New features for Microsoft Dynamics 365 reveal heavy push on AI and Copilot incorporation and functionality
Microsoft recently published its plans for Microsoft Dynamics 365 outlining all the new features and capabilities that are planned for release between April 2024 and September 2024.
Microsoft states that this wave introduces diverse enhancements across various business applications, emphasising improved user experiences, productivity, innovative app development and automation, and advanced AI capabilities.
“This first release wave of the year offers hundreds of new features and improvements, showcasing our ongoing commitment to fuelling digital transformation for both our customers and partners,” wrote Microsoft CVP and Business Applications and Platform COO Mo Osborne.
Some of the 2024 release wave 1 early access features include:
Dynamics 365 Sales
- Get real-time insights with Copilot on the home page
- Plan and perform assigned tasks with preview of sequence steps
Dynamics 365 Finance
- Use AI to power collections workspace timeline summary
- Archive general ledger posted data
Dynamics 365 Customer Service
- Use enhanced attachment experience while composing email
- Use skills to find agents for consult, transfer scenarios
Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
- Forecast with intelligence for validated demand plans
- Manage compliance with export control restrictions
- Complete bank account reconciliation faster with Copilot
Exploiting AI and Copilot in Dynamics 365
Not entirely surprising, this wave of new features is heavily influenced by AI and the expansion of Copilot, especially within the Sales, Customer Service, Finance and Supply Chain Management modules, as Mo Osborne explained:
“Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is delivering substantial enhancements, with a central emphasis on harnessing the power of Copilot. Available in more than 160 countries, the team is focused on Copilot-driven capabilities to streamline and enhance productivity through enhanced reporting and data analysis capabilities, elevated project and financial management, and simplified workflow automation. We have also upgraded our development and governance tools and introduced improvements in managing data privacy and compliance.”
In the 2024 release wave 1 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales the updates focus on providing sellers timely customer information, expediting deals with actionable insights, improving productivity, and empowering organisations through open configurability and expanded generative AI leadership.
Additionally, Microsoft Copilot for Sales aims to deliver and enhance cutting-edge generative AI capabilities for sellers by enriching the Copilot in Microsoft 365 capabilities with sales specific skills, data, and actions.
This roadmap also reveals how Microsoft is also adding AI powered experiences to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance to enhance business performance planning and analytics, helping to ease the setup of financial dimension defaulting with AI rules guidance, as well as increasing automation in bank reconciliation, netting, expanding country coverage, tax automation, and scalability.
Within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Microsoft is aiming to use Copilot to enhance business processes for increased insight and agility, helping to transform the forecast process in demand planning and optimise warehouse processes for greater efficiency and accuracy.
Also exploiting Copilot, agents using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service will be able to filter response verification, as well as benefit from use diagnostic tools and usability improvements to multi-session apps.
Starting February 5, 2024, customers and partners will be able to validate the latest features in a non-production environment. These features include user experience enhancements that will be automatically enabled for users in production environments during April 2024.
You can browse the release plan online (updated throughout the month), view it in the Release planner, or download the information as a PDF file, which is updated with every publish.
For more information on how BPA Platform can integrate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with other applications and business systems, download the brochure below or call us on +44(0) 330 99 88 700.
