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Innovate with Confidence: Why Finance Should Embrace Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM

Endeavour Solutions is focused on providing and supporting Microsoft Business Applications for ERP, CRM, and Cloud Apps.  Many of our clients are top leaders in Finance (CFO, VP, Director, Manager of Finance) as well as the many finance users that we support for ERP.  We also have a large number of clients using Microsoft CRM.  Sales, Marketing, and Customer Services (COO, CRO, VP Sales, Director, Manager etc). In an effort to share best practices, we would like to introduce or re-introduce the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CRM) to those in Finance.

As financial leaders, you understand the critical role technology plays in achieving operational excellence, and one platform that demands your attention is Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM.

Microsoft’s commitment to revolutionizing customer experience is evident in its multi-billion-dollar investment in CRM and Customer Experience (CE). The company’s continuous acceleration of research and development, particularly in Cloud Applications, Process Automation, Cloud Analytics, and Generative AI, underscores its dedication to staying at the forefront of innovation.

(click above to watch the recording)

Microsoft’s CRM in 2024: Why Finance Should Care?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform (CRM) are pivotal in transforming financial processes by integrating with ERP systems, particularly Business Central or Dynamics GP ERP, CRM <-> ERP can simplify workflows, enhance customer data management, and facilitate efficient billing and invoicing. Moreover, access to your CRM’s robust analytics, compliance features, and collaborative capabilities can further empower finance departments to make customer-centric decisions, mitigate risks, and contribute to a more holistic customer experience, ensuring your organization’s strategic and competitive edge.

Our recent Webinar (link above) highlights some of the advancements in Dynamics 365, Power Apps, and the Power Platform that are relevant to the Financial department. Viewing Dynamics 365 CRM as an integrated business application platform, your team can be empowered to create new customer-centric, self-serve, and subscription business models all under a centralized system. 

  • Customizable settings: Filter profiles, dashboards, and workflows to suit specific user environments, ensuring optimal functionality.
  • Simplified processes: Create and view quotes, orders, invoices, and detailed purchasing information such as quantity of products, subscriptions, and discounts for a particular contact.  
  • Comprehensive Microsoft 365 Integration: Outlook 365 enables continuous workflow such as filtering information, quotes and invoices, and support cases from a single work environment.  
  • Low-cost WorkFlow Controls: Create simple controls to manage and monitor leads, sales, and support resolution times effectively.  
  • Generative AI: Copilot AI expedites, searches, filtering, and content generation to enhance productivity and decision-making.
  • Collaborative features: Account-based finance benefits from collaborative features such as lead scoring, Linkedin integration, and colleagues working from the same records/contacts.   

Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM presents unparalleled opportunities for finance departments to enhance operational efficiency, mitigate risks, and elevate customer interactions. Embracing this platform enables financial leaders to strategically position their organizations for sustained success whether you are on Dynamics 365 Business Central or Dynamics GP.

About Endeavour Solutions

Endeavour Solutions is a Gold Microsoft Solutions Partner for ERP, CRM, and AI Cloud Business Applications focusing on implementations, upgrades, development, data analytics, training, and support for the cloud-centric Dynamics 365 Platform including, Business Central (ERP), Sales Enterprise (CRM), Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Power Apps, and Azure.

Endeavour has three specialised teams that work collaboratively to support our clients.

  1. Our PurelyCRM team focused on mid-market and enterprise custom Microsoft CRM solutions
  2. GP Support North team focused on SMB and mid-market support for clients using Dynamics GP
  3. Our Endeavour Business Central ERP team focused on new Business Central ERP implementations, GP to BC migrations, and ongoing client support for all-in-one ERP & CRM business applications.

With offices in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver, Montréal, Edmonton, and London, Canada, their consultants support more than 900 active clients throughout North America including clients using Dynamics GP and Dynamics NAV. Over the years, Endeavour has been named multiple times to the Microsoft President’s Club – The top 5% of Microsoft Partners Worldwide.

