Is the business using the mapping tool? Of course, yes. Companies with mobile sales teams utilize mapping tools to see their clients’ locations on maps. 

You can create territories using mapping tools based on your strategies. To increase output, businesses spend a lot of money updating their software. You can be one of them. Even when you use several tools, you can still not find the best strategy to reduce problems.

Managing a team of on-field sales agents is the main difficulty for an organization. Introducing more tools might not be the answer because doing so makes things even more challenging. 

Instead of making things clearer, it may make things more confusing. They face numerous difficulties instead of just one. Yet all of that can be fixed with a simple plugin connection. The plugin used is a Dynamics 365 map. Here will see in detail about the features:

Relevance search

The newest feature of Dynamics 365 that is popular is relevance search. Users can find matches for words or key phrases depending on relevance due to the advanced search feature. Now that Dynamics 365 customers can access a powerful search engine, their database searches can be enhanced.

Users can conduct keyword or phrase searches to cut down on search time significantly. Without changing or further refining their search criteria, they can now expect more accurate results.

Proximity search to find nearby clients

This feature is the easiest way to inform field sales representatives about any new opportunity nearby. Sales representatives can meet consumers close to them and reduce travel time by using proximity search to locate them. Three methods of customer searches are available:

DistanceEnables users to specify a distance in kilometers or miles. Moreover, users can do three Distance Proximity searches at once. A concentric proximity search plots all the records within the defined proximity after the user enters the radius values, separated by commas (,). Plotting occurs for all records within the specified proximity. The shortest travel distance from the user’s present location to each pushpin can also be selected.

• Time

The other method to sort the clients nearby is by time. For instance, if you finish a meeting an hour earlier than expected and want to use that extra time to meet with other clients, you can look for nearby clients you can complete within the allotted time. It will show you all the clients you can visit in that amount of time if you specify 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or more.

• Location

You can input a location to see how many customers are in the local area using the Dynamics 365 Map feature. As a result, a location search will enable your on-field team to maximize their efficiency. Both journey time and fuel consumption will be decreased.

Data plotting

Users can visualize their CRM 365 data on a map using the Plot Data card in the Detail Map. One can plot by location, area, territory, drawing, or template. 

Users can plot their records based on addresses, particular regions, drawn shapes, or search criteria stored as a template using these plotting options.

Relationship insights

The Dynamics 365 Relationship Insights utility is a significant new resource, despite being currently only accessible online. This feature tracks and logs each user’s interactions and correspondence with customers. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Map can analyze the information and suggest actions or make recommendations after gathering it.

More than data tracking or analytics are included in this new tool. Users may be directed to relationship insights assistants through regular jobs, interactions, and customer communications. 

Examples of tasks that can be suggested by this tool include suggestions for inactive contacts, alerts for opportunities that are about to expire, email notifications for emails that are waiting for responses, or reminders for future actions.

Keep data secured with security templates

The idea of displaying all the data on maps sounds excellent, but it also raises the possibility of a data leak. Larger organizations hire many people, making it impossible to track data movement. A group might pay a high price for a feature that would simplify their operations.

It also makes no sense to show every employee the entire CRM data. Only the information that they might need should be made available to employees. The ability to create security templates is provided by map plugin capabilities.

For various job roles, you can make different kinds of templates. Employees will, therefore, only have access to essential information. Security problems would be less likely as a result of the secured feature.

Route optimization

If it is your first meeting with the client, arriving late will leave a wrong impression. You do not want them to think you don’t care about them. Providing an excuse as you got stopped in traffic won’t undo the damage you caused by being late. 

This demonstrates the importance with which you should approach time management. You must be able to arrive at your destination on time regardless of the routes you take. The map plugin is the ideal option to accomplish all of them.

Sales representatives require a road map to help them. They won’t be familiar with all the routes in town, and there may be backups on their route. Map plugin displays optimum ways using Google Maps and Bing Maps.

The Shortest Path First algorithm will be used to create the routes. Also, it will display how long it will take to get there. Also, the route will recommend toll-free routes and steer clear of congested or closed roads.

Live tracking

Managers can provide helpful advice and educate sales representatives about fresh opportunities nearby by knowing where they are at any given time. Yet, it is not practical to contact the on-field team to find out where they are.

However, managers must know what their on-field teams do during the day. The reports are made available to them at the end of the day. 

