Dynamics 365 and Teams Integration

It is essential that modern businesses focus on teamwork and collaboration to deliver the best possible experience to their customers. Microsoft have recognised this fact and at the recent Microsoft Ignite conference announced that they are greatly enhancing the integration between the Teams and Dynamics 365 platforms.

 Embedded Teams Chat in Dynamics 365

During the event, Microsoft announced one of the most sought-after features requested by developers in the past year and showed that users will be able to access one-on-one chats, group chats and meetings linked to a record in Dynamics 365 without the need to ever leave the page containing the records information.  It was also confirmed that this functionality will be rolled out across the Field Service, Sales and Customer Service modules to ensure team working and collaboration can be achieved regardless of department or role. 

Embedded Teams dialling in Dynamics 365

Microsoft also demonstrated at the event the ability for users to make calls directly from Dynamics 365 using Teams. During the demo, Microsoft showed off some of the key features of this new functionality including the ability to have Teams automatically transcribe the call and highlight key business terms, suggested follow actions will be shown for users and the ability to take notes that feed straight back into the phone call activity record. 

Post Teams Chat Summary

Once users have finished making a call in Teams or hosting a meeting, within seconds they are presented with a rich post-call summary which includes call playback and transcription, actions to be completed and tags of key words mentioned during the call. These data points can be used to track trends and provide the company with a better understanding of customer needs.

The first wave of the Teams and Dynamics 365 integration will be released in the Sales module in May 2021. If you would like more information regarding Dynamics 365 and what it could provide for your business, please email solutions@endeavour-is.com.

Real Time Customer Journey Orchestration

So yesterday as I was recovering from the last of the chocolate fest that is Easter, I watched the Microsoft Business Applications Launch Event which provided and in-depth look at the new features and capabilities of the 2021 release wave 1 for Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform.

Microsoft have really added a lot to the offerings but one demo that particularly caught my eye was “Customer Journey Orchestration”. Those that know me, know that I love a good automation as well as music, so this title intrigued me with its reference to orchestration...

After the event ended, I decided to have a deeper look into the subject and a wee play in our Dynamics 365 sandbox environment – this is amazing!!!

The real-time customer journey orchestrations capabilities is part of Dynamics 365 Marketing and is being released this month for preview (in Europe and North America) and brings together customer experience and marketing automation.

Under the hood, AI processes each customer’s data, and makes recommendations for content, channel, customer segmentations and analytics, as well as assisting with targeted journey authoring which adapts to customer interactions

If you want to watch a quick video on how it works, check out this video about how the Campari Group is using this capability:

For more detailed information, there is a great session from Microsoft Ignite that you should check out:

Endeavour awarded seventh Microsoft gold competency

We are delighted to announce that Endeavour has attained the Gold Data Platform Competency from Microsoft, awarded to partners who demonstrate their technical capability to make sure that customer database systems operate efficiently, secure data from unauthorized access, and categorize data so that it can be translated into business insights.

Thank you to our team for attaining the required Microsoft Exams that are required to attain this award.

In addition to this new competency, we also hold six Gold competencies and five Silver competencies.

As a cloud-first focused Microsoft Partner we are extremely proud of our technical achievements and we hope that being awarded these competencies assures our current and future customers in our technical competence to deliver scalable solutions, deployed using a wide range of Microsoft cloud-based solutions that help meet compliance, replace complex and costly legacy systems and give them the necessary advantage in the current mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Endeavour awarded sixth Microsoft gold competency

We are delighted to announce that Endeavour has attained the Gold Windows and Devices Competency from Microsoft, awarded to partners who demonstrate the ability to deliver services, offer devices or build, test, and maintain applications optimized for the Windows environment. .

Thank you to our team for attaining the required Microsoft Exams that are required to attain this award.

In addition to this new competency, we already hold five Gold competencies and six Silver competencies.