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A Strategic Approach to Attaining Regulatory Compliance, Operational Efficiency, and Sustainable Growth


Our Purely CRM consulting team which has implemented CRMs for more than 25 years, has witnessed the critical role that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems play in addressing the challenges of regulatory reporting, data capture efficiency, scalability, and growth.

Regulatory reporting

‍Regulatory reporting is often a daunting task, but CRMs can empower organizations to streamline compliance processes, ensuring accurate and timely reporting while minimizing risks. By centralizing data, automating workflows, and generating customizable reports, CRM systems provide organizations with the tools they need to stay ahead of regulatory requirements and maintain transparency.

For the complete article, Achieving Regulatory Compliance, Efficiency, and Growth: How CRM Transforms Organizations visit: https://www.purelycrm.com/newsroom/achieving-regulatory-compliance-efficiency-and-growth-how-crm-transforms-organizations

About Purely CRM

For close to a decade our Purely CRM team has been laser-like focused on delivering CRM solutions built solely on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, combined with Power Apps and the Microsoft Power Platform. We’ve expanded our team immensely in the past years to help better serve our clients and partners. Most recently we merged with Endeavour Solutions, a top Microsoft ERP, CRM, and Cloud consulting firm to further expand our talented team of CRM consultants.

Our core focus is on large mid-market and enterprise CRM Design, Development projects, Staff Augmentation, and CRM Support. When needed we can also tap upon our peers at Endeavour for Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP to provide an All-in-One Cloud ERP-CRM.  We provide services to clients Coast to Coast across the United States and Canada. We do not use resources overseas.

Reach out to explore our track record, rates, skills, and approach to discover how we can collaborate and drive your SUCCESS at purelycrm.com

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Collaboration between colleagues who have been viewing the same records


The rise of remote work and online customer service expectations has created great challenges and opportunities for organizations over the past few years and will continue in the future. This market trend has prompted collaboration within and across your internal teams to evolve greatly over the past years with the adoption of video calls, chat, and other online interactions. These tools have connected sales and service teams with each other and have resulted in an ability to deliver a faster and better customer experience.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform New 2023 Wave 1 Release

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform has kept up with shifting trends to reorganize workflow processes and fill communication gaps between team members and departments. The increased effectiveness of Power Apps in Dynamics 365 allows your sales team to connect with each other in new ways, giving each user a complete view of the connection an account/record has in your organization. An example is the enhanced collaboration feature available through Power Apps has an added panel list of other colleagues who are working off the same account. This feature fosters greater collaboration between sales and service teams, generating new sales and account management strategies and reducing frustrations associated with teams who inadvertently work in silos.

Running through Power Apps, this is an optional feature that you can turn on to help provide greater visibility to actions taken across your team. This new application function applies to all entities including custom tables, not just accounts and contacts.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform provide transformative functionality to your operational processes through Microsoft cloud applications which are tightly integrated with Microsoft (Office) 365, Teams, SharePoint, and Azure. However, these solutions on their own will not achieve your business outcomes. They need to be integrated to reflect your unique business practices with your people in mind to achieve effectiveness.

To enable this new feature login to https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/ using your Administrative credentials. Select the environment you want to collaborate, and click “Settings”.

Click to show the sub-menu under Product and click “Collaboration

Ensure the Model-driven app features in “ON”.

Once this new Dynamics 365/Power Apps function is active, with your Sales Hub or Service Hub app you will be able to see who has recently viewed each account, contact, or form within the respective screens. From the history, users can click on a colleague’s name to quickly email, Teams chat, or open their contact card to collaborate further.

Learn more: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/release-plan/2023wave1/power-apps/see-colleagues-who-are-viewing-same-records-as

Need Help?

If you run into any trouble with activating the new feature or need additional guidance on unlocking your CRM potential reach out to Purely CRM. Our Purely CRM advisory, design, and implementation services bring years of experience in configuring systems to support specific business processes. Using AGILE DevOps implementation methodology, our team will deliver incremental functionality of each feature resulting in heightened user adoption, limited operational disruption, and a fast GO-Live.

