Transforming the future of business with Microsoft Sales Copilot, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, and top ERP system cloud migration solutions
Microsoft's innovative Copilot is breaking down data silos, transforming insights into actionable steps, and providing businesses with compelling reasons to embrace the top ERP system and move to the cloud. Since March, when we introduced Dynamics 365 Copilot—the world’s first copilot for customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP)—and Copilot in Microsoft Power Platform, over 63,000 organizations have experienced its capabilities. With companies like Campari Group, Leatherman Tool Group, and Northrop & Johnson, Copilot transforms both front and back-office operations. By surfacing critical business data and delivering insights, Copilot allows employees to focus on the most impactful parts of their jobs. Given this AI momentum, now is the perfect time for businesses to leverage the top ERP system in the cloud. Introducing Microsoft Sales Copilot Today, we announce Microsoft Sales Copilot, a role-based AI assistant that enhances seller productivity and personalizes every customer interaction. Sales Copilot integrates seamlessly into the tools sellers already use, like Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Dynamics 365 Sales, and can also connect with other CRM systems like Salesforce. With features like CRM task automation, real-time insights, and AI-assisted content recommendations, Sales Copilot empowers sellers to close more deals while saving time. For example, real-time customer insights, meeting summaries, and follow-up email generation are just a few of the ways Sales Copilot helps sellers enhance customer engagement. Sales Copilot is now generally available as a standalone subscription or included with Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise and Premium licenses. New capabilities such as auto-generated opportunity summaries and contextual email creation are also rolling out this month. AI-powered Customer Insights and Journeys with Dynamics 365 Delivering exceptional customer experiences requires deep insights into the customer journey. However, many businesses struggle to harness customer data effectively. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights provides a unified solution by combining customer data platform capabilities with personalized journey orchestration. In March, we launched copilot features like content ideas and query assistance, enabling marketers to optimize email campaigns, create targeted segments, and gain deeper insights into customer data. Two new copilot features, rolling out next month, allow marketers to style email forms in line with brand guidelines and easily orchestrate customer journeys across channels. These new features will enhance customer engagement and improve satisfaction rates. AIM for the Future with Cloud Migration and the Top ERP System At Microsoft, we are committed to helping businesses migrate from legacy on-premises solutions to AI-powered, cloud-first systems. Today, we are introducing AIM (Accelerate, Innovate, Move), a comprehensive program designed to accelerate cloud migration to the top ERP system. AIM offers tailored assessments to help businesses understand the value of migrating and access expert guidance throughout the transition process. With AIM, companies can innovate faster, optimize operations, and future-proof their business with AI-driven capabilities. AIM is an all-encompassing solution that reduces costs, fosters innovation, and ensures secure, resilient business operations. It includes access to a dedicated team of migration advisors, exclusive offers, and tools to facilitate a seamless transition to the cloud. Next Steps Learn more about Microsoft Sales Copilot, and if you're already using Dynamics 365 Sales, Marketing, or Customer Insights, explore the new capabilities in preview. For businesses still operating with on-premises ERP and CRM systems, now is the time to migrate to the top ERP system in the cloud and unlock AI-powered technologies with AIM.
0 Comments
Natuzzi transforms the luxury furniture experience through a data-driven approach with Dynamics 365.10/22/2024 For over six decades, the Natuzzi name has stood for more than just high-quality furniture. It is synonymous with beauty, craftsmanship, and comfort that appeal to the senses. What began as a producer of sofas and armchairs has now evolved into the Natuzzi Group—a globally renowned brand for luxury furniture that seamlessly blends design, function, aesthetics, and ethics.