As a cloud-first focused Microsoft Partner we are extremely proud of our technical achievements and we hope that being awarded these competencies assures our current and future customers in our technical competence to deliver scalable solutions, deployed using a wide range of Microsoft cloud-based solutions that help meet compliance, replace complex and costly legacy systems and give them the necessary advantage in the current mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Dynamics 365, Portals, Electronic Signatures, Text Messages and more

Business has changed so much in the last 12 months and many aspects of this change are positive but not all businesses have embraced this new change. I recently had to register a power of attorney (POA) with a high street bank with very few branches in Northern Ireland. In these different times and seeing how our clients have adapted, I assumed that all businesses had adapted new digital ways in support of the government’s message about staying at home. Alas no… They want me to post the original POA, my passport or driving licence (I’ve opted for the passport as I’m not likely to need it over the next few months) and a utility bill dated within the last 4 months. But here’s the thing, all my utility bills are online but they won’t accept a printed version of the downloaded bill and have insisted that I contact my utility suppliers and request that they send me a bill. I know all of the reasons why they are requesting this but my own bank have gone out of their way to make the new banking experience both for our personal and business accounts as easy as possible and active encourage us not go to a branch. So what’s the first thing that I will be doing when I finally get the POA registered? I’ll be closing the account and transferring it to a new account with my own bank.

The reason that I’m sharing this story with you is because it has reminded me about the great work that our clients are doing to change their processes and keep in contact with their clients and customers. Many have updated their Dynamics 365 to integrate electronic signature capture with automated workflows for reminders. Others have provided online portals for their clients to be able to manage documents, communications and requests for service. Integrating automated text messages for regular contact is also an easy way to keep in touch.

I hope that many of the digital transformations that have taken place over the last 12 months inspire businesses to investigate what more they can do to improve their customers’ experience but only time will tell and I fear that those who do not embrace this change as a new opportunity will fall behind their competitors.

New Year - New Job: does this sound like you?

• Enjoys the challenge of problem solving

• Has a clear, logical and analytical mind

• Has a positive “can do” attitude

• Strives for excellence with an enquiring mind embracing change

• Follows the latest trends in technology

• Shares knowledge with a dedication to continual learning and accreditation

• Investigates new technologies and ways of working

• Believes in the power of teamwork

• Treats others with respect and encouragement

• Ambitious, self-motivated, trustworthy and reliable

• Fluent in English with excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills

If this sounds like you, why not visit our website at www.endeavour-is.com/careers to see the latest positions available. We’re always looking for the right people to join our team, so if the list above sounds like you, please forward your CV to careers@endeavour-is.com if there isn’t a suitable position available.

Endeavour awarded additional Microsoft gold competency

We are delighted to announce that Endeavour has attained the Gold Project and Portfolio Management Competency from Microsoft, awarded to partners who demonstrate the ability to deliver enterprise project management solutions to customers.

Thank you to our team for attaining the required Microsoft Exams that are required to attain this award.

In addition to this new competency, we already hold four Gold competencies and seven Silver competencies.

As a cloud-first focused Microsoft Partner we are extremely proud of our technical achievements and we hope that being awarded these competencies assures our current and future customers in our technical competence to deliver scalable solutions, deployed using a wide range of Microsoft cloud-based solutions that help meet compliance, replace complex and costly legacy systems and give them the necessary advantage in the current mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Endeavour's Deployment Planning Services

Microsoft have confirmed that Endeavour has met the requirements for the following Deployment Planning Services:

• SQL Server

• SharePoint

• Private Cloud, Management and Virtualization

• Desktop

• Skype for Business and Exchange

As an approved Planning Services partner, we provide pre-deployment planning engagements for enterprise customers that are funded by Microsoft.

If you’re interested in having a chat about how we can help your organisation with pre-deployment planning, please contact Blaithin or Lee on 028 9031 1010/0131 376 0090 or email solutions@endeavour-is.com.

Endeavour awarded additional Microsoft Gold competency

We are delighted to announce that Endeavour has attained the Gold Application Integration Competency from Microsoft, awarded to partners and developers who integrate unique applications and solutions into various products across the Microsoft ecosystem.

Thank you to our team for attaining the required Microsoft Exams that are required to attain this award.

In addition to this new competency, we already hold three Gold competencies and eight Silver competencies.

As a cloud-first focused Microsoft Partner we are extremely proud of our technical achievements and we hope that being awarded these competencies assures our current and future customers in our technical competence to deliver scalable solutions, deployed using a wide range of Microsoft cloud-based solutions that help meet compliance, replace complex and costly legacy systems and give them the necessary advantage in the current mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Digital Transformation During a Global Pandemic - Are You Joking?

