At today's Microsoft Inspire partner conference, the company unveiled a new Dynamics 365 + Microsoft Teams experience. This new integration builds on Microsoft's Collaborative Apps, which were announced at Build 2021 back in May.
Microsoft says the current shift to a hybrid work environment of on-premises and remote collaboration means a new class of applications is needed. These apps must embrace collaboration at their core and on a single layer.
Microsoft calls them Collaborative Apps, and Dynamics 365 is one of the first “hero” collaborative apps. By using Collaborative Apps, Teams users can easily sync work with others without needing to switch contexts or applications, or even change data.
Collaborative Apps allow developers to create without needing to expand their skills, while they can build across platform. Of course, Dynamics 365 in Microsoft Teams has been created in-house, but it uses the same principles.
In terms of functionality, Microsoft says the Dynamics 365 collaborative app allows organizations to exchange information easily. Specifically, users can access the app to edit and view Dynamics 365 records directly within Microsoft Teams.
Collaborative Apps
Furthermore, users get the ability to invite anyone to collaborate on records in the Teams chat or channels. Efficiency is the goal here, giving organizations the ability to get more done in Teams without needing to open Dynamics 365.
- Among the features available are: Add Teams meetings to appointments and capture notes – During a Teams calls, users can tap into Dynamics 365 to create an appointment and capture notes. These will be automatically saved to the record in Dynamics 365.
- Automated notifications and connected workflows: Collaboration is important, but it is also important to know when changes are made. With so many people collaborating, it can sometimes be confusing to know what has been done. Dynamics 365 in Microsoft Teams sends notifications to alert users to changes in workflows.
Looking to the future of Collaborative Apps, Microsoft says its own integration with Dynamics 365 is just the start. The company also announced apps from partners such as ServiceNow, Atlassian Confluence, Salesforce, SAT C4C, and Workday in Microsoft Teams.
The company also says independent software vendors (ISVs) will eventually be able to sell apps within Teams. No date has bee put on when this ability will be available.
