps are offered as standalone entities, with some broken down into even smaller modular chunks – further information below.
An all-in-one ERP business management solution, aimed at SMBs, that helps you connect your financials, sales, service, and operations to streamline business processes, improve customer interactions, and make better decisions.
Positioned as the next step up for businesses that have outgrown their entry-level accounting software, Business Central features an intuitive, easy-to-use interface to help organisations get a clear overview of their finances and business operations
Like the Dynamics family’s other major ERP app, Finance and Operations, it also features manufacturing capabilities.
This app aims to help users deliver excellent, personalised customer service to their customers, at any time, on any channel. Offering a mixture of assisted service management, and self-service opportunities such as customer portals and peer-to-peer support, Customer Service provides agents with the tools and resources they need to add value to their customer interactions, no matter what medium they’re working through.
In this mobile-enabled era, businesses need to be connected to their work and to their customers wherever they are in the world. Dynamics 365 for Field Service gives users the tools they need to operate and offer outstanding service in the field.
Field Service records are aligned with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service apps, so being in the field doesn’t mean working in the dark. The app also provides a central, accessible repository for resources such as manuals, documentation, and training materials.
Dynamics 365 for Marketing, a purpose-built marketing automation app aimed at SMBs. Dynamics 365 for Marketing aims to give companies the tools they need to generate and foster more leads, by aligning their sales and marketing strategies, and automating many of their fundamental marketing processes.
Project Service Automation is an app built to help project-based organisations deliver on time and on budget with a series of tools to plan, resource, and execute billable work, and help keep all of those plates spinning.
The app covers the entire span of the project life-cycle, centralising teams and offering features to optimise opportunity management, project planning, resource management, time and expenses, team collaboration, customer billing and collection, and includes thorough analytical dashboards to help businesses further improve their processes.
Dynamics for Sales allows users to manage their sales processes from beginning to end, from lead generation and pipeline management, to account management and reporting.
Dynamics flagship ERP app, Finance and Operations is heavily based on Dynamics AX, and features everything an organisation needs to manage, plan, and analyse its financial and operational processes. The app unifies financial management and operational processes, making it especially useful for businesses in the retail, fleet management, and professional services industries.
Finance and Operations features more-extensive financial management capabilities than Business Central, and is apt to run economic analysis, as opposed to general business accounting.
The most extensive and robust ERP app in the suite, Finance and Operations covers massive areas of business processes and operations.
Designed as an all-encompassing solution for retailers, Dynamics helps organisations deliver their products across multiple channels while efficiently managing their inventory, organise their merchandising efforts, and meet customer demand.
Microsoft’s first dedicated human capital management app, Dynamics for Talent is designed to bring everything you need to optimise your human resource management together in one app.
If you require help determining the right technology solution for your business, including the license requirements for a specific product or scenario please contact enquiries@azzure-it.com
Azzure IT
10 Europa View, Sheffield Business Park, Sheffield, S9 1XH, UK
The UK’s Leading Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Provider
t. 0345 467 9950
e. enquiries@azzure-it.com
