What Is the Sales Accelerator in Dynamics 365 Sales?

In a fast-paced sales environment, it can be difficult to know which Leads deserve attention and where each potential sale stands in the pipeline. The Sales Accelerator in Dynamics 365 Sales helps solve that problem by organizing sales activities into a convenient work list. Sellers can see upcoming activities across different CRM records in one place, prioritize their work, and complete the actions that help move potential sales forward. Set Up the Sales Accelerator The Sales Accelerator is configured from the Sales Hub app. Navigate to the Sales Insights settings and open the Sales Accelerator setup area. From there, administrators can configure which security roles have access to the work list and which types of records should appear. For example, a work list can include activities related to:

• Leads
• Opportunities
• Accounts
• Contacts
• Cases

Other record types can also be added, and administrators can specify which form should be used for each type.

Understand Licensing

To access all of the Sales Accelerator features covered here, you'll need a Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise license. Sales Enterprise provides up to 1,500 records connected to the Sales Accelerator. The higher Sales Premium tier provides unlimited connected records.

Consider Lead and Opportunity Scoring

Lead and Opportunity scoring is optional, but it can provide additional information for prioritizing your Sales Accelerator work list. Before setting up Lead scoring, you need 40 qualified Leads and 40 disqualified Leads to train the predictive model. Opportunity scoring has similar data requirements. Once scoring is available, it can provide another way to help sellers determine which records may deserve their attention.

Create Consistent Sales Processes with Sequences

Sequences let you define a consistent series of activities that salespeople should complete as they work through a sale. Instead of requiring every salesperson to manually create the same set of activities for each Lead, a manager or administrator can build those activities into a sequence. For example, a sequence could include:

1. Send an introductory email.
2. Wait three days.
3. Make an introductory phone call.
4. Continue down a different branch depending on the result.
5. Connect with the Lead on LinkedIn.
6. Send a follow-up email.
7. Qualify the Lead into an Opportunity.

Sequences can also include conditions and branching so the process can respond to different outcomes.

Use Email Templates in Sequences

Email activities within a sequence can use Dynamics 365 email templates. A template can automatically populate information such as the Lead's first name and the name of the Lead's owner. This gives salespeople a prepared message that they can review and personalize before sending instead of requiring them to repeatedly write similar emails from scratch. Templates can help maintain a consistent tone while reducing the amount of repetitive work sellers need to perform.

Create Different Sequences for Different Sales Processes

You don't have to use the same sequence for every Lead or Opportunity. Your organization can create multiple sequences for different sales processes or groups of prospects. Different segments of Leads can therefore receive different combinations of activities based on how your organization wants to engage with them.

Connect Records to Sequences with Segments

Segments provide one way to connect groups of records to a sequence. For example, you could create segments containing:

• Leads with an Email Lead Source
• Leads collected at a trade show
• Other groups that share a particular characteristic

Once you've defined the segment, you can connect those records to an appropriate sequence. Records can also be connected manually when you don't need to work with an entire segment.

Connect Individual Leads to a Sequence

Sellers can connect individual Lead records to sequences from either a list or the Lead form. Use the Sequences option and select Connect Sequence. You can review the sequence and then choose which seller should be assigned to it. This gives users flexibility to apply an established sales process to an individual Lead when appropriate.

Use the Work List to Manage Your Day

The work list is at the heart of the Sales Accelerator. It brings your assigned activities together and organizes them according to their due dates. Instead of navigating through Leads, Opportunities, and other CRM tables individually to find work that needs to be completed, the seller gets a centralized list of activities. The work list can include both activities generated through sequences and activities you've created manually. For a busy salesperson, this means less time digging through CRM and more time working through the activities that require attention.

Customize Work List Cards

Organizations can customize the information displayed on work list cards. You can add fields from the primary CRM record as well as information from related records. For example, a Lead card could display Lead Source or information associated with a related Account. This allows your organization to put useful context directly into the work list.

Customize Filtering and Sorting

The Sales Accelerator can also be configured with filtering and sorting options. Administrators can determine which fields are available for filtering and sorting based on the information that's important to the sales team. For example, you could add an Estimated Value field and let sellers filter the work list to see only Leads above a particular value. If a salesperson has a busy day, this provides another way to narrow the work list and focus on higher-value potential sales first.

Complete Activities from the Work List

Sellers can complete Sales Accelerator activities directly from the work list. For an email activity created by a sequence, the appropriate sender, recipient, subject, and email template can already be populated. The salesperson can review the prepared message, make any necessary changes, and send it. If the seller completes the activity somewhere else, such as Outlook, they can manually mark the activity complete in the Sales Accelerator. Once completed, the item disappears from the active work list and the sequence moves to its next step.

Skip a Sequence Step

Sometimes a sequence contains a step that no longer makes sense. For example, suppose your next activity is an introductory email, but you just spoke with the Lead by phone. Sending the introductory email may now be unnecessary. In that situation, you can skip the step and continue through the rest of the sequence. This gives sellers flexibility while still providing an established sales process to follow.

Snooze an Activity

You can also snooze activities when following up immediately doesn't make sense. For example, if you know a prospect is on vacation, you could snooze the activity until after they return. The activity remains part of your process, but you aren't continually reminded to complete it before the appropriate follow-up date.

Assign an Activity to a Colleague

Activities can also be assigned to another seller. This can be useful when you're going on vacation or otherwise won't be available to perform an important follow-up. Rather than allowing the activity to sit untouched while you're away, you can assign it to a colleague who can continue the conversation.

Use the Up Next Widget

The Up Next widget brings the Sales Accelerator experience directly onto a CRM form. It shows the next activity for the individual record you're viewing and provides functionality similar to the corresponding card in the work list. The widget can also show which sequence the record is connected to. You can review the sequence to understand the overall process, see where the record currently sits, and identify which steps have already been completed. The Up Next widget can also be added to custom forms, providing another way for users to manage sequence activities without relying exclusively on the central work list.

Keep Your Sales Team Focused on the Next Action

The Sales Accelerator is designed to reduce the amount of time salespeople spend searching CRM for their next activity and deciding what should happen next. Sequences can standardize your sales process and automatically provide the next activities. The work list brings those activities together in one place. Filters and sorting provide tools for prioritizing busy workloads, while options such as snooze, skip, and assign give sellers flexibility when circumstances change. With the appropriate setup, the Sales Accelerator can help sales teams create more consistent and timely customer communication while spending less time managing their task lists manually.