If the managers had known what was happening, several daily mistakes might have been prevented. Managers would need to be made aware of any fraudulent information entered by the sales representatives.

The answer is to track the sales team’s location in real-time. Each on-field sales team’s precise location was visible. Moreover, an automatic check-in/check-out tool is available to keep track of all the meetings.

The app will automatically check in if the sales representatives arrive close to the client’s location on or before the meeting time. If they are running late, they must enter the reason why, and the manager must also approve.

The app will automatically check users out once they depart and prompt sales representatives to submit meeting notes. After it is included, the managers may observe what happened in the meeting and provide direction to prepare them for the next one.

As a result, managers may observe how much time sales representatives spend in meetings, how many clients they have already seen, the meeting’s outcome, the sales representatives’ current course of action, and more.

Multiple data sources and categories

The Multiple Datasource features take a step further by allowing users to display classified data for many entities on the map while also allowing them to pick attributes for each object. 

Users may plot up to three creatures in one plot card. The user likewise selects the categories for each of the three entities.

Editable grids

Editable grids have been included, which is another useful new feature. Users of Dynamics 365 Map can now make in-line modifications in desktop and mobile applications. Users may directly modify columns fast, saving them from creating accounts to update information. 

The user experience is greatly simplified, made more enjoyable, and customer management is improved. Moreover, columns can be grouped and moved according to user demand, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.

Custom configurations

The software can be entirely customized. You have complete control over the features you want to use in the map plugin, the information your resources can view, and what you want to see on your dashboard. To customize according to your business needs, there are three essential components.

• Security templates

All your employees do not need access to all of the editing or viewing. Data modification could potentially happen. Also, it is not a good idea to share all of your data with all of your resources.

To generate various sorts of templates, security template functionalities are available in map plugins. You may develop templates based on designations. 

Managers have access to and can filter data, while sales representatives in the field can only see their assigned regions. Each map’s filters and features may be turned on or off, and you can make as many templates as you like.

• Multiple languages

Technology usage should not ever be restricted by an absence of language skills. The map plugin offers compatibility for numerous languages, given this. To fully utilize the features of the map plugin, choose your chosen language.

• Global and user-level configurations

You have complete authority to modify the configuration at the global level. All users will see the map plugin in that way. 

However, you can also grant your resources the ability to be customized. These objects will be configurable for help, and you must decide how much customization you want them to perform.

Users experience a sense of personalization due to this customization. They can choose the colors and filters that will increase their productivity.

As a result, the map plugin is dynamic in every sense. Users are free to change the fields and adapt them to their needs.

Summary cards

When a user clicks on an enclosed area, a summary card displaying summarised data from the plotted records of that area is displayed. 

Users can quickly assess the selected area using the summary information, enabling them to conduct location-specific analysis and develop suitable action plans. You can also learn how to maximize the use of the Summary Cards feature.

Tooltip cards

Users can display a tooltip card with individual data for any entry by clicking a pushpin. You can set this card to show your address, account name, etc. 

With the help of quick action buttons, you may also perform numerous activities on the relevant records. Learn more about the short activities you may take on a map using Tooltip Cards.

Point of Interest

Point of interest, or POI, is a feature that offers a directory of nearby geotagged locations from the POI location. Users can find their selected locations and information about them due to this. This is an excellent function helpful in scheduling appointments, among other things.

Learning paths

With the addition of the Learning Path tool, Dynamics 365 has also made enormous advances in the training of CRM users. The time and resources required for thorough employee training on CRM’s operation are among the most challenging aspects of its deployment. 

To completely understand CRM, which is a complex technology, requires a lot of time and effort. In order to alleviate this burden, Microsoft has recognized this and included learning pathways to Dynamics 365. 

With the help of interactive resources, customers may understand how Dynamics 365 works through a series of guided tasks, videos, and how-to manuals. Each user can customize the resources based on their job responsibilities or department.

Cluster mapping

Cluster mapping organizes pushpins in direct range into clusters, making it easy to understand even large amounts of data a user has plotted. The zoom level of the map automatically changes the cluster size. 

A spider cluster is created by clicking on a cluster and using the cluster center to draw a line to each pushpin in the cluster. As you hover over a cluster, a region known as a cluster area that is covered by the pushpins present in that cluster is shown.

Final Thoughts

There are numerous mapping tools available. Yet, users of Dynamics 365 can spend their money on a map plugin rather than a stand-alone application. The above listed features need to consider in the location mapping tool.