While in-person events continue to feel like a thing of the past, Microsoft’s flagship technology event of the event, Microsoft Ignite, still went ahead, albeit virtually.

Microsoft Ignite is the key event for Dynamics 365 in terms of new and exciting feature and product announcements. I attended the event from the comfort of my own home and was particularly blown away by the new enhancements coming to Dynamics 365 Customer Service. All of the enhancements and new features are focussed around the theme of meeting the future needs of your customers. Here’s everything you need to know.

Native voice channel

Azure Communication Services enables an easy way to enable omnichannel services like video, voice and chat across different applications using the same reliable and secure infrastructure used by Microsoft Teams. With the use of the Azure Communication Services, Dynamics 365 is launching a first-party native voice channel that will integrate directly with the customer service omnichannel capabilities. Once the new voice channel is configured in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, all the existing workflows, productivity tools, and world-class AI can be immediately leveraged across the new channel.

This new feature will streamline contact centre operations and provide a reliable, fully connected customer experience through all customer service channels such as live chat, email and SMS. The omnichannel agent chat will also provide real-time language translations making this a powerful feature for your service desk agents handling web chat sessions initiated by customers in different countries.

Improved analytics and AI enhancements

To fully understand the needs of your customers and to generate a complete view of your service organisation, you need insight and analysis around your customer data. Dynamics 365 Customer Service collects all the customer data you hold across multiple channels, while Customer Service Insights provides organisations with integrated analytics of this data, providing actionable insight in a familiar context. Customer Service Insights uses AI to gain greater visibility into performance metrics and emerging trends.

At Ignite, Microsoft announced improvements to the analytics capabilities of Dynamics 365 Customer Service Insights, to incorporate all customer service channels from text to email to the new voice capabilities. Rich interactive reports, embedded directly into customer service experience along with key insights driven by AI, will provide a high-level view of the areas that require your focus and attention.

The new AI enhancements will also allow the grouping of cases and conversation into topics to help you understand why your customers are contacting your support team. Additionally, the enhancements will include the ability to view an individual agent’s conversation transcripts with the key AI-driven metrics such as sentiment for evaluation, coaching and training scenarios. These new enhancements will empower informed decision making about how to improve case resolution rates, reduce customer waiting time, decrease customer service costs and drive overall customer service excellence.