Our goal is to bring beauty and timeless harmony to people worldwide. By partnering with Microsoft Dynamics 365, we’re able to craft an elevated experience and empower our global team. Business Challenge In the past ten years, Natuzzi has seen its luxury brand rapidly expand globally, attracting a younger, online-savvy audience and even earning recognition from industry influencers. While this growth has been welcomed, Natuzzi’s core strength lies in its personalized in-store experiences, which their long-standing customers have come to cherish. As a brand committed to creating harmony in the home, Natuzzi wanted to extend that harmony to every customer interaction, regardless of the medium. Whether customers engaged in one of the 1,200 retail locations, commercial offices, or online platforms, Natuzzi aimed to deliver consistent, bespoke experiences. Their vision was to elevate the customer journey, cutting through typical marketing clutter to evoke sophistication and beauty. Natuzzi aspired not just to deliver furniture but to create harmony for its customers. To achieve this, they reimagined every aspect of their business, from store design to customer service and staff development. To bring this vision to life, Natuzzi turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365, which helped unify their fragmented systems and deliver a seamless experience. They specifically utilized Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Dynamics 365 Marketing to gain a comprehensive view of their customers and engage with them thoughtfully, at the right moments, across their preferred channels. Antonio Achille, CEO of Natuzzi, explains: "We want to bring beauty and timeless harmony to people around the world. Working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 enables us to deliver a well-crafted experience and empower our global team." Creating Harmonious Experiences Natuzzi focused on:
Using Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Natuzzi consolidated demographic, transactional, and behavioral data from various sources, creating a 360-degree view of each customer. This allowed them to segment customers more precisely and build highly personalized engagement journeys through Dynamics 365 Marketing. This platform enabled Natuzzi to tailor customer experiences across all channels—whether through physical stores, events, or digital platforms. Their marketing and digital teams could now collaborate more effectively to enhance the customer journey globally. Business Use Cases Natuzzi has transformed its customer engagement approach, creating elegant experiences that reflect the luxury of its products. By leveraging customer data, they nurture relationships through personalized campaigns, delivering emails, SMS messages, promotions, and appointment reminders. Moreover, Natuzzi’s operational teams have gained the ability to collaborate more efficiently between headquarters and retail locations. To further expand its customer base, Natuzzi uses data to segment audiences, including:
Natuzzi uses Dynamics 365 to manage new digital contacts, creating personalized customer journeys. By grouping contacts into clusters based on attributes such as age, geography, and product interest, Natuzzi delivers targeted experiences without overwhelming customers. They have also launched successful reengagement campaigns to reconnect with previous customers. For instance, a recent campaign reached customers who had made purchases a decade ago, resulting in a 35% reengagement rate and a significant increase in in-store appointments. Digital Events and In-Person Engagement During the pandemic, Natuzzi embraced digital events to launch new products and gather customer feedback. They used personalized journeys to enhance engagement and participation. Post-pandemic, Natuzzi significantly increased its in-person event presence, particularly at Milan Design Week, where they exceeded engagement goals four-fold by targeting high-value customers and influencers. Trade and Lead Capture In the growing contract manufacturing space, Natuzzi has successfully captured and nurtured trade leads using Dynamics 365 Marketing and Sales. By leveraging customer data, they’ve learned which campaigns drive the most engagement and worked together to deliver results for their high-value customers. Continual Improvement and Impact Natuzzi’s journey with Dynamics 365 began in early 2021 and has grown steadily. By integrating Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Marketing, and Sales, they’ve replaced numerous outdated systems and processes. The company has input around 40 million data records and created over 350 dynamic customer segments, all driving personalized marketing campaigns. The use of Dynamics 365 Customer Service has enhanced the check-out process on e-commerce platforms, while Dynamics 365 Field Service supports seamless, connected on-site services. These investments have driven higher customer retention and satisfaction. Business Value and Growth Since the implementation of Dynamics 365, Natuzzi has seen measurable improvement in its store performance. Targeted campaigns have successfully turned contacts into prospects and prospects into customers. With a growing first-party data set of nearly 650,000 customer profiles, Natuzzi is better equipped to build lasting customer relationships. Natuzzi’s global team—its "Harmony Makers"—now spends more time delivering on the brand promise rather than navigating disconnected systems. The unified customer data and targeted campaigns help marketing and sales teams tailor offers and interactions, ensuring a premium customer experience worldwide. Next Steps Natuzzi is continuing to expand its use of Dynamics 365, incorporating AI-driven models, real-time journey capabilities, and natural language processing to further personalize customer engagement. These advancements will allow them to scale their harmonious customer experience even further, delivering the sophistication and connection that customers expect from a luxury brand. Pierangelo Colacicco, Chief Information Technology and Digital Innovation Officer, summarizes it best: "Dynamics 365 is helping us build more direct relationships with our customers and bring harmony into millions of homes around the world." As part of our ongoing dedication to making Microsoft Azure the top platform for SQL Server and Windows Server, we are thrilled to announce that SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines has achieved groundbreaking performance benchmarks. According to a GigaOm report, Azure now offers SQL Server performance up to 57% faster while being up to 54% more cost-effective than AWS EC2. These gains are possible through the Azure Hybrid Benefit and a three-year commitment. As Pam Lahoud notes, this continuous improvement results from substantial investments in Azure infrastructure, including the Ebdsv5 virtual machine series and the introduction of faster Premium SSD v2 storage, which has seen performance improve by up to 70% over the past year. In addition to hardware advancements, Azure provides unparalleled savings and manageability features for Windows Server and SQL Server. Migrating to Azure using Azure Hybrid Benefit can save up to 85% compared to standard pay-as-you-go rates. Azure helps optimize costs over time through tools like Azure Advisor, ensuring ongoing efficiency. For those looking to lock in even greater savings, Azure offers Reserved Virtual Machine Instances for up to three years, or you can choose the flexible Azure Savings Plan for compute. This plan provides discounts regardless of location, instance series, or operating system. Beyond savings, Azure offers exceptional manageability for SQL Server. Registering your SQL Server on Azure VMs with the SQL IaaS Agent Extension unlocks benefits like lower total cost of ownership, robust high availability, and free security features. Plus, automated SQL Server updates and encryption through Azure Key Vault simplify the process of managing compliance and security. Azure's virtual machine and storage infrastructure are specifically designed for critical SQL Server workloads, such as the memory-optimized Ev5 VMs and I/O-intensive Ebdsv5 series. Azure's latest Premium SSD v2 provides sub-millisecond latencies for demanding applications, delivering the best price-performance in the market. For those modernizing SQL Server, Azure SQL Managed Instance offers a managed, up-to-date SQL solution with up to five times faster performance at a fraction of the cost of AWS RDS. Its hybrid capabilities allow near real-time data replication to the cloud, helping you take full advantage of Azure’s scale and features. To further support your journey, Azure offers a range of free tools like Azure Migrate and Azure Database Migration Service, which simplify the process from discovery to migration. Programs like the Azure Migration and Modernization Program and Microsoft SQL + Apps Migration Factory provide expert guidance to make your migration as seamless as possible. Call to Action Start transforming your SQL Server experience today with Microsoft Azure. Visit https://ofoqconsulting.com/ or email us at [email protected] to learn how Azure can power your business with leading price-performance and flexibility. AI development is picking up pace. Before we could even finish digesting what Bing and OpenAI's ChatGPT would do to our world, the new breakthroughs on copilots, GPTs, and next-gen assistants rocketed generative AI straight into public discourse—from boardrooms to dinner tables. The recent flood of AI-powered applications is not a proof of AI's potential alone; it piques interest about how things work under the hood. That's why we are pretty excited to share with you "AI in a Minute," a video series that demystifies the most complex generative AI concepts into relatable, easy-to-understand content for any person irrespective of industry or job title.
