Tips for Using the Dynamics 365 Sales Interface You May Not Know

Dynamics 365 CRM includes many buttons and actions that can be easy to overlook. Understanding what these tools do can make navigating the application easier and improve your day-to-day workflow. Keep in mind that the options you see can depend on your assigned security roles. Your organization may also have custom buttons that trigger functions, JavaScript, or Power Automate flows.

Email, Phone, and Website Buttons

Email, phone, and website buttons provide convenient shortcuts for working with contact information directly in Dynamics 365. These buttons can be available on forms, lists, and quick views, giving you quick access to these common actions from several places in CRM.

Activate and Deactivate Records

When you no longer need an active record, consider deactivating it instead of deleting it. Deactivation allows you to retain the record and its information without keeping it active in your regular workflow. If you need it again later, you can reactivate the record.

Run a Flow

The Flow option can trigger a Power Automate flow directly from Dynamics 365. The exact action depends on how the flow has been configured. For example, a flow could change a record's status reason and then send an email. This allows organizations to bring automated processes directly into the CRM experience.

View Related Records

The Related option gives you access to records connected to the current record. For example, an account can have related contacts, leads, and other records. These connections are created through relationships in Dynamics 365, such as when an Account lookup is populated on a related record. Related records make it easier to navigate between connected information without having to search for each record separately.

Assign Records

The Assign action lets you change the ownership of a record. You can also assign multiple records at once. This can be useful when responsibilities change or when records need to be redistributed among members of your team.

Use Mass Edit Carefully

Mass Edit lets you update information across multiple records simultaneously. This can save considerable time when the same change needs to be made to many records, but it should be used carefully. Because you're updating multiple records at once, verify your selection and changes before applying them.

Share Individual Records

The Share action adjusts another user's access at the individual record level. This provides an option for granting access to a particular record without necessarily changing broader access throughout Dynamics 365. Because sharing affects record-level security, consider how the user's existing security permissions and your organization's security model should apply before granting additional access. You can also use available options to email or copy a link to a record.

Use the Record Set Navigator

The Record Set Navigator provides another way to move through a group of records. It can be especially useful when you need to make quick edits across several records because you can navigate through the record set without continually returning to the main list.

Filter the Timeline

A busy timeline can contain many different types of activities. Timeline filters help narrow the information you're viewing. For example, you can filter the timeline to show only emails when that's the information you're looking for. Filtering makes it easier to find relevant activity without sorting manually through every timeline entry.

Customize Your Views

Dynamics 365 views offer several options that can help you control how record lists are displayed and used. Depending on your access and configuration, you may be able to:

• Switch between available views
• Edit the columns displayed in a view
• Edit filters
• Manage and share views
• Visualize a view
• Hide views

These options allow you to tailor lists around the information that's most useful for your workflow.

Pin Your Preferred View

If there's a view you use frequently, you can pin it. Pinning lets Dynamics 365 remember your preferred view, and that selection is retained even after you close your browser. You can also unpin the view whenever your preference changes.

Explore Personalization Settings

The Dynamics 365 navigation area includes additional tools for personalizing your experience. Personalization settings can include options such as your time zone and email tracking preferences. Reviewing these settings can help you configure Dynamics 365 to better match the way you work.

Use Quick Create

The plus sign in the navigation area provides access to Quick Create forms that have been included in your application. Quick Create gives you a convenient way to create supported records without navigating away from your current work.

Make the Most of the Dynamics 365 Interface

Dynamics 365 includes many useful features that can be easy to miss when you're focused on completing everyday tasks. Learning how to activate and deactivate records, run flows, navigate related information, assign ownership, edit records in bulk, control record-level sharing, filter timelines, customize views, and use quick-create forms can help you work more confidently and efficiently throughout your CRM application.