Staff Augmentation

If you need a member of our team to work on contract within your organization to make these updates and more. Our 100+ experienced coast-to-coast team of consultants can be a complement to your internal teams bringing cross-industry experience to help your projects succeed. We partner well with large national and global firms. Contact us for more about our track record, rates, skills, and approach to see how we can expedite your next CRM project.

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Harnessing the Power of Statistical Accounts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Our Business Central clients are constantly seeking ways to monitor and drive change effectively. Setting departmental OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) is a popular approach. However, the ability to go beyond traditional transactional data and gain deeper insights is becoming increasingly vital. This is where Statistical Accounts, a new and improved feature within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, comes into play. With the use of Statistical Accounts you can create and manage metrics that can enhance your analysis of performance, support better decision-making, and allocate resources more efficiently.

What Are Statistical Accounts?

Statistical Accounts are an advanced capability within Business Central’s built-in financial reporting and analysis functions available to any Essential or Premium user. It allows you to add non-traditional financial dimensions for reporting with Business Central, providing a richer context for your data and analytics. With this feature, you can inject metrics like employee count, square footage of property, or cost per sales conversion into your analysis. Let’s explore how you can set up Statistical Accounts to leverage this capability effectively.

Setting Up Statistical Accounts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

To begin using Statistical Accounts, follow these steps:

  1. Create Statistical Accounts: Start by creating a Statistical Account for each metric you want to measure. Whether it’s the square footage of rental space, customers served within a specific segment, or the number of full-time employees, each metric should have its dedicated Statistical Account.
  2. Register Metrics: To incorporate these metrics into your financial analysis, navigate to the Statistical Accounts Journal. Select the Statistical Account No. field and add a description along with the numerical value for each metric. For the example above you can define the number of employees as 81 to calculate revenue per employee. Another example could be the number of customers served within a specific segment, yielding average revenue per customer. For a more comprehensive analysis, consider adding department codes or customer group codes where applicable. Once you’ve provided the necessary base statistical information, click “Register.”
  • Review and Adjust: In the Statistical Account Ledger Entries, you can review and, if needed, undo the new metrics you’ve registered as journal lines. Should any correction be required, you can select “Reverse Transaction.

Incorporating Metrics into your Financial Reports and Daily Analytics within Business Central

Once you’ve created and registered your Statistical Accounts, you can seamlessly integrate these metrics into your built-in Financial Reports within Business Cental (formerly known as Account Schedules). Here’s how:

  • Edit Row Definitions within Reports: Within the Financial Reports, access the Edit Row Definition. Under the Formula field, choose “Statistical Account” and select the desired metric. By doing this, your reports will incorporate these new KPIs and OKRs, providing additional context and valuable insights for trend and performance analysis.
  • Leverage the New Analyze Mode: What makes Statistical Accounts even more powerful is their adaptability. You can incorporate the Statistical Accounts as dimensions in the new Business Central Analyze Mode, which adds pivot tables to the majority of your standard list-view screens. By adding Statistical Accounts to your Analysis View Card dimension, you’ll further enhance the depth and efficiency of your data interaction. This user-friendly and efficient approach can significantly streamline your analytical processes.

In today’s data-driven world, staying ahead requires not only setting objectives but also accessing the right tools to gain deeper insights. Statistical Accounts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a valuable way to enhance your decision-making and elevate your resource allocation, ultimately supporting your organization’s growth and success.

To learn more about Statistical Accounts in Microsoft Business Central, refer to the official Microsoft documentation at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/release-plan/2023wave1/smb/dynamics365-business-central/use-statistical-accounts-collect-data-financial-reports

Seeking Expert Support

Current Endeavour clients are able to access additional Advisory Services, Training and Mentorship via the Endeavour Support desk for Business Central support@endeavoursolutions.ca . If you’ve outgrown your current Microsoft partner, consider making the switch to our large and talented Business Central consulting team, visit https://www.endeavoursolutions.ca/newpartner/

About Endeavour Solutions

Endeavour Solutions is a Gold Microsoft Solutions Partner for ERP, CRM, and AI Cloud Business Applications focusing on implementations, upgrades, development, data analytics, training and support for the cloud-centric Dynamics 365 Platform including, Business Central (ERP), Sales Enterprise (CRM), Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Power Apps, and Azure.

