Dynamics 365 Omnichannel - Simply Explained
Key Takeaways
- Traditional customer service often treats every communication channel as a separate system, creating a fragmented customer story and frustrated users.
- Dynamics 365 Omnichannel allows organizations to connect customer conversations across chat, voice, SMS, and social messaging into a single unified agent workspace.
- Customer identification is vital for connecting ongoing interactions to existing contact records, past cases, and comprehensive service histories.
- Advanced routing and skills-based matching ensure that customer requests are automatically directed to the most qualified available agent rather than just the next free person.
- Built-in AI tools like Copilot and Smart Assist help agents summarize long conversations, surface relevant knowledge articles, and respond more efficiently.
A customer starts a website chat because an order has not arrived. They explain the problem, provide the order number, and answer several questions. Later, they call the company—and the person on the phone asks them to explain everything again. For the customer, this makes little sense. They did not start a new problem. They simply changed the way they contacted the company. In this episode of Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets on M365 FM, Mirko Peters explains Microsoft Dynamics 365 Omnichannel in plain English and shows how organizations can connect customer conversations across chat, voice, SMS, social messaging, and other service channels. We explore the unified agent workspace, customer identification, queues, Unified Routing, skills-based routing, agent presence, capacity, transfers, consultations, knowledge articles, quick replies, Copilot, Smart Assist, sentiment analysis, customer history, cases, transcripts, and supervisor analytics. The central idea is simple: customers can enter through many different doors, while agents work from one connected customer service desk.
WHY SEPARATE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHANNELS CREATE PROBLEMS
Traditional customer service often treats every communication channel as a separate system. Website chats appear in one application. Emails arrive in a shared mailbox. Calls are handled through another platform. Social messages may even be managed by a completely different department. Each system may work perfectly well individually, but the customer's story becomes fragmented. An agent answering the phone may not know that the customer already spent twenty minutes chatting with another employee earlier that day. The result is repetition, longer handling times, unnecessary searching, and frustrated customers. Dynamics 365 Omnichannel attempts to connect those pieces into a more consistent service experience.
WHAT IS DYNAMICS 365 OMNICHANNEL?
Think of Dynamics 365 Omnichannel as an office building with several front doors but one reception desk. Customers can enter through different communication channels. One person might use website chat. Another calls. Another sends a text message. Another contacts the organization through a supported social messaging channel. Behind those different entry points, Dynamics 365 provides a common customer service environment. The channel still matters because a live telephone call behaves differently from an asynchronous text conversation. But agents do not necessarily need completely separate working environments for every channel.
THE UNIFIED AGENT WORKSPACE
The agent workspace is where customer conversations come together. Instead of switching continually between a chat application, telephone system, CRM, knowledge base, and customer records, agents can work with conversations alongside relevant Dynamics 365 information. Each active piece of work can appear as a session or conversation. An agent might handle one customer chat and later move to another session without losing the original context. The workspace can also provide access to customer details, previous cases, activities, knowledge, notes, and other service information. This changes the agent's starting point from: "Can you explain everything again?" to: "I can see your previous interaction. Let's continue from there."
IDENTIFYING THE CUSTOMER
Connected customer history depends on knowing who the customer is. Sometimes Dynamics 365 already knows. For example, a customer may begin a conversation while authenticated through a connected customer experience. In other situations, somebody starts as an unknown website visitor. The agent can then request information such as an email address or order number and search for an existing contact. Once the conversation is associated with the correct customer or case, the transcript, notes, activities, and related service work can contribute to that customer's history. Customer identification is therefore an important part of making omnichannel actually feel connected.
CASES KEEP CUSTOMER ISSUES TOGETHER
Some questions can be solved during a single conversation. Others require follow-up. A case provides a structured Dynamics 365 record for an issue that needs to be tracked until resolution. Imagine a customer contacts support about a missing delivery. The initial chat does not solve the problem because another department needs to investigate. The agent creates or associates a case. When another employee later works on the issue, they can open that case and review the information already collected. The customer problem now has a persistent home instead of existing only inside one temporary conversation.
ROUTING: GETTING CUSTOMERS TO THE RIGHT TEAM
A unified workspace is useful only when customer requests reach appropriate employees. This is where routing becomes important. Dynamics 365 can place incoming work into queues representing different areas of responsibility. An organization might have queues for: Billing, deliveries, technical support, sales, or another service function. Routing rules can use information collected from the customer to determine where the conversation belongs. A billing question can go toward billing. A delivery problem can go toward the delivery team. The customer does not need to understand the queue architecture. They simply describe what they need.
