RSMUS.comDay two of Microsoft Dynamics Convergence started with a great drum line from Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps, as you first walked in to get registered and grab the convergence materials which included printed information and a very nice messenger bag.
Walking over to the Philips Arena, you could tell as soon as you entered that this was going to be a great experience. The cover band was warmed up and rocking some classic songs that got the people excited about the upcoming keynote. When the keynote started I couldn’t wait to get the “actual” convergence experience underway.
The speaker did a good job at staying on point and communicating with the 12,000 people attending convergence this year. Early in the presentation, the speaker showed a video of one of the special things that Microsoft does every year, which is to provide all the attendees the opportunity to help the hosting community the day before convergence. This year, the projects included painting Martin Luther King Jr.’s office, building community flower boxes, and other helpful activities to the neighborhood. The main focus of the keynote was around a lot of the new releases that are coming out concerning marketing, sales automation, and support. After each features was presented, I immediately thought of how current customers could make use of each.
Coming out of the keynote, everyone was excited to get to their next session. I headed over to the Office 365 in hopes that it would give me a clearer understanding of what it entails and when to recommend it to clients. The presentation did a great job of hitting the highlights of Office 365 and how consumers can use some of the new functions coming out for Office 365 .
After meeting with some of the customers that are attending with RSM and the rest of the RSM team, I headed to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM session. This session was a more in depth look at the new features the keynote reviewed but how they specifically related to Dynamics CRM. The first new features will be coming out soon in the Spring Release (LEO), so look for more information coming out soon about those features.
The last two sessions of the day covered mobility options around Dynamics CRM and upgrading to Dynamics CRM 2013. The biggest take away is that Microsoft has strived and invested to make the experience and functionality consistent across the devices whether at the office or mobile.
If I had to summarize the whole day into one thought, it would be that Microsoft is listening to customer feedback and is investing in their products so customers can deliver the best service without having technology get in the way.
By: Seth Bacon – Colorado Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner
Seth Bacon
As one of RSM’s Consumer Products industry senior analysts, Seth's job is to understand, forecast and communicate economic, business and technology trends shaping the businesses we serve. Seth has more than 10 years of experience serving clients across the country by providing industry- specific insights and thought leadership focused on digital transformation. Seth works with a variety of clients in the consumer products industry helping them focus on acquiring and retaining customers through data driven insight. Seth's primary focus is on architecting and delivering technology that is intuitive using relevant, real-time information so that individuals can make informed and data driven decisions. Seth consistently works with clients to deliver processes and technology improvements that assist in their technology journey. Seth also helps companies with user adoption through organizational change management and through hands-on training.