In October, the 2020 release Wave 2 will launch for Dynamics 365 in Europe. With early access available from 3rd August, the update enables faster bug fixes, performance improvements plus straightforward training and documentation. With two updates throughout the year – plus minor regular service updates in between – the bi-annual updates mean that there is one version for all users.
Crimson had early access to these updates, so we have outlined the main changes or new features across the Dynamics 365 range, so you know what to expect. You can read Microsoft’s full PDF here for more information. (LINK)
For Dynamics 365 Marketing, there are three areas of change in the upcoming Wave 2 release that are mandatory, and available for early access. The new canvas experience offers an enhanced UI and a new view of journey insights, as well as more options that result in a more intuitive user experience. By completely redesigning the canvas, you can customise it to your preferences, resulting in improved visual journey insights.
Social media marketing can be found in almost every marketing plan, as social channels are powerful communication methods to attract prospects and customers. Scheduling, creating, and planning are made easy across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, with a redesigned experience post-creation to engage marketers when building content. With a calendar view to schedule content, creating consistent streams of social content has been made easier.
Email marketing is also a common marketing tactic, but it is often difficult to engage your audience. More attractive emails are more likely to be read, and Dynamics 365 Marketing now enables you to create customised emails without HTML, that are fast to produce. Background images, call-to-actions and device compatibility has also been improved.
As well as these three updates, Teams integration and form data collection have been improved. Registrations, communications and reports for webinars can be hosted in Teams and managed in Dynamics 365. As more events are becoming virtual, it streamlines the event planning process by integrating webinars directly with the marketing app. Form data can now be collecting under other entities – other than lead or contact – adding flexibility to marketers. This can then go on to trigger custom workflows or Power Automate processes. 
One of the most significant early access features for Dynamics 365 Sales is regarding email experience. When composing emails from the timeline section, the email will open as a new window that can be minimised and maximised. This allows the user to view information in the account/contact records while writing the email. Inline file and image attachments will also be available, as well as quick preview for files. The timeline section will be featuring a number of updates – the rest will be covered later.
Users will also be able to configure forecasts, with custom entities available for roll-ups and hierarchies to support more complex requirements. The forecast will also be able to be broken down by categories and available for multicurrency support for international teams.
For teams that prefer to send documents in PDF form, users are now able to convert to PDF quickly to send reports, files, and records. These can then be added to records or emailed straight to a contact. This functionality is now available for all entities – not just for orders or quotes as in the previous wave functionality.
Another commonly used feature for Dynamics 365 Sales is the mobile app. This will also be updated, making tasks easier to complete on the go and searching for customer information easier than ever.
There is an array of updates for Dynamics 365 Customer Services. There will be new forms and dashboards available, and emails are improved timeline update discussed in the Dynamics 365 for Sales section. Users will also be able to use email templates, that feel familiar and modern, to streamline the email experience. Email articles are now able to be collapsed or expanded to improve the editing/viewing experience.
For remaining customer using the legacy scheduling experience, there will now be seamless migration to a UCI-based scheduler, with no impact on user experience. Several entities will be automatically migrated, including site, search availability and resource group.
The queue item experience has also been updated, with agents available to view current assignee, time it entered the queue and when it was last modified.
Other updates for Dynamics 365 Customer Services also include: personalisation of sound notifications and quick replies; app profile manager for multisession apps; real-time translation for messages; post-conversation surveys; SLA pause and resume enhancements; IoT alert measures and many more.
Dynamics 365 Field Services is another app with several updated or new features. There is a new dashboard for field service metrics, enabling managers or dispatchers to monitor KPIs. The new work order metrics show users the estimated duration of a work order, as well as the history of the work order’s life cycle. This links with the new calendar view for booking work orders and enhances work hours calendar for requirements. Technician’s will also be able to track time on the mobile app, helping to accurately record cost and revenue. Another time-based update is the new travel preferences option. This allows for accurate scheduling, which now takes into account travelling from home/office when starting/ending a shift. Extra travel outside of working hours can be assigned to technicians.
Asset hierarchy and location has also been enhanced, enabling dispatchers to pinpoint locations within a physical space, including large office buildings and campus sites. This adds flexibility when working with large sites and saves valuable time.
The Field Service mobile app will feature some updates, including push notifications to alert technicians of new bookings, or cancellations. The app can now also store record service photos and video up to 32MB.
To find out about the Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Dynamics 365 Human Resources, Dynamics 365 Commerce and Dynamics 365 Business Central updates click here.
Navigation updates
The Dynamics 365 applications will also have some navigation updates to improve productivity and save dashboard space. The Dynamics 365 logo shown in the top left corner will no longer send you to home when you click on it. Instead, there is now a home button underneath it – shown in the image below. You can navigate to different apps by clicking on the current app name – shown below as ‘Sales Hub’. The breadcrumb – which shows which shows navigation history – has now been replaced with a simple ‘back’ button, adding more space in the top bar. Users now have the option of adding a search bar into the additional space in the top bar.
Mobile App Updates
The navigation on the Dynamics 365 app will also be updated, with more swipe gestures to access menus and improve navigation efficiency. The command buttons have also been moved to the bottom of the screen, so they are easier to reach, and the size of the buttons have increased to make them easier to use. As these buttons are larger, search and menu buttons have been moved to the top of the screen, and quick create has also been added to improve discoverability. This means that the amount of clicks it takes to create a new record has decreased, saving time, and improving efficiency. Email activity form has also been added to the app, and the expanded menus are easier to use.
How do I onboard the update?
The first onboarding process is to set it up. By 16-18 October, the automatic features will be applied, and the official wave of new features will start. You can start looking at these optional features to apply.
For more information or advice about the Wave 2 update, get in touch.
