Following my Microsoft Ignite highlight last week, here is highlight number 2!  (Insert link from last week) I have chosen an old favourite…Microsoft Teams! Now this isn’t just Teams as a stand-alone product (though it is great!) this is about the ever-deepening integration of teams into Dynamics 365 (D365) and the Power Platform (PP). When you break down what some of the updates are, again in line with my previous post about my favourite customer voice channel, they may sound a bit underwhelming. Basically, its that you can use bits of D365 and PP inside Teams, and you can use bits of ..read more

Catch up  It’s been another fantastic event from Microsoft Ignite 2021 2021! As always there have been several great announcements about new technology, direction of travel and major updates across the Microsoft landscape.   The amount of sessions at Ignite was amazing and thankfully they are recorded and available on demand, so if you’re interested and want to find out more, give the recorded sessions a watch. Another great place for highlights is the Microsoft Ignite book of news.   I’ll be sharing my ..read more

With so many different modules and features, understanding the full functionality of Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be overwhelming. At its core it is, of course, a CRM. It helps businesses to organise their interactions with customers from across multiple different communications channels, allowing multiple users to keep track of customer relationships past and present. We all know that having a robust CRM is crucial in Insurance, where a lot of data is held on each customer. We also know that it’s important that the data held within the CRM is easily accessible across multiple departments. Aft ..read more

When it comes to digital transformation, regardless of scale, it is important for all key stakeholders to understand the true implications of the change. It’s not just about how the transformation can create efficiency, generate new ways of working, increase revenue or save money; it’s also about managing how people in the business respond to and enable that change. Our most recent roundtable had us post the question “Change management and user adoption – why budget for it?” because we see change management as being a vital element in digital transformation. If you would like to see the hi ..read more

Production deployments of the newest Dynamics 365 features announced in the Microsoft 2021 Wave Release 2 officially began on 1st October 2021 and with the updates being added continuously through to March 2022, there’s a lot to be excited about over the months ahead. In this article, in this article we explore the announcements we believe are key for Financial Services and why these new features which will help your organisation achieve your key business outcomes for FY22. Microsoft Relationship Sales Solution (MRSs) // LinkedIn Integration Updates Microsoft have announced further enhance ..read more

Our Insurance roundtables have been running for over 18 months now, after being switched swiftly to virtual at the start of the pandemic, and have since stayed that way. We’ll do a few more in person soon, but in the meantime our virtual ones are punchy and allows our insurance network to share insights and learnings over a drink. Our most recent topic “Change Management & User Adoption, Why Budget for It?” sparked a lot of thoughts and tips for all of us around the virtual table, but what engaged us the most was the amazing Janet Robb from Microsoft. She shared her own insigh ..read more

Digital self serve is so commonplace for consumers now that when the experience is flawed, or even when it breaks, it’s a huge deal. It should be seamless and easy for them. So, what if we told you that you can enable this and reduce costs all at the same time? Well, you that you can! And it’s not as difficult to achieve as you might think. Both employees and customers want their lives to be as simple as possible when it comes to using technology. You can serve both masters by using Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 to boost your insurance businesses’ self service capabilities. But ..read more

We are absolutely delighted to hear that our partner Virgin Money will be accelerating and further enabling their digital transformation journey after being announced by Microsoft as one of the first businesses to use Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services. This new industry-specific offering enables the depth of Microsoft’s entire stack – Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform – and underpins it with an industry data model, new capabilities and customization options which are unique to financial services.  Fraser Ingram, Chief Digital and Inn ..read more

With the era of Hybrid working now upon us, an increasing number of organisations are welcoming their employees back to the office. However, despite now being able to reconnect with familiar faces and surroundings, the landscape and expectations of office working have been drastically altered. Like many, I’ve returned to office working on a part-time basis, to a space designed to facilitate a Hybrid Working approach. Rather than being expected to be in the office every day, employees are being encouraged to return when they feel safe and comfortable doing so. With such change now upo ..read more

If recent events have taught us anything it’s that we’ve all had to get used to doing more things digitally. Be it starting a new job remotely, opening a new bank account via an app, renewing your insurance policy on a website or buying a car without seeing it, there’s no getting away from the convenience of digital. Whilst some of these activities still need refined, they’re definitely here to stay. And when it comes to any of the endeavours outlined above, it’s important that people can do them as quickly, smoothly and as easily as possible. Customers like hassle free experiences. In fact ..read more