With offices in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver, Montréal, Edmonton, and London, Canada, their consultants support more than 900 active clients throughout North America including clients using Dynamics GP and Dynamics NAV. Over the years, Endeavour has been named multiple times to the Microsoft President’s Club – The top 5% of Microsoft Partners Worldwide.

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Business Transformation through digital technology and process optimization helps address challenges in today’s competitive market.

Whether you choose to Stay on Microsoft Dynamics GP, or move to the cloud with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, each of these two ERPs can serve as a great foundation for innovation and changes to your business processes.  To tackle strategic problems, our team recommends looking at the following opportunities for improvement:

  1. Identify areas for improvement in workflows
  2. Automate processes where possible
  3. Develop new productivity metrics
  4. Encourage employee adoption of innovations

Meet our Dynamics GP Consulting Team: https://www.gpsupportnorth.com/advisory/

Meet our Business Central Consulting Team and Intro VIDEO https://www.endeavoursolutions.ca/businesscentral/cloud-erp/

Why Change Management is Important

Change management is crucial for successful implementation, as resistance to new practices can render these innovations ineffective. Factors such as inadequate training, inflexible controls, and difficult interfaces can hinder user adoption.  Without user adoption, many of your Business Transformation efforts risk missing their objectives and anticipated ROI.

Finance’s Role in Change Management

Finance plays a key role in change management by allocating resources to high-value initiatives. Finance leaders must identify promising projects, set milestones, and justify their implementation. By quantifying productivity enhancements and improved insights, you can build a business case to justify your efforts, i.e. the revenue growth or anticipated cost saving derived from the proposed innovation.

As Change Agents, Finance Leaders are commonly in a position of authority and influence, and can help to communicate and quantify the value of the proposed changes to the organization.  Beyond communicating the business value, Change Management also looks at the ‘human side” of the equation and specifically with a focus on user knowledge, perceptions, skills needed.

Finances Role in Change Management – using the implementation of an Expense Management application for Dynamics GP or Business Central as an example

Assuming you’re implementing Expense Management for your ERP, let’s consider some guiding principles.

  1. Keep your processes as simple, convenient, and familiar as possible
  2. Communicate the change and business value to the organization
  3. Communicate the WIIFM – “What’s. in. it. for. me”, from an end-user perspective
  4. Provide training in two forms.  First before the change, and Secondly, something that can be used during or after the change.
    • Be sure that the training includes a focus on the business processes and context, not just the technical system navigation

Example: Using the Change Management concept of Head, Heart, and Hands.

Head – Logically, what is the change, and what are the new steps.  How are the new Expense submissions entered by phone or online? What are the new approval processes by managers?  What happens if a claim is denied?

Heart – What should I want to change, WIIFM? What’s the value to others? What’s the risk of not changing? Ideally, the new approvals process is improving financial controls, while also reducing the time managers spend on approvals.

Hands – Let me practice the change. In this case, user adoption will most likely involve the user’s initial training and the opportunity to use the new Expense management system.  If training efforts are light, or concepts are simple, a post-implementation support guide or record training session may be sufficient for hand-on learning to reinforce what they learned previously.

Dynamics GP Change Management heat heart

Whether big or small, Business improvements are always needed within an organization to impact growth, productivity, and an ability to adapt to changing market conditions.  Business Transformation typically looks at larger more strategic changes, rather than smaller incremental adjustments. We are confident that you can stay on Dynamics GP (proof), using GP as a foundation for many of your business transformation efforts.  We are equally as confident that moving to the Cloud with Business Central can provide a wealth of new possibilities. About Business Central https://www.endeavoursolutions.ca/businesscentral/ . Change Management practices for increased user adoption will help to drive results that much faster yielding a greater return on your investment.  Learn more with our PDF white paper on 6-tips for Business Transformation While Staying on Dynamics GP. https://www.gpsupportnorth.com/6tips/

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