SKILLS-BASED ROUTING
Being available does not automatically make somebody the correct agent. A customer may need assistance in German. Another customer may require an employee who understands a particular product. Another request may require specialized account knowledge. Dynamics 365 can use skills to describe what agents can handle and match those capabilities with customer requirements. Instead of routing work only according to who happens to be free, the system can consider whether the employee is actually suitable for the conversation. This can reduce transfers and improve the chance that the first agent receiving the request can help.
PRESENCE AND AGENT CAPACITY
The correct agent also needs to be available. Presence indicates whether an employee is available, busy, away, offline, or in another configured state. Capacity helps represent how much work that employee can handle. A voice call may require almost complete attention. Messaging conversations can behave differently because customers frequently pause between messages. An organization can therefore define workload rules appropriate to its service model. This helps avoid situations where one qualified employee receives conversation after conversation while another suitable agent remains available.
TRANSFERS VS CONSULTATIONS
Sometimes a conversation reaches the wrong team. An agent discovers that a customer actually needs billing rather than technical support. In that situation, the conversation can be transferred to another appropriate queue or person. But not every specialist question requires transferring the customer. A consultation allows the original agent to involve another employee for assistance while remaining responsible for the customer conversation. Instead of saying: "I'll transfer you." the agent can effectively say: "I'm checking this with our specialist." That distinction can reduce unnecessary handoffs and provide customers with a more continuous service experience.
KNOWLEDGE ARTICLES AND QUICK REPLIES
#Agents answer many similar questions every day. How do I reset my password? How do I return an item? Where can I download an invoice? What does this error message mean? Knowledge search allows employees to find approved information while the customer conversation remains open. Agents can use the article to guide their answer and, where appropriate, provide relevant information to the customer. Quick replies provide another productivity tool. Frequently used messages can be prepared in advance so employees do not need to type identical responses repeatedly. The agent still needs to review the response and make sure it actually fits the customer's situation.
COPILOT AND SMART ASSIST
AI capabilities can provide additional assistance where the organization has enabled them. Smart Assist can surface potentially useful knowledge articles, related information, or guidance. Copilot can help summarize longer conversations and, depending on the configured capabilities, assist with suggested responses. Imagine a customer spending ten minutes interacting before reaching a human agent. Instead of forcing the agent to read the complete conversation before understanding the problem, a summary can provide a faster overview of what the customer requested and what has already happened. These capabilities support the agent. They do not remove the need for review. The employee remains responsible for making sure information provided to the customer is appropriate and accurate.
VOICE, TRANSCRIPTION AND SENTIMENT
Voice scenarios can also include additional assistance. When supported voice capabilities are configured, live transcription can convert spoken conversation into text. This can help agents review product numbers, customer concerns, or commitments made during a call. Sentiment signals can provide another indicator. If a conversation appears increasingly negative, the agent may decide to slow down, clarify the problem, or acknowledge the customer's frustration more explicitly. But sentiment should not be treated as a definitive interpretation of someone's emotions. Sarcasm, language differences, communication style, and context can all affect the signal. Sentiment is therefore best treated as another piece of information—not a verdict about the customer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Omnichannel?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Omnichannel is a customer service solution that connects conversations from multiple channels like chat, voice, SMS, and social messaging into a single unified workspace, allowing agents to view complete customer histories.
How does skills-based routing work in Dynamics 365 Omnichannel?
Skills-based routing matches incoming customer requests with agents who possess the specific capabilities required for the issue, such as language proficiency or product specialization, rather than simply routing to the next available person.
What is the difference between a transfer and a consultation in Dynamics 365 Omnichannel?
A transfer hands off the responsibility of the customer conversation entirely to another queue or agent. A consultation allows the original agent to bring another specialist into the conversation for help while remaining the primary point of contact for the customer.
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So imagine this, you started chat on a company website
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because your order hasn't arrived.
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You explain the order number, what you've checked,
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and exactly what you need.
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Then the chat ends, so you decide to call the person on the phone
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asks the same questions all over again.
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Why?
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Because that chat lives in one tool, and the phone call
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lives in a completely different system.
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That's the old support model.
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Separate inboxes, separate tools, separate pieces
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of the same customer story, all scattered.
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Dynamics 365 OmniChannel pulls those conversations
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into one workspace.
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Think of it like an office building
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with multiple front doors, chat, phone, text, social messages.