Blaithin Surgeoner, Partner at Endeavour Information Solutions shares her experience of meeting the challenges of enforced change using the latest Microsoft Cloud technologies.

I’m not sure that there is ever a “right time” for an organisation to undertake a digital transformation but most people would think that during a global pandemic with so many uncertainties would definitely be the absolute worst time to start the digital transformation journey. And yet, if our experience over the last six months has taught us anything, it’s that this is exactly the time when it is needed most.

There is no single definition of digital transformation and its different for every organisation, but the goal is to improve efficiency and accuracy and to reduce risk to the organisation by adopting modern digital technology.

Most organisation’s journey starts with documenting and reviewing manual or older digital processes. Then with lots of “what if …” questions, “what if we could do x”, “what if we changed the way we do process y” and some creative thought based on knowledge of what modern technology can deliver, a proposed solution is formed.

Most people associate digital transformation with cloud computing and the paperless office and whilst these can be part of a proposed solution, there are a lot of other factors to consider.

As a Microsoft partner who has delivered numerous business solutions to a wide range of clients, and a background in financial, management and IT consultancy, we have the benefit of being able to use Microsoft’s software both for our own business but also for experimenting with, typically exploring the functionality of each product both individually and joined together to create a solution.

So why is now a good time for digital transformation? As many organisations are working full time or part time from home, cloud computing offers a flexible solution for email, collaboration on documents, file sharing, communication (video and messaging) along with security and scalability. Cloud computing also has the advantage of delivering frequent updates.

Most of us have adapted how we perform tasks because of working from home. One of the first things that we implemented at Endeavour, was the use of Microsoft Cloud services to scan accounts documents to SharePoint so that our accounts team could continue to operate and overnight our accounts function became paperless. We then added a few automated workflows using Power Automate to implement some of our previous processes including approvals. Our HR and Recruitment team quickly followed and added in Power Apps to collect and validate data and Customer Voice (previously Forms Pro) to collect and analyse data.

At Endeavour, we’ve always championed the use of SharePoint in organisations for document management, intranets and extranets, so we quickly created an internal resource for staff on COVID-19 which contains all the information that our teams in Belfast and Edinburgh need to know and which is quickly updated as the situation changes across the UK regions and includes data feeds from government and regional statistics in Power BI. The relevant forms are also embedded in this SharePoint site.

Three years ago, when our on-premise telephone system was due for an upgrade, we implemented Microsoft Teams VoIP call technology which enabled us to continue receiving and making calls whether we were in the offices or at home.

Microsoft Teams also allowed us to stay in touch with colleagues using chat, audio calls and video calls and every Friday afternoon we had an “All Hands” meeting to update everyone on what was happening in the business as well as provide some with the opportunity to play their guitars to a captive audience!

We continue to rely heavily on Dynamics 365 for sales, customer service and marketing with journeys to guide and support colleagues through relationship building and supporting our clients.

And the technologies that we use in Endeavour, are also being adopted by our clients. Migration of email to Office 365 in most cases was closely followed by migration of documents from servers to SharePoint Online and integrating all this information within a single pane of glass using Microsoft Teams.

So, if you’re interested in having a chat about how we can help your organisation become more resilient in the current climate by digitally transforming your organisation, please contact Blaithin or Lee on 028 9031 1010/0131 376 0090, email solutions@endeavour-is.com.

Endeavour have renewed as G-Cloud 12 supplier

We are pleased to announce that we have been renewed as a supplier to the Crown Commercial Service's G-Cloud 12 framework. We have been suppliers to this framework since 2015 and we are now proud to announce that from October 2020 we have extended the range of cloud hosting, software and associated services we offer under the G-Cloud 12 Framework. 

The framework allows all UK government departments, devolved administrations, local authorities, wider public-sector bodies, and arm’s-length bodies the ability to provision cloud services from a marketplace of approved suppliers such as ourselves who offer a comprehensive range of Microsoft based hosting, software and services under this framework.

For more information of the services we offer under the framework please contact solutions@endeavour-is.com