Key Dynamics 365 Features for Business Process Automation

Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive business process automation tool that provides a range of features to streamline business operations. With its AI-powered assistance and interactive capabilities, it is the world’s first AI copilot built-in to both CRM and ERP applications. By implementing Dynamics 365, businesses can benefit from improved productivity and efficiency in their day-to-day operations. In this blog, we will explore the importance of automation in business processes and key features of Dynamics 365 for business process automation.

Importance of Automation in Improving Productivity and Efficiency

Automation plays a critical role in improving productivity and efficiency in business processes. Automating repetitive tasks allows businesses to focus on higher value activities, resulting in increased productivity. Additionally, automation eliminates errors caused by manual data entry and improves accuracy and consistency of information across different systems. With Dynamics 365, businesses can automate various processes, including sales, service, marketing, and supply chain, to achieve optimal productivity and efficiency.

Key Features of Dynamics 365 for Business Process Automation

Business Process Flows: Dynamics 365 offers a range of business process flows that can be customized to meet specific business needs. These flows define the steps required to complete a business process, ensuring that tasks are completed correctly, and all necessary information is captured along the way. Businesses can improve consistency and reduce errors in their processes by using business process flows.

Power Automate: Power Automate is an automation tool that allows businesses to create workflows that automate various tasks across different applications. With Power Automate, businesses can automate tasks such as data entry, approval processes, and email notifications. This tool improves efficiency by eliminating manual tasks and streamlining workflows.

AI-Powered Insights: Dynamics 365 offers AI-powered insights that can help businesses optimize their processes. With AI-powered insights, businesses can gain real-time insights into customer behavior, sales trends, and other key metrics, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and improve their processes over time.

Integration with Other Microsoft Products: Dynamics 365 can be easily integrated with other Microsoft products, such as Office 365 and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. By integrating these tools, businesses can streamline workflows and improve collaboration between teams.

Mobile Access: Dynamics 365 can be accessed on-the-go through mobile devices, allowing employees to access information and complete tasks from anywhere. This feature improves productivity and ensures that business processes can continue even when employees are working remotely.

Business Process Flows in Dynamics 365

Business process flows in Dynamics 365 are a powerful tool that can help organizations streamline their operations and improve efficiency. With business process flows, you define a set of stages and steps displayed in control at the top of the form. Each stage contains a group of steps, representing a column where data can be entered. You can advance to the next stage using the Next Stage button.

To create a business process flow in Dynamics 365, you must select the customization area you want, depending on your license. Select the Settings icon from the Sales Hub app, then advanced settings. Select Settings > Customizations > Customize the System, then select your desired customization area.

Once you have created a business process flow, you can automate repetitive tasks and ensure compliance with company policies by invoking Microsoft Power Automate flows from within the business process flow. For example, you can use Power Automate to automate document creation, convert to PDF, and create Dynamics 365 records.

To configure security for a business process flow, you can follow these steps: launch the Business Process Flow designer, click Enable Security Roles, select the security role you want to change, click the Business Process Flow tab, and find the process on the list. Set the security for each operation per business requirements.

Microsoft Power Platform

Microsoft Power Platform is a low-code platform that allows domain experts from various functions to automate workflows, create apps, and easily build virtual agents. The platform provides various tools and features that make it easy for users to build solutions without requiring extensive coding skills.

One of the key benefits of the Power Platform is that it enables domain experts from all functions to automate workflows, create apps, and build virtual agents. With the platform’s low-code approach, users can quickly build solutions that meet their needs without relying on IT or development teams.

Power Platform also offers Dynamics 365 Copilot, an AI-powered assistant that can assist users across business functions from sales, service, and marketing to supply chain. Copilot can help users perform various tasks, including data entry, analysis, and coding. It makes it easier for users to build more intelligent and responsive solutions.

With Dynamics 365, users can create tasks tailored to their needs. These task flows can be based on common tasks and processes, making it easier for users to complete their work efficiently. Task flows can be designed for Dynamics 365 for phones or Dynamics 365 for tablets, ensuring that users can access them on the go.

Process Automation

Process automation is an essential aspect of Dynamics 365 that helps businesses streamline and manage their operations more efficiently. Here are some key points to consider when setting up process automation in Dynamics 365:

Set up automated processes: Dynamics 365 Sales Hub app provides a customizable system for creating business process flows that can be used to manage and streamline business operations. Depending on the license, users can select the Settings icon, Advanced settings, then Settings, Customizations, Customize the System, and the desired customization area. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Core also provides a central administration page for all process automation in the System Administration module under the Setup menu. This page allows users to add new process automations directly from the page.

Customize and manage automated processes: Users can customize and manage each automated process from a central administration page in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations Core. This page lists all automated processes in the system and allows users to add new process automations directly from the page. After a series is set up, users can manage each series.

Power Automate: Formerly Microsoft Flow, Power Automate is another tool that can be used to automate document creation, conversion to PDF, and creation of Dynamics 365 records. It can automate repetitive, time-consuming, manual processes such as data entry, social media updates, inventory, reports, etc.

Invoice capture: It is a new feature in Dynamics 365 Finance that automates the entire AP invoice-to-pay process using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies called Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

Automating vendor payments: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations provides a feature for automating vendor payments. Users can create a new Automated Payment Proposal Process by navigating to Account Payables > Setup > Payment Setup > Process Automations.

FAQs

What is used in Microsoft 365 to enact business process automation?

In Microsoft 365, business process automation can be enacted using Business Process Flows (BPFs). BPFs are a type of flow that can be created in Power Automate to automate everyday multistep processes. BPFs allow users to streamline end-to-endad processes by connecting to all their data sources using Microsoft Dataverse. To create BPFs in Power Automate, a per-user license is required. Additionally, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can enable enterprise automation in Microsoft 365 Apps. RPA allows an organization to license certain account types designed for process automation.

Can you use Dynamics 365 with Power Automate?

Yes, Dynamics 365 can be used with Power Automate. Power Automate provides features that help line-of-business users create automated workflows, which can be used with Dynamics 365. Additionally, a per-user license is required to create business process flows in Power Automate.

What is the business process in Dynamics 365?

In Dynamics 365, a business process is a set of stages designed to guide users through a specific business process. These stages can include forms, steps, and workflows to help users complete the business process efficiently. The three commands available for a business process flow in Dynamics 365 are the next and previous stages.

What is Dynamics 365 for project service automation?

The application Dynamics 365 for Project Service Automation is no longer available and has been replaced by Dynamics 365 for Project Operations. This newer application brings together sales, resourcing, project management, and finance teams in one place, enabling them to increase their deal success rate, speed up project delivery, and optimize profits. Furthermore, users have the option to expand Project Operations by utilizing the Microsoft Power Platform, which comprises Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI.