Today, customer expectations are higher than ever. People want fast responses and swift resolutions to feel valued by the businesses they choose to buy from.

However, as your customer base grows, so does demand. It often feels impossible to keep up, with many businesses facing increasing service costs and reduced capacity.

They may also find themselves needing to grow their customer service teams, bringing recruitment expenses and overheads.

Automation can ease the strain. It allows you to deliver consistent customer service at scale, while keeping operating costs down. But to do it right, you need a tool tailored to your business and customer needs.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service makes automation simple, while enabling you to deliver quality experiences and meet internal objectives.

In this blog, we explore how it works.

What is customer service automation?

Customer service automation refers to the use of technology to streamline your customer service operations. You can partially or fully automate various tasks within your processes.

Despite some fears, automation isn’t about replacing human interaction. Instead, it frees up your agents’ time and allows them to focus on more complex issues.

The core benefits of customer service automation include:

• Faster resolution of customer issues, including complaints.
• Increased productivity across your agents.
• Reduced administration.
• A consistent approach across cases.
• Improved job satisfaction for your agents.

How Dynamics 365 helps with customer service automation_

Automation promises many benefits. But to introduce it effectively into your operations, you need the right tool.

Dynamics 365 offers significant advantages for businesses looking to employ such a tool. With a specific module dedicated to customer service (unsurprisingly called Dynamics 365 Customer Service!), you can drive service levels with purpose-built features.

These include:

• Omni-channel support: Dynamics 365 helps you to manage inquiries across various channels (including email, phone, chat) in a unified platform. You get the full context, always, without having to hop between platforms. It also allows customers to benefit from consistent experiences wherever they get in touch.
• Case management: Automate case creation, routing and escalation based on your pre-defined rules. It means you can allow queries and complaints to progress through the right people, at the right time, without manual intervention.
• AI-powered features: Leverage Microsoft Copilot to analyse customer sentiment, create self-serve chatbots and recommend relevant knowledge articles for faster resolution to issues.
• Reporting and analytics: Gain insights into customer service performance and identify areas for improvement, so you can focus on driving service quality and satisfaction.
• Self-service: Make it easier for customers to help themselves, by directing them to knowledge base articles for FAQs or automating the resetting of passwords.
• Regular updates: Send automated notifications to customers for order confirmation, dispatches and delivery updates to keep them in the loop.

The benefits of Dynamics 365 Customer Service_

You may be wondering why Dynamics 365 is the best solution for customer service automation. Simply put, it offers extensive rewards for your business, including:

Enhanced customer satisfaction_

Dynamics 365 Customer Service makes automation easily accessible. And automated systems can answer basic queries and resolve simple issues immediately. This significantly reduces wait times and improves the customer experience.

Moreover, streamlined workflows and automated task management ensure quicker resolution, leading to happier customers.

Satisfied customers are also more likely to spend more money with you and remain loyal, helping to drive your bottom line.

Increased agent productivity_

By automating repetitive tasks, Dynamics 365 Customer Service allows agents to focus on more complex inquiries that require personalised attention and problem-solving skills.

Automated processes also minimise the chances of human error and ensure consistent service delivery across all channels.

Plus, in times of peak demand, automation enables your agents to keep up and avoid bottlenecks.

Reduced operational costs_

Automated workflows eliminate the need for manual data entry and repetitive tasks. This saves your team valuable time and effort. With increased productivity, you can minimise operating costs and get more work done.

It also saves you having to recruit and train additional agents, which reduces costs further.

Improved customer experience_

As Dynamics 365 Customer Services provides omnichannel support, you can manage multiple channels and ensure a seamless experience.

Features like AI-powered recommendations and self-service knowledge bases allow customers to find solutions independently. Plus, Dynamics 365’s functionality offers customers support that feels personalised, even with automation.

By freeing capacity, you’ll also give agents a chance to go the extra mile and really drive customer experience.

Data-driven insights_

There is always room to improve when it comes to customer satisfaction. Dynamics 365 Customer Service offers valuable insights into performance, helping you to identify trends and measure the effectiveness of your automation strategies.

You can then leverage this data to anticipate customer needs and proactively offer support, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Getting started with Dynamics 365 for Customer Service_

Taking the first step towards automated customer service with Dynamics 365 is easier than you might think. Here’s a basic roadmap to get you started:

1. Assessment and planning_

Start by identifying areas where automation can streamline processes and improve efficiency. Ideally, these will cover repetitive tasks and areas where agents spend the most amount of time.

Next, you need to define your goals. Determine what you want to achieve with customer service automation, such faster response times, reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction.

With your goals in place, it’s time to plan. This should cover the specific functionalities you want from Dynamics 365 and how it will integrate with your existing systems and processes.

2. Implementation_

Once your plan is ready, you can focus on how you’ll implement Dynamics 365. We recommend working with a Microsoft partner to design and configure Dynamics 365 for your specific needs. You’ll also need IT resource to support during this stage, including setting up user permissions, customising workflows and integrating with existing data sources.

During the setup, you’ll want to develop a comprehensive knowledge base with self-service solutions for common customer inquiries and troubleshooting steps.

You’ll also want to utilise features like case routing, email response templates and AI-powered chatbots to automate various customer service tasks. These should map onto your existing processes to make sure everything is covered.

3. Training and rollout_

You need to provide your customer service agents with training on the new Dynamics 365 platform and its automation features. This will ensure they can effectively use the system and handle any situation for consistently high-quality service.

Consider a pilot launch with a limited group of users to test the effectiveness of your automation strategy. This gives you time to identify any areas for improvement before full deployment, and secure early buy-in internally.

4. Monitoring and optimisation_

It’s crucial to utilise Dynamics 365’s reporting and analytics tools to monitor performance. You can track key metrics like agent productivity, case resolution times and customer satisfaction.

By analysing this data, you can identify areas where automation can be further optimised or expanded to meet your evolving customer service needs. This will allow you to continually improve and deliver outstanding service.

Exploring Dynamics 365 Customer Service with Infinity Group_

When it comes to Dynamics 365 Customer Service, we like to think of ourselves as experts.

As one of the largest Dynamics partners in the UK with an elite team of certified consultants, we work for many well-known brands, planning, tailoring, implementing and fully supporting Dynamics 365 solutions across the full application stack.

As such, we can help you configure and customise a Dynamics 365 Customer Service solution that fits your objectives. With flexible licensing options, you’ll gain an automated system to suit your budget, needs and growth goals.

Get in touch today to speak with one of our experienced consultants.