Boost Agent Efficiency & CX with Dynamics 365 Customer Service

In the world of customer service, technology can be a double-edged sword.

The advances and tools available to enhance productivity and customer experience are exciting and developing at a furious pace.

But the downside of technology is always lurking: A single negative customer experience can sweep across social media channels like wildfire, and before you know it, your company is under a microscope, and you’re in damage control mode, struggling to improve things going forward while remaining competitive and balancing costs.

As Bill Gates notoriously said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Indeed.

But if your company is challenged by mediocre customer service ratings, where do you start? You know all about customers' rising expectations, but you need to know how to learn from their experiences – both good and bad.

Customer service teams in organizations that still use on-premise software are challenged by the need to shuffle between various platforms to resolve support issues, lack of personalized interactions, slow resolutions that leave customers frustrated, and insufficient (or nonexistent!) self-service options.

Enter Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

This cloud platform enables digital transformation and omnichannel communication and ultimately satisfies rising customer expectations.

Read on to learn about the transformative benefits it can help you achieve through maximized productivity, synchronous communication, and company-wide visibility, all of which lead to personalized customer experiences, exceptional customer service, and increased trust in your market.

What IS Dynamics for Customer Service?

A component of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM capabilities, Dynamics 365 Customer Service empowers organizations to leverage automation and real-time data to provide a unified customer experience.

A unified customer experience, sometimes called a 360-degree view, is one in which all customer information is immediately available to the representatives in real time.

All customer history is accessible to the agent in one place, enabling faster issue resolution and ultimately happier, loyal customers.

Here are some examples of how a unified customer service experience can transform customer interactions with a company:

• Streamlined case management and knowledge management allow support agents to provide omnichannel support, handling all activities from one platform, using real-time information. No more passing clients around to multiple departments.
• Support is personalized, and issues are resolved quickly. Agents already know the client's history and past issues. No need to rehash the details of each prior issue.
• Customer self-service tools are available for quick resolutions. Customers only talk to a human if they want to.
• Automation allows for quick information and actions that increase productivity and decrease customer wait times. Hello happier customers!

In addition, Dynamics 365 Customer Service is pre-integrated with the other Dynamics 365 applications and other Microsoft products like Teams, Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office), Power Automate, Power BI, and Azure.

Helping Businesses Do More In Less Time - With Better Results

A stellar customer service agent is the linchpin of a great customer experience and directly impacts how your company is perceived.

The role requires a wide range of skills to be successful: patience and empathy, the ability to multitask, excellent organizational skills, and product knowledge, to name just a few.

Below are some key features of Dynamics 365 Customer Service, which allows teams to increase their productivity while enhancing customer service and driving loyalty:

Automation

Relying solely on human-only processes and interactions does not serve your clients OR your teams – doing so means longer wait and resolution times for customers and hampered productivity for your customer service teams.

Automation can streamline routine tasks via automatic case routing and AI technology, which suggests relevant knowledge-base assets and details about similar cases, enabling agents to focus on complex issues and inquiries.

In fact, McKinsey estimates that nearly two-thirds of customer service tasks and up to 70% of contacts can be automated with an AI-powered omnichannel contact center solution.

Resources such as customer self-service portals, chatbots, and a comprehensive knowledge base empower customers to resolve issues quickly themselves (if they want), often saving them valuable time.

Consider what that could mean for your organization in terms of productivity and efficiency alone before moving on to the rest of this list.

Security and Compliance

The best customer relationships are built on trust, and security and compliance are critical components to gaining that trust. Dynamics 365 Customer Service helps organizations build that trust with powerful security and compliance features.

The platform’s advanced security technologies safeguard sensitive data and adhere strictly to global compliance standards.

As a result, your customers can trust that you’re in compliance with regulatory requirements and that their information is handled securely, making you a trustworthy choice for businesses focused on data integrity.

Anytime/Anywhere Access

Accessibility has become a non-negotiable in customer service.

The availability of support from anywhere and at any time is not just a nice-to-have for your customers—it’s an expectation. A cloud-based solution like Dynamics 365 Customer Service provides accessibility from any device, anywhere.

This means that customer service agents can respond to inquiries promptly, whether they are working in the office or remotely.

This enhanced ability to provide continuous and effective support can mean the difference between customer indifference and customer loyalty.

User-Friendly Interface

Remember that time you had to learn a new technology or device and be well-versed in it yesterday?

It’s bad enough when you’re an individual learner, but when you have to educate entire teams on a platform they’re totally unfamiliar with?

That can be painful.

We’ve all been there, including Microsoft, which is why they designed the Dynamics 365 interface with simplicity in mind.

All tools and features, including Customer Service, were designed with simplicity as a priority to reduce the learning curve for new users.

There’s no need to switch between applications to access the different functionalities, resulting in streamlined operations and game-changing productivity.

Owning and Enhancing Customer Experience

Frederick Reicheld, inventor of the Net Promoter Score, found that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% or more.

This compelling but time-proven statistic reinforces the importance of investing in the right tools for customer service teams in steering companies toward success.

A cloud platform with automation and AI capabilities can compile customer data from various channels, creating a single view of each customer’s journey for all team members.

There truly is no better way to improve your business's customer journey.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service is your support ticket to success in providing an exceptional customer experience that includes:

• Omnichannel support via phone, email, and chat for improved accessibility and quicker resolutions
• Personalized interactions through real-time customer history and sentiment analysis
• Customer empowerment with self-service options, including a comprehensive knowledge base and self-service portal
• Scalability for businesses of all sizes
• Adaptability for diverse industries with a variety of unique customer service needs

All of this in a single, user-friendly, all-in-one cloud solution for increased agent productivity and outstanding customer experience.

If this article has piqued your interest in how your company can transform your customer service experience and scale your business, reach out to TrellisPoint.

As a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service partner, we’d love to hear from you and can even set you up for a free trial of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service to experience the benefits first-hand.

Learn more about transforming your customer experience with Dynamics 365 Customer Service, or contact TrellisPoint now.

About the Author

TrellisPoint helps businesses grow with our expert optimization of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform suite.

Our customers understand there is no substitute for 20+ years of deep experience transforming and personalizing departments like Sales, Marketing, Project Operations, and Customer Service - all backed by cutting-edge decision-making analytics.