Microsoft Business Central – What’s New for Fall 2024

Copilot, it all works together! 

  • What Microsoft 365 Copilot is and what its capabilities are 
  • Customer technical requirements to adopt Copilot
  • Privacy, security, and compliance  

Best New Features of Business Central

  • Accounting improvements in (AP, AR, GL, reporting) 
  • Supply Chain updates 
  • Better integration to the Power Platform 
  • Leveraging Copilot to accelerate Microsoft Dynamics 

Best New Features of Microsoft Office (Power BI & Teams)

Microsoft CRM Fall Update

How to move to the cloud, Microsoft product roadmap, Microsoft Fall Promotions.

There will be Coffee and Snacks Provided


Material Requirements Planning in Business Central

Learn how to use Business Central to optimize your inventory and production planning 

What we will show 

  • What is Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and why is it important for your business? 
  • How Business Central supports MRP with features such as demand forecasting, supply planning, and order generation 
  • Forrester studies indicate that you can save 8.7 hours per week in purchasing with BC by using all the features available 

Demonstration 

  • How to set up MRP parameters and run the planning worksheet in Business Central 
  • How to review and modify the suggested order proposals for purchase, production, transfer, and assembly 
  • How to create and release orders from the planning worksheet 
  • How to monitor and adjust the MRP plan using reports and dashboards 

 

What you will learn today how to do in BC 

Advantages of using MRP in ERP software include: 

  • Up-to-date inventory control information 
  • Accurate production scheduling 
  • Easier working with distributors 
  • Centralized system with role-based permissions 
  • Balancing supply and demand in manufacturing 
  • Exceeding customer expectations. 


Best Practices for your Business Central Accounting Software

A webinar agenda to help you optimize your accounting processes and workflows 

Best practices for setting up and managing General Ledger 

  • Multi Company, Multi Division Setups 
  • Show how to create and modify your chart of accounts and assign dimensions and posting groups 
  • Demonstrate how to use the account schedules and analysis views to generate financial reports and insights 

Best practices for recording and reconciling transactions 

  • Explain the different types of transactions and journals in Business Central and how to use them 
  • Illustrate how to enter and post transactions using the general journal, the payment journal, and the cash receipt journal 

Best practices for managing AP & AR 

  • Discuss the importance of managing payables and receivables and how Business Central can help you do that 
  • Show how to create and process sales and purchase invoices, credit memos, and reminders 
  • Share tips and tricks for applying payments, issuing refunds, and handling discounts and write-offs 

Using Copilot and Power BI to optimize your use of the BC accounting software. 


Maximizing Business Value with Dynamics 365 ERP: A Summary of the Latest Study

Maximizing Business Value with Dynamics 365 ERP: A Summary of the Latest Study

Introduction

In 2024, Microsoft commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study to evaluate the potential return on investment (ROI) enterprises might achieve by deploying Microsoft Dynamics 365, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The results demonstrate significant business value for organizations adopting this technology.

Key Findings

The study revealed that Dynamics 365 delivers meaningful business value across various dimensions:

  • ROI: 106%
  • Present Value of Benefits: $15.8 million
  • Net Present Value: $8.1 million
  • Payback Period: 17 months

Breakdown of Benefits

The benefits contributing to the total present value include:

  1. Increased Profitability: $1.2 million from improvements in accounts receivable, inventory turnover, order accuracy, and other areas.
  2. Cost Savings from Organizational Simplification: $1.8 million, including savings on overhead and professional services.
  3. Reduced Infrastructure and IT Operations Costs: $3.9 million by eliminating numerous on-premises legacy solutions.
  4. Increased Productivity: $8.9 million from unified data access, streamlined processes, and automated workflows.

Enhanced Productivity and Decision-Making

Dynamics 365 enhances productivity through:

  • AI-Powered Automation
  • Business Intelligence Analytics and Dashboards
  • System Access and Data Integration Across Business Units
  • Integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure

These features contribute to significant time savings for employees across various functions:

  • Finance & Accounting: 14.5 hours saved per week
  • Supply Chain & Logistics: 8.7 hours saved per week
  • Other Employees: 7.4 hours saved per week

Immeasurable Benefits

The study also highlights benefits that are harder to quantify, such as:

  • Enhanced Employee Experience: Dynamics 365 provides greater stability and performance, reducing mundane and tedious work.
  • Improved Cybersecurity Posture: Fewer on-premises systems and the shift of management duties to Microsoft reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Cost Avoidance and Organizational Simplification

Organizations experienced significant cost avoidance by transitioning to Dynamics 365. One vice president in the energy sector highlighted savings exceeding half a million dollars in hardware, software, and colocation contract extensions by moving to the cloud.

Conclusion

Dynamics 365 offers a robust solution for organizations looking to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and achieve significant cost savings. For a deeper understanding of how Dynamics 365 can benefit your organization, read the full Forrester TEI study or contact Microsoft sales for more information.

Deploying a global ERP solution like Dynamics 365 can provide the agility, profitability, and competitive advantage necessary for success in today’s dynamic business environment.

If you want to learn more about Microsoft Copilot or what VOX ISM has to offer please feel free to register for our next free online training webinar: ChatGPT = Microsoft Copilot Training and Best Practices

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Introduction to the Capabilities of Copilot for Microsoft Dynamics 365

What is Copilot and How Does It Work?

· Describe the concept and vision of Copilot, the new generate ai assistant built into Business Central

· Demonstrate how Copilot can skip the traditional search menu and help users navigate quickly to documents, pages, and actions

· Show how Copilot can find information faster and provide relevant suggestions and insights

· Highlight how Copilot can give users tips and guidance on what to do next and how to complete tasks

How to Get Started with Copilot?

· Explain the prerequisites and requirements for using Copilot

· Walk through the steps to enable and configure Copilot

· Share some best practices and tips for using Copilot effectively


The New Copilot Experience in Microsoft Teams

· Explore new prompts unique to roles and industries in Copilot Lab

· Discover catch-up in Copilot Chat

· Improve the way you draft and refine your Word documents

· Collaborate without switching context with Copilot in Loop Components

· Boost response rates with Copilot in Forms

· Transform the way your team works with Copilot in Planner

· Act on employee comments and suggestions instantly with Copilot in Viva Glint

· Integrate and innovate with new Copilot Connectors

· Review and audit site permissions with restricted SharePoint search

· Automate tasks across your enterprise with Copilot Extensions


Simplifying Inventory and Shop Floor management with Copilot

· What’s new in Business Central and Copilot in summer of 2024

· How to use Business Central & Copilot to manage your inventory, track your items, and reduce your costs

· How to use Business Central Copilot to plan and execute your production orders, monitor your capacity, and handle your quality control

· How to use Copilot to automate your workflows, integrate your data, and access your insights

In summary, Copilot can save you 20% of your time, see how!


New Features this summer for Microsoft Copilot

· Explore new prompts unique to roles and industries in Copilot Lab

· Discover catch-up in Copilot Chat

· Improve the way you draft and refine your Word documents

· Collaborate without switching context with Copilot in Loop Components

· Boost response rates with Copilot in Forms

· Transform the way your team works with Copilot in Planner

· Act on employee comments and suggestions instantly with Copilot in Viva Glint

· Integrate and innovate with new Copilot Connectors

· Review and audit site permissions with restricted SharePoint search

· Automate tasks across your enterprise with Copilot Extensions


How to use Copilot in Business Central

Automating Repetitive Tasks

· How to use Copilot to perform common tasks, such as creating invoices, updating records, and generating reports automatically

· How to customize copilot commands and train it to understand your business terminology

· How to use voice input and output with copilot (optional)

AI-Generated Product Descriptions

· How to use AI to create engaging and unique product descriptions that match your brand’s tone and style

· How to edit and refine AI-generated text and add keywords for SEO

· How to publish product descriptions directly to e-commerce platforms like Shopify

Sales and Inventory Forecasting

· How to use AI to predict future sales trends and inventory needs based on historical data and market conditions

· How to adjust forecasting parameters and scenarios to suit your business goals and strategies

· How to use forecasting insights to optimize inventory management and customer service

Analysis Assist (Preview)

· How to use AI to analyze business data and generate insights on key performance indicators, such as revenue, profit, and cash flow

· How to use natural language queries to ask questions and get answers from your data

· How to use AI-generated charts and graphs to visualize and communicate your data insights

Bank Reconciliation Assist (Preview)

· How to use AI to reconcile bank accounts and transactions automatically and accurately

· How to review and approve AI-suggested matches and corrections

· How to use AI to detect and prevent fraud and errors


How Finance Leaders are Maximizing Team Efficiency with Copilot for Microsoft 365

As a finance leader, you need to manage your accounting, budgeting, reporting, and compliance tasks efficiently and effectively. You also need to leverage your financial data to make strategic decisions and optimize your business performance. That’s why you should consider Copilot for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a cloud-based solution that integrates all your financial processes and provides you with real-time insights and analytics. In this webinar, you will learn how Business Central can help you:

· Streamline your financial operations with automated workflows, approvals, and audit trails.

· Simplify your tax and regulatory compliance with built-in rules and reports.

· Improve your cash flow management with smart payment solutions and integrations.

· Enhance your financial reporting and analysis with customizable dashboards and charts.

· Connect your financial data with other business functions such as sales, purchasing, inventory, and service.

· Boost your productivity and collaboration with Microsoft 365 integration and mobile access.

· Scale your business with flexible and extensible cloud platform that grows with you.

· Innovate your business with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities that provide suggestions and predictions based on your data and behavior, such as cash flow forecasts, payment reminders, inventory replenishment, and sales opportunities.

By implementing Business Central, you can achieve more speed and productivity with minimal extra investment and gain a competitive edge in your market. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Business Central in action and ask your questions to our experts. Register now and join us for this informative and interactive webinar.