By Adnan Khan
Integrating Dynamics Contact
Center & Copilot with Non-
Microsoft CRMs
Dynamics 365 Contact Center is a standalone Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution that is Copilot-first and powered by Generative AI. Many organizations find themselves using multiple contact centers and CRMs due to a variety of factors, such as:
- At the time, technology wasn’t as advanced, and integration solutions were often costly and complex.
- Different time zones for distributed operations.
- Disaster recovery and business continuity needs.
- High volume handling.
- Specialization of contact centers, focused on specific products or services.
- Variations in communication channels (e.g., voice-only contact centers).
- Cultural and linguistic considerations.
In this article, we will present a solution architecture design that enables organizations to leverage Generative AI-powered Copilots within their existing contact centers and CRM systems, without the need for a complete overhaul.
We aim to address the following challenges and concerns, detailing how the proposed architecture and integration would function:
- Integrating AI Technology into Existing Systems Without a Full Overhaul
We demonstrate how organizations can seamlessly incorporate the AI-driven features of Dynamics Contact Center (DCC) across all existing platforms, maintaining continuity and minimizing disruptions. - Addressing Key Challenges with Minimal Effort and Cost
The solution resolves the most pressing issues and limitations posed by the organization’s current CCaaS and CRM systems while ensuring cost-effectiveness and reducing implementation efforts.
The following architecture diagram illustrates the solution design that addresses key challenges in a scenario where Salesforce is the CRM, and multiple contact centers are in place:
- Dynamics Contact Center (DCC) is positioned on the left side, showcasing its full range of features.
- The existing CRM, Salesforce, is seamlessly connected to the architecture using a built-in connector.
- Each contact center, represented on the right side, uses Copilot as a bot to engage with customers across all communication channels. Additionally, Copilot can hand off conversations to human agents when needed.
- Power BI serves as a centralized view, aggregating data from all contact centers for comprehensive analysis and reporting.
- Azure Communication Services, using Azure Direct Routing, are integrated to connect with any existing voice carrier, ensuring continuity and smooth communication operations.
Source Microsoft: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/guidance/reference-architectures/contact-center-existing-crm-dynamics-365-contact-center
The following architecture diagram illustrates the solution design for integrating different CRMs and multiple contact centers:
- Dynamics Contact Center (DCC) is showcased on the left side, with all its features in place.
- The existing CRMs are connected through Power Platform Data Connectors, enabling seamless integration.
- Each contact center, positioned on the right side, uses Copilot as a bot to engage customers across all channels, with the capability to hand off conversations, Hunt group/routing rules in each contact center based on rule sets classify and assign to best human agents when necessary.
- Power BI is utilized as a centralized platform for viewing data from all contact centers, ensuring a unified and comprehensive overview.
- Azure Communication Services, using Azure Direct Routing, are employed to connect with any existing voice carrier, ensuring smooth communication operations across the system.
Source Microsoft: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/guidance/reference-architectures/contact-center-existing-crm-dynamics-365-contact-center
Details of Challenges and Solutions Addressed by the Above Architecture Designs:
| Challenges | Solutions |
|---|---|
|
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀 & 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝟯𝟲𝟬-𝗗𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄:
Different CRMs may store varied sets of customer information, leading to incomplete or inconsistent data across the organization. This prevents the creation of a unified, 360-degree view of the customer, making it difficult to track customer journeys, preferences, and interactions across various touchpoints. |
The built-in connectors and data connectors for different CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zendesk) allow Dynamics Contact and Copilot to sync customer data and display it on a single screen for all agents, ensuring a unified customer view. |
|
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀:
Multiple CRMs result in data being scattered across systems, making it difficult to consolidate and analyze customer information on an organizational level. |
Dynamics Contact Center provides𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗼𝗳-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝘅 (𝗢𝗢𝗕) 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 for supervisors to monitor real-time and historical conversations. Power BI can be used to connect all contact centers, consolidating data on a single dashboard for enhanced analysis and forecasting. |
|
𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀:
When a customer is transferred between contact centers (e.g., from billing to technical support), having multiple CRMs can cause friction in sharing information, resulting in frustrating handoff experiences. |
𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 with SDKs and APIs of contact centers enables seamless handoff of conversations and transcript sharing, ensuring smooth customer transitions. |
|
𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Agents may spend excessive time gathering or verifying customer information across systems, causing delays in resolution or responses. |
Copilot integrates with multiple CRMs and contact centers through APIs, allowing agents to access necessary information faster and more efficiently, reducing response times. |
|
𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄:
Multiple CRMs may not integrate well with channels like social media, email, or chat, hindering a seamless omnichannel customer journey. Customers might have to repeat themselves when switching between communication methods or contact centers. |
Dynamics Contact Center's 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 supports a variety of digital and voice channels, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, SMS, and Microsoft Teams. Custom bots created in Copilot Studio can be deployed across multiple channels, providing a unified customer experience with intelligent routing and transcript sharing. |
|
𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀:
Managing multiple voice carriers and disparate calling plans creates operational inefficiencies, adding complexity to communication processes and cost management. |
𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 (𝗕𝗬𝗢𝗖) option in Microsoft allows organizations to connect their legacy telephony systems and carrier of choice to 𝗔𝘇𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀. This provides PSTN calling capabilities to the Communication Services application, even when PSTN isn't available in a given country/region. No additional on-premises software is needed, and any telephony carrier can be used with the system. |
|
𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲:
Without a centralized knowledge base, agents often struggle to access consistent information, leading to varied support quality and delayed response times. |
Providing a central knowledge base to copilot allows agents to access the same up-to-date information, answer Agents queries, improving consistency in customer service and reducing the time it takes to resolve issues. |
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