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But behind them all is one reception desk.
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By the end of this knowledge nugget,
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you'll understand the channels, what the agent sees,
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how rooting works, the customer history,
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and what supervisors can monitor.
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Why separate channels create bad support?
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Let's stick with that missing order for a moment.
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A customer starts a website chat at lunch
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and says their order should have arrived yesterday.
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The agent asks for the order number checks the record
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and needs to ask the delivery team,
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but the answer doesn't come back in time
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so the customer has to leave.
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Later they send an email that email shows up
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in a shared mailbox where a different agent reads it.
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But this agent doesn't see the chat history,
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so they ask for the order number again
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and then ask the same questions
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the first agent already covered.
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Frustrated, the customer calls, a third agent picks up.
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They can see the customer's name,
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but the whole story is missing.
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So they ask, can you tell me what happened?
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From the customer's perspective, this feels off.
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They aren't thinking, I switch channels.
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They're thinking, I still need my order.
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Each channel feels like walking into a different branch
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of the same company where no one has seen the notes
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from the branch you just left.
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That's the reality of separate tools.
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Chat lives in a website tool, email lives in a shared mailbox,
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calls live in a phone system and social messages,
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sit with the marketing team.
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Everyone wants to help, but the information
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stays scattered everywhere.
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So the agent spends time searching instead of helping.
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They search for the customer record, check old cases,
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look through notes and ask colleagues
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if anyone already talked to this person.
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Sometimes they find the right information,
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sometimes they don't.
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Either way, the customer keeps waiting.
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A simple question turns into a long support journey
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because the story has been broken into pieces.
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And this creates headaches for the people
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managing the service team.
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A supervisor wants simple answers.
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How many customers are waiting, which team is overloaded?
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Are chats answered quickly while phone calls pile up?
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Which questions keep coming back?
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With separate tools, those answers live in separate places, too.
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One report shows phone activity, another shows web chat.
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A mailbox has unanswered emails,
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but it doesn't look like a queue the same way.
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A supervisor sees fragments, not the full picture.
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Imagine a physical support office.
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Without OmniChannel, chat requests come to one desk,
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phone calls ring at another, emails pile up in the back,
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and social messages land on someone's personal phone.
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Staff walk around trying to piece it all together.
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That setup works fine when there are only a few requests.
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But it gets tough when customers contact you often,
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use different methods, or need help from multiple teams.
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Dynamics 365 OmniChannel flips that.
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Customers can use whatever method works for them,
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while the service team keeps the context connected.
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As much as the organization's setup
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and customer identification allow.
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So a customer might start on chat,
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follow up with a text, or call later.
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The channel changes, but the service team has a better chance
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of seeing the same story, instead of starting from scratch.
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This doesn't mean every conversation connects by magic.
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The company still has to set up channels correctly,
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link records, and decide what information to collect.
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But the goal is clear, stop treating each message
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as an isolated event.
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One shared workspace changes what the agency's first.
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Yeah, I'm okay, show all.
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The unified agent desktop, the customer service desk.
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So what does the agent actually see
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when a customer contacts the company?
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Dynamics 365 OmniChannel gives the agent one working screen,
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often called the agent desktop or service workspace.
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ItoTeams, one place for all customer conversations.
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Oh, no more jumping between a chat window, a call window,
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and a text message app.
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That sounds simple, but it changes the whole job.
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Here, Altum has the thing.
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An agent does an ultimate need to learn a different way
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of working every time a customer uses a different channel.
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Whether a chat arrives, a phone call comes in,
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or an SMS shows up, the conversation
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appears in the same workspace with the same customer tools nearby.
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The channel still matters, though.
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An agent can see what they are to reworking on I/O,
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live chat, voice call, text, or a social message I/O,
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and that matters because a phone call needs an instant reply
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while a text can stretch out over hours.
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But the screen doesn't force the agent
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to jump between unrelated systems.
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Each piece of active work appears as a session or conversation,
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like an open work tab for one customer interaction.
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An agent might have a customer chat open in one session
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and then receive another item depending
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on how the company has set up workloads and capacity.
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The agent can move between those sessions
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without losing their place.
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And the conversation does not tempt,
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sit alone in an empty screen, all customer information
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appears right beside it.
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That includes the customer out-him ass name, contact details,
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previous cases, and earlier activities from Dynamics 365.
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So if the customer contacted support last week
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about a damaged item, the agent can see that history
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while handling today our team's question.
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This gives the agent a starting point.
