Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement: A historical perspective on a strategic platform

Historically, Microsoft Dynamics CRM was known as a system of records, but things have changed significantly in recent years. I used to hear people dismiss it as a glorified Excel spreadsheet, "Access on steroids," or, more recently, as Lotus Notes in the cloud (with the introduction of CDS, Flow, and PowerApps). For a very long time, such descriptions were more or less fair as the platform was presented as a system for creating and updating data, with an emphasis on customer relationship management (CRM).

Over the years, Dynamics CRM, now Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement, has matured into a versatile tool that caters to a range of customer needs. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the evolution of the platform as being from a system of records to a system of engagement, and finally a system of intelligence.

This shift is a reflection of the investment poured into the platform to modernize it, broaden its capabilities, and improve its position in the market by making it a leader and a serious threat to other specialized platforms.

Traditional modules

Traditionally, Microsoft offered a relatively static set of modules with Dynamics CRM. Sales for traditional opportunities and sales tracking, Customer Service for case management and knowledge base articles, Marketing for campaign management, and Field Services for field jobs and workforce management. The term XRM was used a lot in the last decade, referring to "anything" relationship management. Users and ...