Overview of Dynamics 365 for Sales

Continuing with the study for MB-900 is an overview of Dynamics 365 for Sales. Dynamics 365 for Sales is built on top of Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE) but is also available as an individual module at a lower cost per user. As the name implies, it is a sales focused application designed to help sales associates drive business and sales managers to dive deeper into the sales data generated.

Example Sales Process
Example Sales Process from Microsoft Learn

The image above, provided by Microsoft, shows an example of the typical sales process. The sales associate will start by qualifying leads. They contact the lead, gather information, and determine if the lead is a good fit, both for the potential customer and the organization as a whole. All actions, such as emails and phone calls, can be tracked against the lead. This information then becomes available to other sales associates and sales managers along the way. This process can be further enhanced by AI for Sales to create custom scoring models and analyze existing organization relationships to improve the likelihood of qualifying leads.

Once a lead is qualified, the lead can be converted to an opportunity. The lead can be linked to an existing contact and/or account. If one does not exist, it will be created and linked automatically during the qualification process. This begins the development cycle, where the opportunity is worked by determining what products and/or services are of interest to the customer. The data collected during this process can be tailored to meet the organizations unique business process flow. That data is then available to other team members on the opportunity record, increasing the chances of closing the opportunity. Like the lead, AI for Sales can be utilized to help increase the chances of closing the deal.

Once all the data is required and the products/services selected, a quote can be generated directly from the opportunity. This quote is sent as a proposal to the customer. The customer can then work with the sales associate to make any changes. Quotes are able to be revised and sent to the customer with the updated information. This feedback loop can happen several times through the life of the quote until the customer accepts the quote.

An accepted quote can automatically generate the sales order and the associated opportunity is closed as won. Integrations into other ERP systems can keep track of current inventory levels required to fulfill the sales order. Once the order is fulfilled, an invoice is generated in order to bill the customer. The invoice generation can come from Dynamics 365 for Sales, but it is not uncommon for it to come from the backend ERP system, such as Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

Video overview of Dynamics 365 for Sales from Microsoft Learn

While this process is similar among many organizations, it is by no means a unique process. Every organization has its own data points that are needed and their own strategies designed to qualify leads and close sales. Dynamics 365 for Sales allows for the creation of new fields and even new entities for gathering information. These new data points can be used in reports, shown on dashboards, and included anywhere in the sales process. With this data, whether from existing entities or custom entities, the industry and business requirements can be filled and the ability of the organization to drive business can be improved.

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