Microsoft Dynamics 365 services like Dynamics 365 and Power Platform are set to receive major upgrades later this year with the reveal of Release Wave 2. Coming this fall, Wave 2 will deliver hundreds of new capabilities and enhancements across Dynamics 365 applications, Power Platform, and Microsoft Cloud services.
For organizations relying on Dynamics solutions, Release Wave 2 promises to provide greater mobility, intelligence, and flexibility to transform business processes. Here is an overview of some of the most anticipated features and updates coming in Dynamics 2023 Release Wave 2.
Build-up Intelligence Across Applications
One overarching theme across Release Wave 2 is enhancing Dynamics 365 applications with more intelligence. Microsoft is infusing its apps with more AI capabilities, machine learning models, and data-driven insights to automate more tasks and provide users with intelligent recommendations and predictions.
For example, the Customer Service application is getting an AI-powered assistant for agents and added natural language capabilities for interpreting customer queries. Sales Intelligence will gain stronger predictions and relationship analytics powered by Azure Synapse Analytics.
Mold the Supply Chain
Major improvements are also coming for supply chain workflows in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. The warehouse management system will have faster performance for high-volume distribution centers through built-in simulation modeling capabilities.
Inventory visibility will be enhanced with IoT integration, letting organizations track inventory across multiple locations. There will also be faster product receipt and putaway processing with mobile barcode scanning. Transportation management gets new capabilities like appointment scheduling and load building.
Integrate Teamwork and Collaboration
Microsoft is transforming teamwork and collaboration across its suite of products. For example, Dynamics 365 Project Operations is being enhanced with added Microsoft Teams and Outlook integration for seamless communication and collaboration between teams.
Power BI capabilities are being embedded directly within Dynamics 365 Finance, Supply Chain Management, and Sales to centralize data analytics and business intelligence for individual roles.
Improved Customer Service and Advisor Tools
Dynamics solutions for customer service, sales, and marketing are a major focus in Wave 2. Dynamics 365 Customer Service will gain more automated case routing and classification capabilities using AI. Voice of the Customer insights will be infused into customer profiles automatically.
For sales and advisors, new conversation intelligence and coaching tools are coming to help managers improve rep performance. Relationship analytics will provide insights to strengthen customer relationships and loyalty.
Enlarge Industry-Specific Capabilities
Industry-specific Dynamics 365 solutions will expand as well, including new telehealth features for the healthcare industry and retail store inventory capabilities. Public sector solutions will gain more case management and constituent services functions.
The nonprofit accelerator will add more tailored capabilities for nonprofit organizations and associations. More industry-specific features will roll out across other cloud solutions as well.
Improved Accessibility
Accessibility is another area of focus, with updates across Dynamics apps to make them usable by more individuals. There will be improved screen reader support, keyboard navigation, and additional accessibility checker tools to identify any issues.
Unified Security and Compliance
Finally, Microsoft aims to streamline governance, risk, compliance, and information protection across its platforms. Enhanced data loss prevention capabilities will be added to better classify and protect sensitive information using Microsoft Purview.
New compliance dashboards and insights will also help administrators assess their security posture and take action to improve it.
Most Wave 2 features are expected to be available in October 2022, though timelines vary by specific product and capability.
Review release notes, sign up for insider program for early access, plan training for users, and talk to your implementation partner about the change impact.
Some capabilities may require proactive enabling and configuration, while others will be automatically available once released.
Release notes and launch events detail specific features coming to each Dynamics 365 app and Power Platform component in Wave 2.
If taking advantage of major new capabilities, evaluate your licensing needs. But Wave 2 updates themselves typically don’t alter costs.
