We are continually looking at ways to utilize tech trends to innovate and deliver our customers new forms of efficiency in their operations, improving their productivity and creating new business processes.
Keeping a close eye on emerging trends, we’ve identified four that we think our customers can take advantage of in 2023.
Tech trend 1. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft describes Dynamics 365 as a “portfolio of intelligent business applications that delivers superior operational efficiency and breakthrough customer experiences enabling businesses to become more agile and reduce complexity without increasing costs”.
In other words, all your operational needs in one place. From sales and marketing to customer service and support, your customers and accounts are centralized through what Microsoft calls the the “Dataverse”. This opens the door to endless ideas for automation and connectivity to other line of business systems.
Although Dynamics 365 has been in the marketplace for several years, Microsoft has recently made great strides against the competition. Dynamics 365, coupled with the Power Platform and Dataverse, is extremely powerful and what’s more extremely cost effective for M365 license holders.
Practical uses of Microsoft Dynamics 365
We’re using Dynamics 365 to reduce one client’s dependence on third-party software. The accreditation organization regularly uses a third-party email platform to send weekly, and sometimes daily, emails reminding its 14,000+ members to renew their accreditation status.
Using Dynamics 365 and Power Automate, we connected all their data, synchronized it and created a new dataflow, all without using a single piece of code. Our client has replaced the third-party software, that they were paying hundreds of dollars a month for, with the tools already built into the Microsoft 365 platform with no additional license cost.
Pat McGown, CEO, Cloudwell
Tech trend 2. Adaptive Artificial Intelligence
Chatbots are the best example of Adaptive Artificial Intelligence in practice. They work by updating their own code to incorporate learning from their experiences with new data. The idea is they’re training themselves to get better and more sophisticated with time and use.
It’s estimated that by 2026, enterprises that have adopted AI engineering practices to build and manage adaptive AI systems will outperform their peers in the number and time it takes to operationalize AI models by at least 25%, according to Gartner.
Practical uses of Adaptive AI
Microsoft has recently introduced a form of adaptive AI for simple workflows in Power Automate. All you need to do is tell it what you want the workflow to do in plain English, and it will develop and make the workflow.
This takes the heavy lifting away from workflow creation, opening opportunities for the likes of citizen developers, who can develop simple workflows to automate low-level repetitive tasks such as:
<when the account name changes, update the SQL database, and send an email, or start an approval process for the owner>.
Although Adaptive AI can’t yet be relied on for complex, business critical decisions it can be used to simplify everyday business processes. For example, for one client, we built a neat HR chatbot that helped employees to self-serve, reducing the pressure placed on the overstretched HR team.
Chris Alechko, CTO, Cloudwell
Employees could ask the bot questions such as: What are my benefits? How much vacation time do I have left? What’s the policy for this? How do I submit a leave request? And the bot would serve them up with personalized answers letting them take action without having to go to disturb an HR colleague.
Tech trend 3. Metaverse
There’s a lot of talk about the Metaverse, but what is it? And how can we use it?
Gartner defines a metaverse as “a collective virtual 3D shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. A metaverse is persistent, providing enhanced immersive experiences.”
Facebook owners Meta describe it as “the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet”.
Microsoft says it’s “the ability to bridge the digital and the physical worlds.”
It’s the bridging of digital to the physical world where we’ll initially encounter the metaverse and make use of it in a business setting.
Practical uses of the metaverse
Although metaverse-specific technologies (e.g., spatial computing, digital humans and virtual spaces) are a long way off, Microsoft is expected to roll out its early version of the metaverse for Microsoft Teams users in the form of avatars within the next year.
Employees will be able to opt to attend virtual meetings using an avatar. Microsoft Teams avatars will be able to depict real facial expressions and movement without the person being on camera.
This is great for those colleagues weary of Teams video meetings or those who don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Eventually this technology will lead on to users being able to access real-time information, collaboration, and experiences in the physical world through augmented reality (AR) capabilities. But we are several years away from this happening!
Tech trend 4. Superapps
Prevalent in Asia in the B2C market, and coming soon to the consumer market in the US, the Superapp trend will eventually take the B2B world by storm.
Superapps rely on mini programs – lightweight apps that run inside another app. They make it possible for one app to perform the service of many apps.
Organizations can create Superapps to consolidate multiple mobile apps or related services to reduce friction in the user experience, such as context switching, and development efforts.
In a Microsoft 365 setting, a Superapp leverages the power of the Power Apps platform. Using Dynamics 365, connecting data sources, mini apps can be built and utilized within existing apps on this platform.
Practical uses of Superapps
We’re currently using Superapp technology with an enterprise-level logistics and construction company. We’ve built a Superapp that enables their field workers, who conduct on-site inspections, to document visual and written findings, which kick starts a business-critical automation process.
Pat McGown, CEO, Cloudwell
Once submitted, the findings trigger different chains of approval, as well as update various different data sources across the organization, saving hours of time and resources.
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