*** NOTE: ALL INFORMATION IS ACCURATE AT DATE OF PUBLISHING ***
Last week was a bit of a mind bend. Changes all over the place, and I’ve taken a bit of time to let things marinate, and put together my thoughts on an announcement from Microsoft that changes things for their marketing offering. I don’t have all the answers, but I think it’s important to share my thoughts on exactly what is going on with a change from D365 Marketing to Customer Insights Journeys. That’s a big deal! So what does it actually mean? Below is my interpretation based on what Microsoft has published to date. If info changes or is expanded upon, I will update the post to reflect that. For now, read on for what these changes might mean for you.
NAME CHANGE
We know Microsoft loves a good name change, and this is the first thing to be aware of. Their recent announcement explained that Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and Dynamics 365 Marketing are coming together. The name of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights will be kept, but it will be split in to two apps:
- Customer Insights – Data (currently known as Dynamics 365 Customer Insights) that empowers you to effectively build a unified, real time 360-degree profile of your customers
- Customer Insights – Journeys (currently known as Dynamics 365 Marketing)
More on this change can be found here: Transition to real-time marketing and transform your Customer Experience
NO MORE OUTBOUND MARKETING
So, this part isn’t entirely true, and I don’t want you to panic, but I do want you to reconsider the urgency and timeline at which you move over to using Realtime Marketing only. From the link below from Microsoft – on September 1, 2023, Dynamics 365 Marketing will transition to focus on real-time marketing features only.
New customers will install an app that only contains real-time marketing features. Although outbound marketing features will continue to be supported for existing users, outbound marketing features will receive no future updates.
Move from outbound to real-time marketing
From an FAQ page, Microsoft have stated the following: Over the next year, we invite all customers to fully transition from outbound to real-time marketing. Real-time marketing has already surpassed traditional outbound marketing in functionality, effectiveness, usability testing results, satisfaction surveys, and our innovations and upcoming AI features are exclusively focused on real-time marketing.
Real-time marketing transition FAQs
PRICING CHANGES
Guessing the next question you have is what about pricing? I don’t sell licenses to you so can’t comment on what your exact changes and cost impact would be, but the link below refers directly to how the new Dynamics 365 Customer Insights will be licensed. I would strongly suggest planning ahead and contacting the partner you purchase your licenses from. From that article, a key part that you fall in to is that existing, standalone Dynamics 365 Marketing and/or Customers Insights customers will have an opportunity to renew their existing licensing for one contractual cycle before transitioning to the new Customer Insights combined licensing. This renewal, however, must be contracted before September 1, 2024.
After GA on September 1, 2023, existing customers will have two options:
- They can choose to remain and renew on the standalone licensing model for another contractual cycle. This renewal must be made during the transitional offer window that will run through September 1, 2024, with a final contract maturity date that can’t extend beyond September 1, 2027. At the end of the renewed contractual period, customers will then need to transition to the new Customer Insights licensing.
- Existing customers can choose to true down their existing contract on the old standalone licensing model and step-up to the new Dynamics 365 Customer Insights pricing model on their contractual anniversary and renewal date.
Dynamics 365 Customer Insights FAQs
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MOVE TO REALTIME?
For me, this is the easiest part about the whole thing! It’s not that difficult to make the move, you just need to make sure a few things are in place before you get going. Compliance is one of the biggest parts of this as it’s handled differently in Realtime Marketing compared with Outbound Marketing. I’ve already written these three blogs to help you get started with this:
- Step One – Compliance Profiles In Realtime Marketing – For Leads and Contacts
- Step Two – Real-time Marketing Subscription Forms
- Step Three – Moving Consent From Subscription Lists To Real-time Marketing Topics
I’ve shared information about Realtime Marketing for some time including creating Emails, Segments, Journeys and Forms. I will continue to blog about Realtime Marketing… and also will still likely call it D365 Marketing for a long time to come.
Bottom line, don’t panic. Just start planning your move gradually to Realtime. It’s going to be fine.
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Recently found your blog and really appreciate the valuable resources you provide. We are new to D365 Marketing and have built most of our emails on the Outbound app because of the ability for time-based triggers. My organization is a B2B financial institution, and we need the ability to send emails at a scheduled time (when certain investment rates are available/posted). Do you know if this feature is planned for Realtime or if there is a workaround?
Hi Orianna, I am a bit puzzled by the comment where you say you have built your emails in Outbound because of time-based triggers. Triggers do not exist in Outbound, only in Realtime. Is that what you meant? I would have thought Realtime would have been perfect to allow for sending out emails at a time when something happens. I guess it depends what you have being updated in D365 in terms of when the investment rates are available and posted. Is that done with a record being created or updated? If so, that would indeed be the perfect way to trigger a Journey with your emails.
I am truly wondering when Microsoft plans to resolve the issue of double opt-in in Real-Time Marketing. It is a basic need and requirement for GDPR compliance, especially now, as Outbound Marketing is being extinguished and replaced by RTM.
Hi Agnieszka, someone else asked the exact same question, please read through the comments for my response which includes a screenshot of a proposed solution. Blog will be out in a few weeks. Not ideal but it gives you an idea of how you could achieve something close to double opt in.
Hi Megan,
thanks for your wonderful update – I would have overlooked the news if it wasn’t for your newsletter 😀
Did you find any infos regarding double opt in in RTM? Because for many clients this is essential and as far as I know it can’t be accomplished without OBM (if I missed something, please give me a hint).
Best regards,
Nina
Hi Nina, there is nothing that I have seen as of yet. I have a blog post coming in a few weeks about creating a Journey that triggers when someone fills out a form to opt in to your purpose and various topics, that informs them of what they subscribed to. That way you could send something that looks like this:
You can provide a link to then opt out should they choose. Not exactly the same as Double Opt In but all I can suggest at this time until Microsoft provide the specific functionality.
Have you heard anything about the future of Marketing Websites that is currently only in OBM? We want to track links and clicks on the website but in all the documentation, I can’t find the future of that. It’s especially frustrating, because Marketing Websites has a section for Form Visits and Form Submissions, but that only applies to OBM forms, and we’re using RTM forms, so we get clicks and link analytics in one place and Form submissions in another, but no real easy way to track form visits vs form submissions. Thank you!
Hi Catrina, there is nothing that I know of yet. One thing to keep in mind, it will still be potentially a year or more before some people end up using an app that does not have any of the Outbound Marketing components in it. So still time for this to be made available as functionality. Also, it is even possible that this piece just gets moved in to the Realtime Marketing tab in the Marketing App and doesn’t ever go away.
Hi Megan,
Do you have any information on when we will see the new app containing Customer insights and Real-time Marketing in a trial?
Thanks
Hi Carrie, I am guessing September 1st… that’s the date showing in the FAQ’s my article links to. I know nothing more than anyone else at this point and just as eager to see as you! 🙂