Frontier Firms are a new type of organization that puts AI at the heart of business—reinventing customer experience and employee productivity while reshaping processes and bending the curve on innovation. Copilot is powering this transformation with unprecedented adoption by more than 100 million commercial and consumer users and by more than 70% of the Fortune 500. Today, we’re announcing the addition of role-based AI solutions to Microsoft 365 Copilot for sales, service, and finance professionals to help these critical functions move to the Frontier.

Reinvent productivity with Microsoft 365 Copilot
Sales
Sales professionals are the revenue engine for every organization and the function where time is literally equal to money. The Sales solution in Microsoft 365 Copilot brings AI directly into the applications that sellers use daily—Copilot, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams—to help them move with speed and agility while staying focused on customer engagement.

For example, sellers can now prepare for customer meetings with the help of Copilot, right in the flow of work, with fast access to customer relationship management (CRM) opportunity details, recent communications, and company insights. They can also ask Copilot to help with tasks like “Give me a list of deals at risk of falling through,” “Help me create a plan to close this deal,” and even “Update this CRM record” all in the flow of work.

Microsoft 365 Copilot connects with leading CRM tools, including Dynamics 365 and Salesforce, to make it easy to stay informed and engaged.

The role-based sales solution can transform the way our teams work. Now that it’s part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, we can scale AI across the business much faster to accelerate adoption.

Shaun Worsley, Sales Process & Technology Manager, Sandvik Coromant

Sales solution preparing for upcoming meetings and updating CRM records in Outlook.
Service
Customer service professionals are the frontline of brand loyalty, balancing rising customer expectations with growing workloads and fragmented toolsets. The Service solution in Microsoft 365 Copilot helps these professionals resolve issues faster and deliver personalized experiences that build lasting relationships.

For example, customer service professionals can now generate a concise case summary to quickly get up to speed without poring through pages of notes, draft a customer-ready email with resolution details and other contextual information that can be further customized before sending, or simply view and update records without having to switch windows and navigate to the CRM. This can mean fewer clicks, faster responses, and more time spent helping customers.

Finance
Finance is about more than transactions—it’s about making sure the business has accurate numbers, steady cash flow, and insights needed to pursue a growth agenda. The Finance solution in Microsoft 365 Copilot brings enterprise resource planning (ERP) connected data directly into Copilot, Excel, and Outlook to help finance teams manage tasks and gain faster insights.

For example, finance teams can now draft customer emails with account details and payment history; enable accelerated financial reconciliation by matching transactions, flagging discrepancies, and preparing reports; perform variance analysis (public preview) that highlights anomalies, surfaces potential drivers, and generates draft explanations for leaders; and use data preparation (public preview) to clean, reshape, and structure ERP exports into analysis-ready reports and enabling time savings on manual work.

Microsoft 365 Copilot connects with leading ERP tools, including Dynamics 365 and SAP.

inance solution showing a financial workflow in Excel, with variance analysis and data preparation tools within a Finance pane. The interface supports financial reconciliation tasks, with the cursor interacting across spreadsheet cells and tool options.
Powering Frontier sales, service, and finance teams
With role-based solutions in Microsoft 365 Copilot, sales, service, and finance teams can work smarter and faster—right where work happens. These role-based solutions will be available for installation to Microsoft 365 Copilot customers via the Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Store starting in October 2025.

The post Moving sales, service, and finance to the Frontier with Microsoft 365 Copilot appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

We are excited to announce that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center has achieved HITRUST risk-based, 2-year (r2) certification—one of the industry’s most rigorous benchmarks for healthcare data security in cloud-based solutions. 

This milestone comes at a time when AI is fundamentally changing how healthcare organizations operate and serve patients. AI is powering self-service interactions, guiding service representatives in real time, and autonomously handling end-to-end workflows. As these capabilities expand across the care journey, trust and data protection are becoming just as important as innovation.

Healthcare leaders are asking: How do we harness AI to improve patient experiences without compromising privacy? What safeguards are needed as both AI and human representatives engage in sensitive interactions across channels? How do we build future-ready systems that are both innovative and compliant?

A secure, HITRUST-certified platform helps provide the foundation to confidently address those questions.

