On September 1st, 2023, Microsoft announced the merger of D365 Marketing and D365 Customer Insights into a single app called Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. The main reason was to combine the potential of these two modules into one. With precious customer data, marketers can create and run impactful marketing campaigns with personalized offers and excellent customer experiences. This app has all the powerful features of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Marketing to help marketers enrich their campaigns with data-driven insights.  

The app is split into two sections:   

1. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (CI) – Journeys (formerly D365 Marketing)  
2. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (CI) – Data (formerly D365 Customer Insights)  

What is The Reason for The Change? 

You might wonder why these two modules merge. We all know that Microsoft D365 Marketing is one of the most influential and comprehensive CRM tools, enabling marketers to run data-driven, automated marketing campaigns to improve efficiency and ROI.   

However, Microsoft’s rebranding addresses customers’ evolving behavioral patterns and expectations. Customers are looking for more personalized experiences from brands. Traditional outbound marketing methodologies might not answer these needs and expectations. Marketers also need to change their approach toward new, advanced technologies, such as AI, ML, IoT, and advanced data analytics. By integrating these technologies into their campaigns, they can get superior results while engaging customers with personalized experiences and emotional appeal.   

Say Bye-Bye to Outbound Marketing Strategies 

New clients can now access the Dynamics 365 Customers Insights Journeys module. Old customers using D365 Marketing don’t need to panic, as they can retain access to the app. However, they must work with the available features in D365 Marketing, as Microsoft has stated that no new updates will be launched for D365 Marketing. Microsoft is working on the new D365 Customers Insights app to make it more scalable, robust, and feature-rich.   

This transition means the end of outbound marketing, as it does not address marketers’ current pain points. The new app focuses more on real-time marketing based on data-driven insights.   

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys 

D365 Customer Insights Journeys is an end-to-end CRM application that empowers businesses to improve customer experiences by offering data-driven, personalized offers and services. It also helps marketers communicate and interact with customers with a pinch of personalization. With data-driven insights available to marketers, they can offer tailored services and personalized messages and emails to customers to add some value. At each stage of the customer lifecycle, this personalization helps to improve customer experiences and trust.   

By unleashing the power of generative AI and other technologies, businesses can drive their marketing campaigns based on real-time marketing with the mapping of real-time customer journeys. This empowers businesses with segment-based marketing efforts to run effective and ROI-focused marketing campaigns.   

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data 

This module enriches businesses with massive customer data and derives valuable insights. Businesses can have a comprehensive, 360-degree customer overview to understand their expectations, likes, interests, and buying patterns. Businesses can make data-driven, informed decisions that perfectly align with customer expectations.   

Functionalities of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights 

D365 Customer Insights allows businesses to respond to queries and concerns in real-time through various communication channels, such as emails, SMS, push notifications, and messengers.   

The module has an in-built Event platform that allows marketers to create online or offline events, manage participants, promote events to the target audience, develop a landing page for webinars, and share potential leads with the sales department.   

With generative AI, marketers can automate routine tasks. Mundane tasks, such as writing emails, audience segmentation, new content ideas, etc., take too much time. With AI, marketers can focus more on campaigns rather than these repetitive tasks.   

D365 Customer Insight and Analytics helps businesses achieve superior data visibility across all channels and make more informed decisions. Data analysis helps them identify bottlenecks in their marketing campaigns and amend them based on insights.   

This is the most significant feature of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Journeys. You can woo your customers with personalized messages and emails. With more impactful email subject lines, based on A/B testing, you can maximize the overall impact of your emails.   

D365 Customer Insights has built-in tools to create different types of data collection forms that can be added to your website’s landing page. Customers can sign up for newsletters or fill out surveys or questionnaires.   

What Is the New License Cost for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights?  

For existing Dynamics 365 customers, the discounted price is $1,000 per tenant per month.   

For new D365 customers, the price is $1,700 per tenant per month.   

Conclusion   

The new Dynamics 365 Customer Insights app is a combination of two apps- D365 Marketing and D365 Customer Insights. This powerful app has advanced features and functionalities that can help design and run customer-centric marketing campaigns and increase ROI. With generative AI, you can personalize communications to make the relationship more trustworthy. In short, Microsoft’s decision to merge these two tools can bring new hope for marketers who want to address the changing dynamics of customer relationships.