The Dynamics 365 App for Outlook has long been the choice for users wanting to work with their Dynamics 365 emails and data from within Outlook, but Microsoft are now recommending a switch.
What is the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook?
Released in 2016, this App seamlessly integrates your email inbox with the power of Dynamics 365. This add-in allows users to:
- View and manage Dynamics 365 records directly within Outlook: View key account, contact, and lead information without ever leaving your inbox.
- Create and link new records to emails and meetings: Quickly generate new leads, contacts, or opportunities based on your email interactions.
- Track emails and appointments in Dynamics 365: Automatically log emails and appointments related to specific records within Dynamics 365, ensuring all your interactions are centralised and easily accessible for all relevant users.
What is the Microsoft Copilot for Sales app?
Microsoft Copilot for Sales (previously called Viva Sales) was introduced in August 2022, and allows for the creation and updating of CRM data (Dynamics 365 or Salesforce) within Outlook. However, it also has additional Outlook-specific features, including AI-powered copilot automatic email replies, easy record creation, seamless Teams collaboration, and is undergoing constant development.
For more information on the overall product, visit our dedicated Copilot for Sales page.
Why is Microsoft recommending that Sales users switch apps?
As well as adding a raft of AI-infused features to their Copilot for Sales app, Microsoft have also been working to ensure that the key features of the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook are also included. Now that those features are on par between the two apps, they are encouraging Sales users to switch to benefit from increased productivity, conversation intelligence, and a premium workspace experience that the Copilot for Sales app brings to Outlook.
For a full comparison between the two apps, refer to the table below:
| Capability | Copilot for Sales | Dynamics 365 App for Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Save Outlook emails and calendar events to Dynamics 365 | ||
| Connect saved Outlook emails and events to Dynamics 365 tables | ||
| Create new CRM contacts from Outlook | ||
| Create non-contact records in Dynamics 365 | ||
| Delegate access (allow a user to act on behalf of another user) | Coming Soon | |
| Mobile access – already available for Teams | Coming Soon | |
| Save draft emails to the CRM | ||
| Save draft appointments to the CRM | ||
| AI - Generate email content when you compose a new email or reply to an existing email | ||
| AI - Refine and fine-tune generated content with new prompts that build upon previous suggestion | ||
| AI - Summarize with a single click customer meetings with action items, next steps and interaction summary | ||
| AI - Email conversation summary and save it to your CRM as a note | ||
| AI - Opportunity summary so you can quickly catch up on the latest updates and prepare or customer meetings | ||
| AI - Automatically capture email signature for contact creation | ||
| Collab spaces - Set up teams and channels with pre-pinned apps and predictable structure o foster collaboration directly from Outlook | ||
| General productivity - View Recent and Upcoming Activities for your customers | ||
| Un-track emails and appointments from CRM | ||
| Apply email templates | Different approach – AI generated content using prompts | |
| Track email or appointment attachments | ||
| Global Search | ||
| Switch CRM environments |
How do our Sales users switch from the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook to the Copilot for Sales app?
A full deployment guide has been published by Microsoft here, but in summary, the steps are:
- Install the Copilot for Sales app in Outlook
- Create a policy to automatically install and pin the Copilot for Sales app in Teams
- Enable Teams meeting transcripts
- Set up server-side synchronisation of emails and appointments
- Confirm users have the right security roles
- Customize the Copilot for Sales app from within Teams
- Welcome sellers to Copilot for Sales
Should Customer Service users make the switch?
No. Those users should continue to use the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook.
Is the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook being deprecated?
There are currently no plans to deprecate the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook. However, it’s clear that Microsoft see that Copilot is the future, so it’s still worth considering a switch sooner rather than later.
Summary
The Dynamics 365 App for Outlook has been a popular choice for users who want to work with their CRM data within Outlook and while there are no plans to deprecate the Dynamics 365 App for Outlook, planning for a switch to the Copilot for Sales app is sensible given its current and future potential. If you want to discuss the Copilot for Sales app with one of our experts, feel free to get in touch.