Generative AI is going to change our world, just like the internet and mobile tech before it did. As a millennial who's never known life without the internet—coming of age with a pink BlackBerry Curve and an iPod in tow—the potential for technology has simply always been there. My aunt, instrumental in my interest in technology, spoke about her early career in web marketing at Sun Microsystems during the Internet's beginnings. From her stories, it was crystal clear that technology was where the action was and would remain. History will tell us likely that generative AI will go down such a trajectory, becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives. Concepts that were earlier restricted to the tech industry, such as cloud computing, storage, and silicon, are now part of our everyday lingo. Business vocabulary continues to increasingly overlap with tech jargon. The Platform Shift of Our Generation After nearly two years at Microsoft, working in Azure, I'm finally writing my first blog post. It took me a little while to understand that AI is omnipresent, touching every facet of our lives. AI is no more engineers' or high-degree holders' subject; it is a titanic platform shift for our generation. As we journey into this new frontier together, it's important that all of us find our voice and be a part of the conversation. How technology and culture come together will set our trajectory, and if AI is to truly serve all of us, that means having as many people as possible understand it. During Microsoft Ignite 2023, the company released more than 100 product announcements, cementing its position as the "Copilot company." One of my friends, a nurse and really not very technical, contacted me about this. Let me add, in social situations, I often mention that I am "the nerd," so I go light on the really deep technology. But my friend, after watching Scott Guthrie's keynote, texted me saying, "this is seriously cool." It's just as clear that interest in AI—what it can do, how it operates, and the future being conceptualized by Microsoft—flows beyond the ranks of techie circles to pique genuine interest among people from all walks of life. Generative AI: A Step Beyond Traditional AI One should bear in mind that what everybody is talking about today is not "traditional AI" or "conversational AI," something that has undergone development over the last decades. The trend these days is all about "generative AI": a computer's ability to generate—content-driven and renewing interest in technology and our digital lives. Equipped with supercomputing at their core, enormous data management, and innovations in machine learning, AI can do much more today than converse; it generates meaningful output based on our interactions. That means that, in order to do so, large language models will need to be trained on vast amounts of high-quality data, prompt engineering should make interactions more intuitive, vector search return the most relevant results, and ideally, the generated content advances society. It's complicated, but with "AI in a Minute," we will try to make things a little more accessible and understandable. Exploring the New AI Frontier, Together So, what exactly sets generative AI apart? What are these LLMs we keep hearing about? Do you have to be an engineer to really appreciate the possibilities created by prompt engineering? What is, exactly, a prompt? Is vector search just another way of searching, and why should we care? What is responsible AI—the concept or the practice that each of us can have? Find answers to these questions and more in our "AI in a Minute" series. Let's explore this new frontier of AI together. Want to dive deeper into AI? Head to Ofoq Consulting's website to discover more about our efforts in shaping the future of technology. Progressing Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence: Recent Developments in Ethical AI Research7/5/2024 Artificial intelligence, a product of human ingenuity, reflects the viewpoints and values of its creators. Encouraging AI practitioners to engage in reflexivity is vital for ensuring AI systems prioritize human interests and societal well-being. Researchers and engineers affiliated with Aether, Microsoft's advisory body on AI ethics, concentrate on creating AI solutions that address real-world problems responsibly. This involves understanding the social and technical impacts of AI and aligning development with Microsoft's AI principles.
Reflective Practices in AI Development The past year has seen significant emphasis on reflective practices among AI developers, as highlighted in Aether's recent research. Reflexivity, or the process of reflection, is crucial for developers to understand who benefits from AI and who might be adversely affected. This approach also supports the development of tools that uncover biases and assumptions that could limit the scope of human-centered AI. Transparency about technological limits, respecting user values, enhancing human control, improving human-AI interaction, and developing robust evaluation and risk mitigation for AI models are key themes in this research. Broader Perspectives on AI's Impact It's essential for AI developers and the research community to adopt broader perspectives, considering the societal implications of AI. The publication "REAL ML: Recognizing, Exploring, and Articulating Limitations of Machine Learning Research," advocates for acknowledging the limitations of ML research. This promotes transparency about the generalizability and societal impacts of research findings, reflecting a commitment to understanding for whom AI is being developed. Aligning AI With Public Values Despite many organizations creating principles for responsible AI, there's often a disconnect between the values of AI developers and the general public. A survey reflecting the U.S. population's views revealed this gap, emphasizing the need for AI systems to align more closely with public values and needs. Enhancing Human Agency Through AI Supporting human decision-making and maintaining transparency are fundamental for fostering trust in AI systems. Tools that enhance human-AI collaboration, like the GAM Changer, allow professionals such as doctors to integrate their expertise with AI for better outcomes. Additionally, studies on citizen science contributions show that emphasizing human involvement and transparency boosts engagement and productivity without compromising quality. Challenges and Opportunities in AI Development AI development is fraught with challenges, including inevitable failures due to the complexities of the physical world. Research into AI's reliability and safety suggests that incorporating human feedback can mitigate negative side effects effectively. Further studies are needed to develop better feedback collection methods to enhance system accuracy and user satisfaction. Building Responsible AI Tools for Foundation Models As the use of large language and multimodal models grows, the development of responsible AI tools and evaluation techniques becomes increasingly important. Efforts like ToxiGen aim to improve the detection of toxic language by fine-tuning AI to recognize subtle nuances in content that affects minority groups. Research also extends to multimodal models that combine different types of data, addressing potential biases and ensuring fair representation across diverse user groups. Understanding AI Practitioners' Needs The balance between meeting business objectives and ensuring responsible AI development is challenging. Research across technology companies has identified the need for tools that integrate into existing workflows, aiding AI practitioners in understanding the implications of data and promoting responsible AI practices. Exploring Top ERP Systems: Spotlight on Microsoft 365 ERP In the realm of top ERP systems, Microsoft 365 ERP stands out for its comprehensive integration capabilities and robust feature set. Designed to enhance operational efficiency and streamline business processes, Microsoft 365 ERP leverages the power of cloud technology to provide scalable solutions tailored to diverse business needs. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft products enhances productivity and ensures a unified user experience, making it a top choice for organizations aiming to optimize their operations with cutting-edge technology. The rapid advancements in computing and artificial intelligence (AI) over recent decades offer significant benefits for both individuals and society. However, they also prompt important questions about the ethical development and deployment of these technologies. Common issues with AI models include performance disparities across different groups and conditions, potentially leading to risks in safety, reliability, and fairness. Simple metrics like overall accuracy fail to capture the specific contexts or groups where AI models may underperform, and traditional methods like enhancing data quantity and computational power often do not address the root causes of these failures.
Introducing Microsoft's Responsible AI Toolbox Microsoft has responded to these challenges with its Responsible AI Toolbox, a suite of tools aimed at helping developers enhance AI systems responsibly. This initiative promotes a principled approach to AI development, focusing on targeted model improvement to address specific issues effectively. This comprehensive cycle includes identifying, diagnosing, mitigating failures, and then tracking, comparing, and validating these mitigations to refine AI models without compromising other performance aspects. The Insights from Besmira Nushi, Principal Researcher at Microsoft Besmira Nushi, a principal researcher at Microsoft, emphasizes the systematic process promoted by targeted model improvement. The latest updates to the Toolbox include the Responsible AI Mitigations Library, which facilitates the experimentation of various failure-mitigating techniques, and the Responsible AI Tracker. This tracker enhances decision-making through visualizations that display the effectiveness of different techniques, helping developers choose the most suitable ones for specific AI model applications. Tool Development for Every Stage of AI Model Improvement The Responsible AI Toolbox tools, accessible via open source and the Azure Machine Learning platform, support each phase of AI model improvement—from error analysis and fairness assessment to data exploration and interpretability. New additions like the mitigations library improve data preprocessing by managing issues like data scarcity or low-quality data for certain groups. The tracker enhances documentation and evaluation of mitigation efforts by providing detailed performance breakdowns and comparisons across data subsets. Converting AI Research into Practical Tools The development of these tools starts with fundamental research questions and involves transforming research into practical applications. This process is supported by multidisciplinary teams including user experience researchers, designers, and engineers. Microsoft Research collaborates closely with the Aether advisory body and product teams to create tools that operationalize AI responsibly, as highlighted by Microsoft Principal PM Manager Mehrnoosh Sameki. Collaborative Efforts for a Responsible AI Future The partnership between Microsoft Research, Aether, and the Azure Machine Learning team exemplifies a successful collaboration that aligns with Microsoft's vision for responsible AI. This collaboration has integrated tools like