New Microsoft FastTrack for Dynamics 365 services underscore focus on customer success

Microsoft has announced several new services for FastTrack for Dynamics 365, in the areas of customer engagement; and onboarding services for both Project Service Automation (PSA) and Field Service.

Training and education is at the core of FastTrack, both delivered by Microsoft. This hands-on approach underscores how Microsoft is shifting its own resources from account management to customer success (it in fact describes FastTrack as its "customer success service"). That strategy was one impetus behind the July layoffs in its global sales organization: harvesting new cloud customers is less a challenge than retaining them. Subscription-based sales enabled customers to shop newer, less-expensive ERP and CRM like they would a lower credit card rate. That is especially likely when the cloud services buyer is not in IT, but in finance or operations.

FastTrack for D365 debuted in January of this year, when Microsoft promised customers self-paced guidance on best practices for quick and successful rollouts, and on engaging new D365 users.

Partners could grow their cloud businesses by using FastTrack in engagements. Participating partners work with Microsoft's FastTrack team to guide customers along their learning curves, through technical talks, workshops, and regular touchpoints. All sessions are delivered remotely by the FastTrack engineering team, which covers the major markets of the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

FastTrack for Dynamics 365 comes in two "flavors," and is not available to customers of all sizes.

FastTrack for Dynamics 365 for Sales, Field Service, Customer Service, and Project Service Automation (under which two of ...