HITRUST: Setting a new bar for secure, AI-led patient engagement

HITRUST, governed by healthcare industry representatives, developed and maintains the Common Security Framework (CSF). This certifiable framework builds on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act—United States healthcare laws that define requirements for the use, disclosure, and safeguarding of individually identifiable health information, and enforce penalties for non-compliance. HITRUST provides a standardized compliance framework, assessment, and certification process that cloud service providers and covered health entities can use to measure their compliance.

As AI becomes foundational to patient engagement, from summarizing service interactions and routing inquiries based on patient intent to helping agents triage across digital and voice channels, this level of assurance is critical. With HITRUST certification, Dynamics 365 Contact Center delivers the governance patients, providers, and regulators expect, while enabling innovation in the agentic AI era.

Helping healthcare organizations achieve more

Dynamics 365 Contact Center is an AI-first Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution that unifies AI agents, channels, real-time analytics, and human service representative support in a secure, extensible, and composable platform. With HITRUST certification now in place, healthcare organizations can confidently apply AI in ways that drive real operational impact:

• Automate with assurance: Use AI voice and digital agents for scheduling, triage, and intake while protecting protected health information (PHI).
• Empower human service representatives securely: Give service reps compliant escalation paths, governed knowledge retrieval, and smooth handoffs.
• Streamline operational workflows: Use autonomous agents to automate back-end processes and help reduce manual effort.

This certification builds on our earlier HIPAA compliance announcement and adds to Dynamics 365 Contact Center’s broader set of assurances including FedRAMP, System and Organization Controls (SOC), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and multiple International Standards Organization (ISO) standards.

Built for what’s next

As healthcare organizations modernize their service operations, unify data across systems, and adopt agentic AI to improve business processes and patient experiences, Dynamics 365 Contact Center helps ensure that trust and compliance remain central to every interaction.

To learn more about our compliance journey and explore resources, visit the Dynamics 365 Contact Center compliance page. Additionally, explore the capabilities of Dynamics 365 Contact Center and sign up for a free trial.

Dynamics 365 Contact Center

Deliver intelligence, automation, and efficiency across channels.

Learn more

The post Raising the bar for healthcare security: Dynamics 365 Contact Center achieves HITRUST certification appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

In today’s voice-first world, it’s not enough for systems to simply hear what users say. They need to understand it with precision.  In high-stakes environments like healthcare, finance, or enterprise IT, voice interfaces must balance natural conversation with strict control over vocabulary and intent. Many organizations rely on voice AI agents to collect critical information. This can include account numbers, credit card numbers, tracking codes, prescription identifiers, and more! Accuracy isn’t optional in these scenarios. Even a single misrecognized digit can derail a customer experience. Traditional speech recognition systems often struggle with these inputs, leading to frustration and costly errors. 

That’s why we’re introducing Constrained Speech Recognition, a new capability in Dynamics 365 Contact Center designed to deliver highly accurate recognition for structured voice inputs. Unlike open-ended speech recognition, which tries to interpret anything a user might say, constrained systems use grammars. Grammars are structured rules that define exactly what the system should recognize, making them ideal for structured workflows and regulated domains. These rules typically use the Speech Recognition Grammar Specification (“SRGS”) format, an industry standard used by enterprises worldwide, and can include logic for validation, positional constraints, and even checksum verification.

Grammars are ideal for: 

• Alphanumeric strings like confirmation codes, member IDs, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), and package tracking numbers 

• Constrained lists such as department names or product SKUs 

Subsequently, this approach ensures: 

• High containment, in which only expected inputs are recognized 

• Improved accuracy, especially in noisy environments

• Reduced error rates compared to traditional speech recognition systems 

As voice systems continue to evolve into agentic architectures with non-deterministic conversations, constraint will play a critical role in ensuring specific outputs remain accurate, secure, and user-friendly. If your business depends on precise voice input, Constrained Speech Recognition is your next step forward. It’s not just about hearing, it’s about understanding—reliably and securely.

Learn more 

Watch a quick video introduction.

To learn more about this modality of speech recognition, read the documentation: Use external speech grammars | Microsoft Learn

The post Understand your customers better with constrained speech recognition  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

We’re thrilled to announce today the general availability of Teams Phone extensibility for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center. This milestone marks the next chapter in our commitment to modernizing customer engagements and empowering organizations to deliver exceptional experiences at scale. 

The lines separating the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) and contact center as a service (CCaaS) markets are vanishing fast. As organizations accelerate their shift to the cloud, the convergence of these platforms is essential for modern service delivery. With Dynamics 365 Contact Center and Teams Phone extensibility, organizations can lead this transformation. When they harness the power of AI, automation, and unified data, they deliver faster, smarter, and more resilient customer service. 

“By consolidating our telephony on one platform with Teams Phone and Dynamics 365 Contact Center, we’re reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency. For example, our team is able to access customer data directly from Dynamics 365 without the need for additional integrations, and we’re able to simplify ongoing administration by standardizing on one phone system—all while taking advantage of Teams Phone enterprise features and its familiar management tools.” — Christopher Ehlo, Tech Lead, Sveriges Lärare 

Unified, seamless contact centers

Teams Phone extensibility for Dynamics 365 Contact Center is a cloud-native integration. It converges the front and back offices by bringing telephony into the heart of the contact center. In addition to unifying operations, it also simplifies telephony management, strengthens collaboration, and accelerates innovation. Now organizations can configure Teams Calling Plans, Direct Routing, or Operator Connect as their voice foundation. And they can do it within a single, unified CCaaS + UCaaS solution. This reduces silos and complexity, while extending the power of Microsoft’s collaboration and AI tools to every customer interaction. 

With Teams Phone extensibility for Dynamics 365 Contact Center organizations can: 

• Enable telephony for Dynamics 365 Contact Center users by utilizing existing Teams Phone licenses. 

• Take advantage of the extensive geographic reach of Teams Phone, with calling plans accessible in 36 countries, Operator Connect available in 96 countries, and Direct Routing offered worldwide. 

• Utilize the familiar Teams management interface and access additional Teams Phone features. 

According to a commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting¹, organizations using Teams Phone extensibility with Dynamics 365 Contact Center could see projected ROI and benefits PV as high as 345% and $3.5M respectively by year 3. Download the full report to learn more.  

¹Projected benefits for a composite customer. New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact™ Of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center with Teams Phone extensibility, Forrester Consulting, Casey Sirotnak, Jonathan Lipsitz, August 2025 

Learn more

To get started, read the documentation: Configure Teams Phone in voice channel | Microsoft Learn 

The post Teams Phone extensibility for Dynamics 365 Contact Center generally available appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

In modern contact centers, operational efficiency hinges on how quickly service representatives can transition between customer interactions. One often overlooked but critical phase is the wrap-up period—when service representatives finalize notes, update records, and prepare for the next engagement. Until now, wrap-up timers in Dynamics 365 Contact Center were limited to minute-level granularity. However, administrators were looking for more granular control to have a shorter wrap-up period after conversations. 

Administrators can now configure wrap-up timers in seconds. This means they have precise control over service representative availability. Additionally, they can streamline post-call workflows. 

Why it matters 

Contact centers vary widely in how much time service representatives need to wrap up after a conversation. For some, a full minute is excessive, leading to unnecessary idle time and reduced throughput. For others, shorter wrap-up periods can help meet aggressive service-level agreements (SLAs) and optimize resource utilization. 

Dynamics 365 Contact Center now allows organizations to set wrap-up time in seconds. This feature enables adaptation of wrap-up procedures to fit different operational requirements, accommodating both fast-paced settings and those needing additional flexibility. 

The enhanced wrap-up timer capability introduces configurable wrap-up durations starting at 30 seconds, down from the previous one-minute minimum. This flexibility allows contact centers to align wrap-up timing with service representative workflows and business goals. 

Sample scenario: High-volume retail contact center 

During a festive sale, a retail contact center faces a surge in webchat traffic. Previously, a 60-second wrap-up slowed service representatives’ availability. Now admins can set the timer to 30 seconds. This action lets them reclaim about 30 seconds per conversation without sacrificing note quality. 

Business benefits 

Organizations adopting second-level wrap-up timers can expect: 

• Improved service representative availability, especially in high-volume environments 

• Faster response times, helping meet SLA targets 

• Reduced operational costs, by minimizing idle time and optimizing service representative utilization 

These enhancements not only improve agent productivity but also contribute to better customer satisfaction and SLA compliance. 

Learn more 

To explore this feature in detail, visit the official documentation: Understand conversation states | Microsoft Learn

The post Boost productivity with precision wrap-up timers in Dynamics 365 appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

If you’re in sales and concerned that AI-generated outreach email might turn customers off, you’re not alone. Many sellers worry that automated outreach can feel impersonal, potentially eroding trust and damaging relationships. But our recent study paints a different picture—one that’s surprisingly optimistic. Survey responses from 45 businesses across industries–including education, banking, healthcare and tech— a different perspective and offer fresh insights into how AI-generated B2B outreach emails are actually being received.  

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Outreach Emails 

Before diving into AI topics in our survey, we mapped the emotional journey of customers with traditional outreach emails.  

The typical experience? Overwhelming, confusing, and often frustrating. Customers scan their inboxes, wary of spam and irrelevant offers. Even when an email seems promising, unclear next steps and clunky unsubscribe processes leave them annoyed. 

What they crave is simplicity: clarity, relevance, and control. 

Consent Is King 

Customers want absolute control over their inboxes. They define consent as an active opt-in—not a passive assumption. They expect clear unsubscribe options with confirmation messages and, ideally, deletion of personal data. 

Tone, Trust, and the AI Factor 

Customers are savvy. They verify senders, research companies on LinkedIn, and judge emails by their subject lines. Trust is not just built by who sends the email—but also how it’s sent. Personalization, transparency, and a clear value proposition matter more than whether the sender is human or AI.  

In fact, 33 out of 45 customers felt comfortable with AI agents doing outreach, and 5 were neutral. That’s 84% who didn’t mind—or even preferred—AI, as long as the message was relevant, concise and respectful. 

AI vs. Human: It’s Not a Battle—It’s a Balance 

Most customers said they wouldn’t treat an AI outreach email any differently than one from a human. The catch? They want the option to escalate to a human when things get complex—especially around pricing, payment, or sensitive data. As more companies use AI in outreach emails, customers may become more receptive to engaging with AI.  

They’re fine with AI handling initial outreach, answering basic questions, and even creating invoices. But when it comes to trust-building moments, human touch still matters. 

What Selling Companies Should Do 

If you’re considering AI outreach, here’s what our research suggests: 

• Humanize the message: Make AI-generated email copy more engaging and relatable by using everyday language, align it with your brand’s voice and tone, and personalize the email with customer names and purchase history. 

• Be transparent: Clearly state that the email is AI-generated—but make it indistinguishable in tone and quality from human. 

• Respect consent: Offer easy opt-outs, confirmations, and data privacy assurances. 

• Transparency on data security: Emphasize robust data security and privacy protections of info shared with AI as it is critical to building trust 

• Know when to hand off: Let AI handle the routine, but bring in humans for negotiation, escalation, and final transactions. 

Ready to engage with your customers using AI?  

Dynamics 365 Sales offers Sales Qualification Agent, which works around the clock to automate pipeline qualification and improve lead quality. Sales Qualification Agent proactively researches information about the lead and company, and can  identify customer fit and stage in the buying journey. The agent can also engage hundreds of leads at once with personalized e-mails and follow-ups. Your organization can configure the agent to meet the needs of your business, like handoff criteria for when it’s time to pass the lead to a seller.  

Final Thought: The Bar Is Low—Raise It with AI 

Customers aren’t rejecting AI—they’re rejecting bad outreach. Poorly crafted emails, pushy tactics, and irrelevant offers have set the bar low. AI-generated content, when done right, can raise that bar by being efficient, respectful, and surprisingly personable. 

So yes, bots belong in the inbox. Just make sure they’re the kind your customers want to talk to. 

Please Note: This is a developing area, and we will keep updating the information as we gather more information through further research. This study had a skew towards customers who have higher AI proficiency and were buying SaaS and logistics/ops products. The questions were asked strictly keeping transactional high volume low value B2B outreach in mind. 

The post AI in the inbox: Are your customers ready to embrace AI-powered outreach?  appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.