The enhanced functionality of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 will benefit businesses of many different sizes and structures that focus on selling to customers and marketing their wares. Whether a company deals with individual consumers or other business entities, and whether it focuses on selling products or services, the new iteration of Dynamics CRM provides the tools that companies need to improve operations and remain competitive in their given fields. As with part one of this guide, we’ll preview some of the most potent new features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 and quickly review their importance ahead of the rapidly approaching release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015, currently scheduled to occur at the end of 2014.

Rollup fields
The presence of rollup fields in the newest version of Dynamics CRM help organizations better understand the key operational metrics that lead to increased success. With this feature, staff members can capture these metrics from related entities with one-to-many relationships at the record level. The fields can cover multiple hierarchies to provide insight into more involved situations as well. The measurements can be reported in various formats, allowing everything from currencies to times and dates to be accurately represented.

Some practical applications of rollup fields include tracking current opportunities and measuring the number of active high-priority cases involved in a given account and others as well. Rollup fields can be transported between different organizations as well.

Field-level security
This security-oriented addition allows businesses to regulate access to data, keeping sensitive information in the hands of only those who need it. The field-level security features help protect data by restricting access to both standard and custom fields, allowing a complete level of protection. Different access levels can be applied by users with the right permissions, allowing supervisors and managers to fine tune the process. One example given by Microsoft is to allow sales team members to view, but not change, account numbers for specific clients. This approach also helps stop accidental errors and deletions.

Social listening
Social media has long since moved from the realm of a personal pastime to being pervasive in the business world. Companies that don’t have a handle on their social media presence will suffer by not being as responsive or involved as their competitors. Dynamics CRM’s social listening feature allows for sentiment analysis to develop a brand, as well as transactional and social insights. Companies can track their own products as well as competitors and even individual marketing campaigns to see the type of discussions they’re generating on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. News tracking and a multitude of localization options add to the usefulness of social listening as well.

Product families that boost cross- and up-selling
With the added ability to group similar products together, sales staff have an easier time of producing up- and cross-sales. The correct items or services are tied together in the system, promoting accuracy and creating a better chance that a client will decide to take the next step that provides a boost in revenue. Configuration of families is customizable and variable, meaning companies can set the groupings that make the most sense to them.

CRM for tablets enhancements
Mobility is valuable for businesses, especially when it comes to sales and marketing staff working off-site. New enhancements for all major types of tablets and operating systems include role-tailored dashboards as well as analytics and improved navigation, too. The enhanced ability to work offline allows productive work to be done even when disconnected. A specialized home screen experience makes it easier for staff to track important records and interact with Dynamics CRM through the system.

Did you read part one? If not, visit Top new features for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015: Part 1.