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Instead of beginning with, how can you explain everything
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from the start?
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A-I-O, the agent can look at the record
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and ask a better question.
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Oh, I can see you contacted us about the delivery last week.
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Has the replacement arrived?
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Ota-Dotaum is a very different customer experience.
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How does Dynamics know who the customer is?
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Sometimes it already knows.
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If a customer uses chat while signed into a customer portal
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or another connected site, the chat links to that known person
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and the agent opens the conversation
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to see the matching record.
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Other times, the person starts as an unknown website visitor.
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A visitor might appear as a new chat user at first,
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but during the conversation, the agent
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can ask for an email address, search for an existing contact,
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or create a new one if the person is now
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temity already in the system.
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This step matters because a useful customer history
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depends on connecting the conversation to the right person.
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Once that link exists, the conversation
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stays connected to the contact record
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or to a case created for the issue.
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The transcript, notes, and related work
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become part of that customer AU, TM's service history
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after the active session ends.
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So if another agent follows up later,
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the ultimately not looking at a loose message with no background
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oh, they can open the customer or case record
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and see everything.
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The agent also gets tools for the work happening right now.
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Internal notes let an agent record information for colleagues
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without showing it to the customer.
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That might be something like our delivery team confirmed.
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The parcel is at the local depot or AU customer
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asked for an update tomorrow morning.
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AU, those notes stay inside the service team or team as view.
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When the question needs more followup,
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the agent can create a case or connect the conversation
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to a case already open.
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A case is simply the service record for an issue
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that needs to be tracked until somebody resolves it.
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Their items also knowledge search.
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Imagine the customer asks how to reset a device, return an item,
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or change an account detail AU.
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The agent can search approved knowledge articles
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from within their workspace instead of opening a separate browser,
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guessing or putting the customer on hold for too long.
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They can read the article, use it to guide the conversation
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and in some setups share a link with the customer.
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Saved replies also help with messages the team sends often.
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Agreeing a request for an order number
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or a standard update can be prepared in advance
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so the agent just selects it, checks it, fits and sends it.
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That saves typing, but it should note
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that it turns support into copy and paste conversations
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out the agent still needs to read the customer
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out 10 minutes actual question.
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The same working pattern follows the agent
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across connected channels, whether it outens chat, voice, SMS
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or social messaging, the agent sees the thread, works the call,
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or manages the exchange, AU, all with the same customer information
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and service tools beside them.
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Different channels have different rules and speeds,
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but the agent does now admit need to start from scratch
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every time one arrives.
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That gives the service team one consistent place to work.
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But the workspace only helps once the customer out teams request
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reaches the person who can handle it.
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Routing, the reception desk behind the scenes.
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Before an agent sees a new chat or call,
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Dynamics 365 OmniChannel can already
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be working out where it should go.
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Think about a customer service department in a busy store.
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There is no timid one person who can answer every question
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or billing questions need the billing team,
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delivery problems need someone who can check shipments,
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sales questions need a sales team,
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and technical support needs people who know the product.
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So the first job is now,
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TEMPT answering the question, AU.
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Ito TEMPASSES getting the question to the right place.
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In Dynamics 365 OmniChannel,
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that place is called a Q-I-U, a waiting line for a certain type of work.
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You might create one queue for support,
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another for billing, another for deliveries,
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and another for sales.
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Each queue has people who can handle that type of conversation.
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A customer should know, team, need to know about queues, AU.
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They just choose chat, call a number, or send a message.
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And OmniChannel uses the available information
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to place the request in the right waiting line.
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That process is called routing.
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Routine can start with a few simple questions
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before the customer reaches an agent.
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A website chat might ask, "Oh, what do you need help with?"
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AU and the customer picks billing, delivery, product support,
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or something else.
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It could also ask for an order number, account number,
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preferred language, or the product they need help with.
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These are no-E-TEMPT questions,
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just to collect more forms, though,
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they help the service team understand
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where the request belongs.
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Imagine somebody writes, "AO me invoice"
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shows the wrong amount, AO, AO, AO,
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that should go to billing, not to an agent
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who only handles delivery dates.
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Or if a customer selects German as their preferred language,
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the system can look for a queue or agent
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set up to handle German conversations.
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The customer shares a small amount of information once,
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and the agent can start with that information already available.
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Behind the scenes, routing rules read those details.
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A rule can be as simple as,
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if the customer selects our delivery issue,
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output the conversation in the delivery queue,
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if they select our technical support,
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I do send it to the support queue.
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Rules can also look at skills.
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A skill is a label that describes
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what an agent can handle, a U.
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One agent may know a certain product line,
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another may speak a particular language,
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another may handle account changes.
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On me channel matches customer requests
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with people who have the right skills.
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That means the system does noten't just send work
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to the next available person, or it tries
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to send it to the person who fits the request.
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Of course, the right person also needs to be ready to take it.
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Agents use presence to show their status,
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A U available, busy, away, offline or other.
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If someone is offline, the system won't
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out empty sent them a live chat.
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If someone is already handling several conversations,
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the system can avoid piling on more work
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than their capacity allows.
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Capacity is simply a limit, for example.
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A team may decide an agent can handle
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a certain number of message conversations at once.
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A voice call might take all of that agent out there's
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attention while short texts can allow multiple active sessions.
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The exact rules depend on the service team.
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What matters is that OmniChannel considers availability
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and workload before sending the next request, which
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helps avoid the common problem of one agent getting overloaded
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while another qualified person sits free.
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When a conversation reaches an agent,
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they can accept it or reject it if unable to take it,
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depending on the company out TMR setup.
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The request then returns to the queue or continues
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through routing.
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Sometimes the agent accepts the conversation
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and quickly spots a mismatch.
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Perhaps the support agent realizes
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the customer actually needs billing,
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oh, rather than trying to solve it themselves,
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they can transfer the conversation to another queue
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or to a suitable person.
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A transfer moves responsibility for the customer conversation,
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but not every problem needs a transfer.
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Imagine an agent helping a customer with a product fault
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needs one answer from a technical specialist.
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The customer does now need to be pushed into another waiting line,
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oh, the agent can start a consult.
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A consult brings another person into the work
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without taking the customer out of the conversation.
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The specialist helps the agent with the answer
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while the original agent stays with the customer.
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So the customer still has one person speaking to them
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and the agent gets help without forcing a handoff.
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This feels small but prevents a lot of frustration, oh,
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instead of hearing, oh, yo,
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to more transfer you, oh, the customer, here's oh, yo,
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to remember checking this with our specialist now.
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A routeing puts the right request
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in front of the right people more often
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and consults reduce unnecessary handoffs
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when an agent needs backup.
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But even a well-rooted conversation
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can involve difficult questions, long histories
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and details and agent needs to find quickly.
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Tools that help agents respond without guessing.
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Once the agent has the customer in front of them,
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the next challenge is speed without sounding rushed.
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Some messages come up again and again.
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Thanks for contacting us.
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Could you share your order number?
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I'm checking that for you now.
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Dynamics 365.
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OmniChannel can give agents quick replies
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for these common moments.
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A quick reply is a prepared message
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the agent can select instead of typing
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from scratch every time.
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That saves time, especially during busy chat periods,
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but the agent should still read it before sending it.
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A prepared reply works best as a starting point,
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not as a substitute for paying attention.
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A customer with a missing order
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doesn't want a generic message
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that ignores what they just explained.
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Knowledge articles help with the next part.
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Most service teams answer the same kinds of questions
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every day are how to reset a password,
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download an invoice, return an item,
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or understand an error message.
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Instead of relying on memory,
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an agent can search the company knowledge base
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while the conversation is still open.
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They might read an approved article,
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follow its steps with the customer
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or send the customer a link.
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That keeps answers consistent across the team
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and gives the customer something useful
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to refer back to after the chat or call ends.
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But here's the thing.
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The knowledge article should still fit the customer's situation.
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Sending a link without checking it
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is like handing somebody a manual
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without opening it to the right page.
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The agent needs to confirm
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that the instructions apply before sharing them.
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Sometimes the agent needs help from a colleague,
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but the customer shouldn't see that internal conversation.
361
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OmniChannel can keep internal messages
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separate from customer facing replies.
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An agent might ask a colleague,
364
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can you confirm whether this order can still be changed?
365
00:13:24,500 --> 00:13:25,580
I'll team that it out then,
366
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Katatis, guess it is.
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The colleague responds inside the workspace
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while the customer only sees the final answer
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written just for them.
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Internal notes work in a similar way,
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and agent can record details the team needs later
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without putting them into the customer chat.
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This keeps the customer conversation clean
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while giving the service team a place
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to keep useful working information.
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Now there are also AI tools
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where the organization has turned them on.
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Smart Assist can suggest knowledge articles
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related information or guidance
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that may help with the conversation.
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Copilot can create a summary of a long conversation
382
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and in some setups suggest a response
383
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that can save an agent from scrolling
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through a long message thread
385
00:14:01,580 --> 00:14:03,540
to work out what has already happened.
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00:14:03,540 --> 00:14:05,780
Imagine a customer spend 10 minutes talking to a bot
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then reach the person.
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00:14:06,980 --> 00:14:08,340
A short summary can tell the agent
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what the customer asked,
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what steps they already tried,
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00:14:11,220 --> 00:14:12,780
and why they now need human help.
392
00:14:12,780 --> 00:14:14,140
The agent can start from that point.
393
00:14:14,140 --> 00:14:16,260
Still, suggestions are suggestions.
394
00:14:16,260 --> 00:14:18,100
An agent needs to check the article,
395
00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:19,100
read the summary,
396
00:14:19,100 --> 00:14:20,900
and make sure any suggested response
397
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is accurate before sending it.
398
00:14:22,780 --> 00:14:24,380
The tool can speed up the work,
399
00:14:24,380 --> 00:14:26,940
but the person remains responsible for the answer.
400
00:14:26,940 --> 00:14:29,020
Voice conversations can bring similar help.
401
00:14:29,020 --> 00:14:30,580
When voice features are enabled,
402
00:14:30,580 --> 00:14:32,620
the system can provide live transcription
403
00:14:32,620 --> 00:14:34,780
so spoken words appear as text during the call.
404
00:14:34,780 --> 00:14:36,340
It can also show sentiment signals
405
00:14:36,340 --> 00:14:38,660
and AI suggestions based on the conversation.
406
00:14:38,660 --> 00:14:40,260
A transcript helps when an agent needs
407
00:14:40,260 --> 00:14:41,540
to check a product number,
408
00:14:41,540 --> 00:14:43,140
a promise made during the call,
409
00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:44,980
or the exact wording of a customer concern.
410
00:14:44,980 --> 00:14:46,700
It also makes the later wrap up easier
411
00:14:46,700 --> 00:14:49,380
because the agent has a written record to work from.
412
00:14:49,380 --> 00:14:51,060
Sentiment needs a little care.
413
00:14:51,060 --> 00:14:52,380
A sentiment signal tries to show
414
00:14:52,380 --> 00:14:55,060
whether the conversation appears positive, neutral,
415
00:14:55,060 --> 00:14:55,940
or negative.
416
00:14:55,940 --> 00:14:58,740
If a customer's language or tone starts to sound frustrated,
417
00:14:58,740 --> 00:15:00,940
the agent may see that signal and slow down,
418
00:15:00,940 --> 00:15:02,180
ask a clearer question,
419
00:15:02,180 --> 00:15:04,180
or acknowledge the problem directly.
420
00:15:04,180 --> 00:15:05,660
But sentiment is not a verdict.
421
00:15:05,660 --> 00:15:07,140
People use sarcasm.
422
00:15:07,140 --> 00:15:09,020
People sound short when they are busy.
423
00:15:09,020 --> 00:15:12,020
A customer can sound calm while being deeply unhappy.
424
00:15:12,020 --> 00:15:13,300
The agent should treat sentiment
425
00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:14,940
as a prompt to listen more carefully,
426
00:15:14,940 --> 00:15:17,140
not as a label that explains the person.
427
00:15:17,140 --> 00:15:18,660
When the customer conversation ends,
428
00:15:18,660 --> 00:15:20,700
the agent usually gets a wrap up period.
429
00:15:20,700 --> 00:15:22,980
This is the short window where they can add notes,
430
00:15:22,980 --> 00:15:25,060
update customer details, create a case,
431
00:15:25,060 --> 00:15:27,260
or link the conversation to a case already open.
432
00:15:27,260 --> 00:15:28,540
Then they close the conversation
433
00:15:28,540 --> 00:15:30,380
when the record is complete.
434
00:15:30,380 --> 00:15:31,420
That last step matters
435
00:15:31,420 --> 00:15:33,500
because the next person who deals with the customer
436
00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:35,380
needs more than a closed chat window.
437
00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:37,420
They need the useful information left behind.
438
00:15:37,420 --> 00:15:42,660
One customer record, not a trail of lost conversations.
439
00:15:42,660 --> 00:15:43,580
After the wrap up,
440
00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:45,420
the conversation doesn't just disappear.
