10 Mar Dynamics 365 v9 – What’s New?
Posted at 16:28h
in Microsoft Dynamics 365
The New Face of Microsoft Dynamics
"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained"
That is a quote from Queen Elizabeth II, and probably most people would agree with the sentiment of the statement. Firstly, what is "training" - one definition from Wikipedia says "Training is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity and performance." Taking all that into account, how can you ensure that you get the most from your investment in CRM Training?
Five Top Tips
Here are our 5 top tips which can be applied to any training you are considering. Use them to ensure you and your staff get the most out of the investment in time and money when planning any training sessions:
1. Planning is key
Training doesn't just happen by magic - it needs planning. What is needed, why, who for, how is it going to be delivered and by whom? All of these need to be considered. There may be a training plan as a natural part of an employee development programme or as a result of their appraisal. You may be implementing new software such as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Whatever the reason, planning encourages you to bring together all the components and issues (budget, time scales, resourcing) to ensure that you are fully aware of all the time and financial needs before making a commitment.
2. What are the objectives?
Sounds simple doesn't it? Well it should be. If you don't understand the objectives how can the person attending the training know what they should get out of it and how can the person/company delivering the training be sure they are providing what is needed? Be as specific as possible. Saying someone "needs to learn the CRM system" is no good. Why do they need to learn it? Maybe saying something like "the sales team need to know how to create opportunities, as all future company reporting will be based on this" is a better idea or "all staff need to know how to enter correct data for marketing purposes"? Define your precise needs. Your training provider should be able to give you some course outlines as a starting point and offer you further advice if necessary. Are they able/willing to customise courses to meet specific needs?
3. Remember who the training is for
Think about their own starting point - would some staff benefit from a short introduction or refresher session before attending the main training? Not everyone learns in the same way. Can you provide a mix of training which includes classroom, mentoring or e-learning if necessary? Consider your staff and any physical or mental issues that may impact their learning. Here at CRM Dynamics Ltd we have done a lot of work with disability charities in the past and have adapted training to take account of those with learning difficulties, physical issues that make typing more difficult as well as those requiring wheelchair access. Make sure that the location for the training can cater for this if necessary.
4. Understand your trainer
In the same ways as not everyone learns in the same way, not everyone trains in the same way. Regardless of whether you are using internal staff to provide the training, bringing someone in or sending staff on external courses you should review the presentation style and ensure it fits with your needs. Does the course include hands on practice of the software - and how much? How experienced is the trainer, and how much do they understand your organisation and needs? This is one of the key benefits of working with a partner company such as CRM Dynamics Ltd when implementing a CRM solution.
5. Measure the results
If you have set your objectives for the training, it should be relatively simple to see if it has been effective. Part of setting the objectives should also be to ensure the learner understands the reasons for the training - you will have more success if they know "What's In It For Me"? (WIIFM). Can the staff do the job as intended after the training? Has it improved their skills in the required areas?
Think about these tips when giving or receiving training, and just like Queen Elizabeth II said, you'll be able to do a lot when properly trained!
This month saw the release of the latest version of Dynamics 365 (CRM) which will be rolled out to all existing Online customers over the coming months.
Dynamics 365 v9 has a new user interface which provides the basis for the Unified User Interface to be rolled out in a later release. In addition there are some new features and functionality.
Here we give you an overview of some of the key new features of this version.
New User Interface
The big news here is the new user interface (UI) giving a new cleaner look to the main screens. The forms have been rationalised to provide even spacing, consistent font usage and a generally cleaner look. This is the next step towards the new Unified User Interface across all devices – browser, tablet, phone, which will also introduce more use of colour on the forms.
See the image above to show some of this in more detail.
Multi Select Option Sets
A much requested feature that has been introduced is the Multi-Select Option Set. This is a new Field Type – “Multiselect Option Set”. Unfortunately existing Option Set fields cannot be changed to Multiselect. Advanced Find has operators for “Contains Values” or “Does not Contain Values” for multiselect fields.
Other Key New Features
- Option to Word Wrap fields and labels. This is a system level option which can be set by the system administrator.
- Additional Theme capabilities – As well as the default theme there are 2 additional themes (Orange and Blue). Within each theme there are additional areas that can be customised.
- Custom Colours for Related Entity sub-grids. When customising Sub-grids on forms a new option allows you to enter the hex code for the colour required.
- Advanced Find new operators for Contains / Does Not Contain enabling you to query where a record does or does not have specific related entity records, for example Accounts with no Contacts.