A comprehensive knowledge base that helps customer service reps and customers find answers to the most common issues quickly is key to improving agent productivity and increasing customer satisfaction. Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2022 release wave 1 introduces Dataverse search for Power Apps portals, an improved knowledge search experience in Customer Service workspace with admin configuration, and richer analytics for managers.

These improvements and new features help you make sure your agents are productive, customers are happy, and brand loyalty is improved.

Use Dataverse search for knowledge base searches

With Dataverse search, knowledge bases in portals can take advantage of the same search service that model-driven apps use. Deliver fast and comprehensive search results, sorted by relevance, with filters such as modified date, rating, and products, and the ability to enforce content access levels.

Improved knowledge search experience in Customer Service workspace with admin configuration

With this release, knowledge administrators have more power to configure the knowledge search control in the app side pane (formerly known as the productivity pane) in the Customer Service workspace.

Administrators can configure automatic search (using text from a selected field to provide search results automatically) and actions that agents can perform on a record:

• Link and unlink the article and the record
• Copy the article URL
• Link the article to the record and then send the article URL in an email
• Link the article to the record and then send the article content in an email
• Set the default email recipient for the record when sending the article URL or content in an email

Get insights with rich article analytics

Knowledge managers and authors can get greater insights on the knowledge articles they create. Knowledge authors must keep their knowledge bases relevant, accurate, and easy to access from different channels. The built-in historical view of knowledge article usage and related metrics helps knowledge authors and managers understand the effectiveness of knowledge content and identify opportunities for improvement.

Analytics include detailed reports that provide historical trends for key metrics, such as:

• Number of views
• Number of visitors
• