From Outbound marketing to Real-time journeys: how to get prepared for the transition?

Marketing trends are changing rapidly. We are always looking for new marketing tools to attract more qualified leads. Microsoft is actively evolving its products and currently offers an updated Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys solution. 

In September 2023, Microsoft combined Dynamics 365 Marketing and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights into a single solution with the common name Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. At the same time, the Dynamics 365 Marketing application was renamed to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys, and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Data, respectively.

Regarding changes within Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys (Dynamics 365 Marketing), the Outbound Marketing module will no longer be updated and developed, and the Real-time Marketing (RTM) module is changing its name to Real-time Journeys. This solution’s active development is planned in the future, according to modern marketing trends.

In this article I will explain how to prepare for the transition from Outbound Marketing to Real-time Journeys.

Here are 5 milestones of the transition preparation:

1. Get familiar with functionality cover of Real-time Journeys.
RTM has much wider functionality than Outbound Marketing:
– Vary Journeys using SMS and Push notifications
– Richer email personalization and editing experience
– Larger scale of communications support

2. Discover the equivalent feature areas.
You can import existing Segments, Marketing emails, Marketing email templates from Outbound to Real-time journeys in one click.

3. Identify the difference in key functionality.
To select the appropriate approach, it is imperative to comprehend the distinct business processes implemented in Real-time journeys. For instance, if users in Outbound Marketing had the opportunity to manage their preferences for mailings through Marketing lists, then in Real-time journeys, the Topic entity will assume responsibility for this.

4. Analyze the current Customer journeys
Analyze the current format of interaction with potential customers. Should we move it one-on-one to the new system? Does the approach need to be adjusted based on the information received? The new capabilities of Real-time journeys will allow you to implement plans that were impossible or very difficult in Outbound Marketing.

The new Segment editor lets you get a table for a Contact up to the 5th level of the hierarchy, so you can make a Segment from Contacts for which Opportunities were successfully closed in the last month.

5. Compare what you want to do with what’s new. 
After analyzing current business procedures, compare the current entities used in Outbound Marketing to their counterparts in real-time journeys. This will help to understand if all stages of existing processes can be transferred to Real-time journeys without customization.

When you have completed these 5 points, you can begin the transition from Outbound Marketing to Real-time Journeys.

Understanding how to incorporate current business practices into the latest features will assist you in swiftly and effortlessly transitioning from Dynamics 365 Marketing to Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys.

You can find more information about the transition from Outbound Marketing to Real-time journeys in Microsoft’s Transition Playbook.

If you have any questions about renewing licenses or migrating from Dynamics 365 Marketing to a modern version of the solution, please contact us by phone: +38 044 4902220 or by email: info@innoware.com. Our specialists will be happy to help.

Viktoriia Ilienko,
Head of Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement