Navigating the 2024 release wave 1 of Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Microsoft recently announced the 2024 release wave 1 of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service. In this release wave, the powerful end-to-end customer service automation tool will receive several enhancements designed to streamline processes and redefine customer interactions. In this blog, we will explore Microsoft’s investment areas of this release and highlight key features that empower businesses to elevate their support and satisfaction.

If you missed our last blog, learn about Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2023 release wave 2.

Microsoft’s commitment to innovation in customer service continues to shine with the 2024 release wave 1 of Dynamics 365 Customer Service. As businesses navigate an ever-evolving landscape of customer expectations, Microsoft remains at the forefront, providing tools and solutions that empower organizations to deliver exceptional customer experiences. This latest release introduces several investment areas designed to enhance efficiency, personalization, and overall customer satisfaction.

Key investment areas in the Dynamics 365 Customer Service:

• AI-powered insights and recommendations: Microsoft recognizes the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming customer service operations. With Dynamics 365 Customer Service, AI-powered insights and recommendations enable organizations to anticipate customer needs, streamline processes, and empower agents to deliver proactive and personalized support.
• Omnichannel engagement: In today’s interconnected world, customers expect seamless experiences across multiple channels. The latest release of Dynamics 365 Customer Service strengthens omnichannel engagement capabilities, enabling businesses to connect with customers through their preferred channels, including voice, chat, email, social media, and more.
• Unified knowledge management: Knowledge is a cornerstone of effective customer service. Microsoft’s investment in unified knowledge management equips agents with a centralized repository of accurate and up-to-date information, enabling them to resolve inquiries efficiently and consistently across all touchpoints.
• Enhanced self-service options: Empowering customers to find answers and resolve issues independently is key to delivering exceptional service experiences. The latest release of Dynamics 365 Customer Service expands self-service options, offering intuitive portals, chatbots, and knowledge bases that enable customers to access information and support whenever they need it.
• Integrated analytics and reporting: Data-driven insights are essential for optimizing customer service operations and driving continuous improvement. With integrated analytics and reporting capabilities, Dynamics 365 Customer Service equips organizations with actionable insights into customer behavior, agent performance, and service trends, enabling them to make informed decisions and deliver superior experiences.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2024 release wave 1 represents Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to empowering organizations to deliver exceptional customer service experiences. With Dynamics 365 Customer Service, organizations can cultivate lasting customer relationships, drive loyalty, and differentiate themselves in a competitive landscape.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2024 Release Wave 1 brings innovation to manage emails sent to multiple queue-enabled mailboxes, ensuring full visibility of customer issues across all relevant teams. Instead of converting a multi-recipient email into a single case, the system now automatically creates separate corresponding cases off each recipient mailbox. This means teams can work in parallel, responding to customer issues quickly and independently, improving case handling time, and avoiding potential delays or violations of service level agreements (SLAs).

Key capabilities of this feature include:

• Automatic case generation: When an email is sent to multiple queue-enabled mailboxes (To, Cc, Bcc), individual cases are created for each mailbox, ensuring comprehensive coverage and accountability.
• Case-email association: Each case is seamlessly linked to the original email, providing agents with context-rich information directly within the case timeline.
• Independent response handling: Agents belonging to any of the recipient queues can independently address customer queries from the respective case, streamlining collaboration and resolution processes.
• Streamlined customer communication: Replies from customers are automatically associated with the original case, eliminating the need to create new cases and ensuring continuity in case management.
• Dynamic case creation: In scenarios where customers reply to the original email while adding a new queue-enabled mailbox, a new case is created for the additional mailbox. The replied email is then linked to both existing and new cases, facilitating efficient tracking and resolution.

This feature streamlines case management processes, enhances collaboration among teams, and empowers agents to deliver exceptional customer service experiences.

Ensuring optimal resource allocation in customer service is crucial for cost efficiency and maintaining customer satisfaction. With the ability to forecast case volumes at 15-minute intervals, customer service managers can enhance agent planning and scheduling precision, minimizing overcapacity costs and reducing customer wait times.

Building upon existing capabilities, this enhancement provides:

• Daily Case Volume Forecasting: Core feature remains intact, allowing for daily forecasting of case volumes. Visualization options expanded to include daily, weekly, and monthly forecasts, extending up to six months.
• Granular Forecasting at 15-Minute Intervals: Introduction of new functionality enables forecasting of case volumes at 15-minute intervals. Provides managers with the ability to analyze shorter timeframes for precise scheduling and resource allocation.
• Slicing Capabilities: Users can slice forecasted volumes by channel and queue, facilitating targeted analysis and planning.
• Seasonality Detection: Automatic detection of seasonality patterns from historical data assists in accurately predicting case volumes during special or seasonal events. Aids in proactive planning for anticipated spikes in customer inquiries.

By empowering customer service managers with granular forecasting capabilities, this enhancement aims to optimize operational efficiency and improve overall customer service quality.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service is committed to refining the communication aspect of its suite with the introduction of an end-of-call rating feature in the 2024 Release Wave 1. This feature enables a structured mechanism for collecting feedback on call quality after calls, as configured by administrators. By proactively capturing insights directly from users after their calls, companies can address often undetected issues, fine-tuning customer experience, and guiding improvements in service.

Key functionalities include:

• Leave star ratings: Agents will be prompted to leave a star rating, on a scale of 1 to 5, at the end of a selected percentage of calls, to assess the overall customer service experience.
• Provide improvement feedback: For ratings of 4 and below, users have the opportunity to share specific areas for improvement, facilitating targeted enhancements and problem resolution.
• Customizable frequency: Administrators can choose to configure the rating prompt to appear after every 1 call to 100 calls, ensuring flexibility in feedback collection based on organizational needs and preferences.
• Time-bound surveys: Admins have the option to run the feedback survey for a specific time-bound period, allowing for focused feedback collection efforts and evaluation of improvement initiatives over time.

This feature empowers organizations to proactively gather insights, address customer concerns, and continuously improve call quality, ultimately delivering exceptional customer service experiences.

Safeguarding sensitive data isn’t just a necessity—it’s a mandate for contact centers. The 2024 release wave 1 of Dynamics 365 Customer Service introduces an advanced sensitive data masking feature, aimed at protecting customer information from the moment of acquisition through to transmission and storage. This initiative not only reinforces customer trust by demonstrating a steadfast commitment to privacy but also ensures regulatory compliance, thereby reducing the risk of penalties. Furthermore, it creates a secure operational environment for both agents and supervisors, enabling them to focus on delivering exceptional customer service without concerns over data breaches.

Key Features and Benefits:

• Administrative control: Define sensitive data handling and masking rules applicable to data storage, IVR, and agent sessions.
• Service-wide application: Apply masking rules uniformly across transcription and call recording services for comprehensive protection.
• Audit trails: Feature robust auditing capabilities to monitor changes to sensitive data rules and access to sensitive data hosts within Dataverse entities.

As your trusted support partner for Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Rand Group is committed to showcasing the latest advancements within Dynamics 365 Customer Service tailored to your organization’s needs. Our commitment goes beyond just introducing these features; we aim to equip your team with thorough training to harness these updates effectively, maximizing your ROI. Are you prepared to unlock the potential of the Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2024 release wave 1? Contact Rand Group today to arrange a consultation.