InterpretML for model behavior analysis, Error Analysis for pinpointing likely data subset failures, and Fairlearn for assessing and mitigating fairness issues into the Azure platform. These tools are designed to work together seamlessly, providing a comprehensive debugging and model evaluation experience. The Impact and Future of Microsoft's Responsible AI Tools As these tools are integrated and improved upon, they allow AI practitioners to develop models that are not only effective but also fair, safe, and reliable. This effort reflects Microsoft's commitment to responsible AI development, ensuring that AI technologies benefit society while minimizing potential harms. Microsoft Dynamics Services in Saudi ArabiaIn Saudi Arabia, Microsoft Dynamics services are pivotal in driving digital transformation across various sectors, aligning with the nation's Vision 2030 objectives. These services offer robust ERP and CRM solutions that help businesses optimize operations and enhance customer relations. As part of Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI, Dynamics tools in Saudi are designed to integrate seamlessly with AI enhancements, ensuring that enterprises not only thrive in efficiency but also adhere to ethical AI practices. This approach supports Saudi businesses in becoming more competitive globally while maintaining high standards of data integrity and fairness. Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Future Security Dynamics
The digital age has seen an explosion of groundbreaking technologies like the internet, smartphones, and cloud computing, each fundamentally altering our daily lives. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as the next transformative force, reshaping the technological landscape far sooner than anticipated. Brad Smith's recent insights highlight AI's entry into the mainstream, enhancing our ability to analyze extensive data sets and transition from questions to answers. This shift was notably illustrated in the new AI functionalities introduced to Bing and Edge, enabling rapid data analysis and supporting enhanced decision-making, with profound implications for cybersecurity. Microsoft's Commitment to Ethical AI Development In response to AI's rapid progression, Microsoft is dedicating substantial resources towards developing tools, research, and industry collaborations to foster safe and responsible AI applications. This initiative is built on a foundation of ongoing improvement and ethical consideration, ensuring that AI benefits all sectors responsibly. The Evolving Role of AI in Cybersecurity Echoing Stan Lee's sentiment on great power and responsibility, AI developers and security professionals face significant duties. AI's potential to revolutionize security practices is enormous, shifting the balance from attackers to defenders by empowering security teams to process and understand vast information streams quickly, thus negating traditional advantages held by cyber adversaries. Democratizing Cybersecurity Through AI According to research by (ISC)², there is a stark need for more cybersecurity professionals globally. AI is set to lower barriers to entry in this field, automating complex tasks and providing new practitioners with the tools needed to succeed. This not only aids in filling the employment gap but also allows experienced professionals to focus on more strategic challenges. AI's Frontline Role in Security Practices AI's integration into security roles enables more impactful use of experienced security practitioners' deep knowledge. This strategic deployment opens significant opportunities for professionals from various backgrounds, such as data science and coding, to contribute effectively to cybersecurity efforts. The Necessity of Human Oversight in AI Applications The potential for AI misuse raises substantial concerns, necessitating careful oversight and ethical guidelines to ensure its beneficial use. The responsibility to manage AI's impact extends beyond developers to policymakers and leaders within the security industry, who must ensure robust protections against AI exploitation. Strengthening AI Security Foundations at Microsoft Recognizing the importance of security from the outset, Microsoft is proactively developing secure AI technologies, learning from past oversights in software security. This involves a dedicated team exploring potential AI vulnerabilities and methods by which AI can be weaponized, ensuring robust defense mechanisms are in place. Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Global Security No single entity can secure the digital world alone. Collaborative efforts across industries and governments are crucial for overcoming cyber threats. Sharing knowledge and innovations weakens adversaries and strengthens global security networks, emphasizing the importance of a transparent and cooperative security community. The Future of ERP Systems in Saudi Arabia As part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, the integration of advanced ERP systems is crucial for modernizing and diversifying the economy. These systems facilitate efficient business processes and are integral to sectors from manufacturing to finance. The shift towards cloud-based ERP solutions reflects a need for scalable and secure business management tools, crucial for both established industries and emerging sectors in Saudi Arabia. Skills and Career Development in ERP With the ERP market expanding, there is a growing demand for skilled professionals capable of managing and optimizing these systems. This trend not only supports Saudi Arabia's economic diversification plans but also offers new career paths and educational opportunities within the technology sector. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2024
Categories |