441
00:15:45,420 --> 00:15:47,460
When it connects to the right contact or case,
442
00:15:47,460 --> 00:15:49,540
Dynamics 365 keeps a service trail
443
00:15:49,540 --> 00:15:51,180
that another agent can open later,
444
00:15:51,180 --> 00:15:54,260
rather than asking the customer to explain the whole issue again.
445
00:15:54,260 --> 00:15:56,580
That trail can include the conversation transcript,
446
00:15:56,580 --> 00:15:58,860
internal notes, the channel the customer used,
447
00:15:58,860 --> 00:16:00,060
the queue where it arrived,
448
00:16:00,060 --> 00:16:01,460
the agent who worked on it,
449
00:16:01,460 --> 00:16:03,220
and when the conversation took place.
450
00:16:03,220 --> 00:16:05,180
So imagine a visitor opens a website chat
451
00:16:05,180 --> 00:16:07,540
and asks why an order hasn't arrived.
452
00:16:07,540 --> 00:16:10,300
At first, the visitor may not match a known customer record.
453
00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:12,740
The agent asks for an email address or order number,
454
00:16:12,740 --> 00:16:13,860
finds the right customer
455
00:16:13,860 --> 00:16:15,500
and links the chat to that person.
456
00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:16,860
If the order needs more work,
457
00:16:16,860 --> 00:16:19,220
the agent creates a case for the delivery issue.
458
00:16:19,220 --> 00:16:20,660
Now the issue has a home.
459
00:16:20,660 --> 00:16:21,860
The customer may leave the chat
460
00:16:21,860 --> 00:16:23,620
because they need to get back to work.
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00:16:23,620 --> 00:16:25,380
Later, a different agent follows up
462
00:16:25,380 --> 00:16:26,900
through another connected channel.
463
00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:28,300
Instead of seeing only a new message,
464
00:16:28,300 --> 00:16:29,820
asking about a late order,
465
00:16:29,820 --> 00:16:31,860
that agent can open the case and see the chat,
466
00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:34,540
the order details, the notes, and the steps already taken.
467
00:16:34,540 --> 00:16:36,540
The follow-up starts in the middle of the story
468
00:16:36,540 --> 00:16:37,580
where it should.
469
00:16:37,580 --> 00:16:40,060
That is what people mean when they talk about context,
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00:16:40,060 --> 00:16:41,500
following the customer.
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00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:42,660
The customer might use a different
472
00:16:42,660 --> 00:16:45,260
door, but the service record gives the next agent
473
00:16:45,260 --> 00:16:47,100
a place to look before they respond.
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00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:49,420
There are limits though, a conversation only links correctly
475
00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:51,540
when the organization has connected its channels
476
00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:53,260
and can identify the customer.
477
00:16:53,260 --> 00:16:55,180
An unknown visitor is still unknown
478
00:16:55,180 --> 00:16:56,580
until the agent matches them
479
00:16:56,580 --> 00:16:59,100
with an existing contact or creates a new one.
480
00:16:59,100 --> 00:17:01,540
Persistent chat also depends on the company setup.
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00:17:01,540 --> 00:17:03,100
Some organizations allow a customer
482
00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:05,180
to return and continue a previous chat.
483
00:17:05,180 --> 00:17:07,180
Others may end the chat and start a new one.
484
00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:08,780
The same applies to transcript options.
485
00:17:08,780 --> 00:17:11,580
A company can decide whether customers can download a transcript
486
00:17:11,580 --> 00:17:14,220
or receive one by email, depending on how it has configured
487
00:17:14,220 --> 00:17:14,980
the channel.
488
00:17:14,980 --> 00:17:17,700
So OmniChannel doesn't promise that every message from every place
489
00:17:17,700 --> 00:17:19,580
will join itself automatically.
490
00:17:19,580 --> 00:17:21,940
It gives the service team the structure to keep conversations
491
00:17:21,940 --> 00:17:24,580
together when records, channels, and processes
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00:17:24,580 --> 00:17:25,500
connect properly.
493
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,020
That history helps the person dealing with one customer.
494
00:17:28,020 --> 00:17:30,020
Service leaders need a wider view too,
495
00:17:30,020 --> 00:17:33,940
because they need to see what is happening across the whole team.
496
00:17:33,940 --> 00:17:36,540
What supervisors can see and improve?
497
00:17:36,540 --> 00:17:40,380
So you owe them the setup OmniChannel for customer service.
498
00:17:40,380 --> 00:17:42,260
But what can supervisors actually see
499
00:17:42,260 --> 00:17:43,780
and how do they make things better?
500
00:17:43,780 --> 00:17:45,820
Supervisors don't know and just need to know
501
00:17:45,820 --> 00:17:47,620
if a single case got closed.
502
00:17:47,620 --> 00:17:49,740
They need to see where work is piling up right now.
503
00:17:49,740 --> 00:17:52,460
Real-time dashboards show cues, waiting conversations,
504
00:17:52,460 --> 00:17:54,660
available agents, and active work.
505
00:17:54,660 --> 00:17:56,380
If the delivery cue suddenly fills up
506
00:17:56,380 --> 00:17:58,580
while the billing team has spare capacity,
507
00:17:58,580 --> 00:18:00,220
the supervisor spots the pressure
508
00:18:00,220 --> 00:18:02,140
before customers wait too long.
509
00:18:02,140 --> 00:18:04,460
They also see whether agents are busy, available,
510
00:18:04,460 --> 00:18:06,180
or already working at their limit.
511
00:18:06,180 --> 00:18:08,020
That turns staffing from guesswork
512
00:18:08,020 --> 00:18:09,740
into something data-driven.
513
00:18:09,740 --> 00:18:12,500
Now, historical reports answer different questions.
514
00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:14,340
How many conversations arrived last week?
515
00:18:14,340 --> 00:18:15,580
How long did customers wait?
516
00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:17,900
How long did agents spend handling each type of request?
517
00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:20,140
Which issues took several contacts to resolve?
518
00:18:20,140 --> 00:18:22,900
What feedback did customers leave after the interaction?
519
00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:25,660
Those patents give the team something concrete to act on.
520
00:18:25,660 --> 00:18:26,980
A channel, Aubyour, channel view
521
00:18:26,980 --> 00:18:29,140
can also expose problems that stay hidden
522
00:18:29,140 --> 00:18:30,700
in a single overall number.
523
00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:33,580
Website chat might run smoothly while text messages pile up.
524
00:18:33,580 --> 00:18:35,100
Phone calls could be handled quickly,
525
00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:37,860
while social messages wait hours after business hours.
526
00:18:37,860 --> 00:18:39,740
The supervisor can then dig into the cause,
527
00:18:39,740 --> 00:18:42,060
maybe the team needs more people at a certain time,
528
00:18:42,060 --> 00:18:44,820
maybe a routing rule sends too much work to one cue.
529
00:18:44,820 --> 00:18:46,620
Maybe customers keep asking a question
530
00:18:46,620 --> 00:18:49,100
because a knowledge article is unclear.
531
00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:51,860
Or maybe agents need more training on a product or process.
532
00:18:51,860 --> 00:18:53,740
Depending on setup, supervisors can also jump
533
00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:55,340
into a live conversation.
534
00:18:55,340 --> 00:18:57,860
They can help with a difficult request, coach an agent,
535
00:18:57,860 --> 00:18:59,540
or bring in the right person before the customer
536
00:18:59,540 --> 00:19:01,620
has to wait for a later follow-up.
537
00:19:01,620 --> 00:19:04,420
Reports don't out-tem, replace good judgment.
538
00:19:04,420 --> 00:19:06,740
But they give supervisors a cleaner picture
539
00:19:06,740 --> 00:19:10,060
of what customers experience, what agents deal with,
540
00:19:10,060 --> 00:19:12,820
and where the service process needs attention.
541
00:19:12,820 --> 00:19:15,260
Once you view OmniChannel as connected building blocks,
542
00:19:15,260 --> 00:19:18,180
the name starts to make perfect sense.
543
00:19:18,180 --> 00:19:20,380
Conclusion, the connected service desk,
544
00:19:20,380 --> 00:19:22,260
customers can reach you through many doors,
545
00:19:22,260 --> 00:19:24,260
O-Phone, email, chat, social.
546
00:19:24,260 --> 00:19:27,100
But your agents work from one connected service desk
547
00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:29,500
with the full customer context they need.
548
00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:30,740
That outcomes the whole idea.
549
00:19:30,740 --> 00:19:32,740
Thanks for tuning in to another knowledge nugget.
550
00:19:32,740 --> 00:19:38,020
Iow, Tim, and MirkoPeters from M365FM, subscribe for more Dynamics 365
551
00:19:38,020 --> 00:19:40,820
and Microsoft 365 explanations in plain English.
552
00:19:40,820 --> 00:19:42,860
And share this episode with someone who still thinks
553
00:19:42,860 --> 00:19:44,660
OmniChannel is just a chat widget.
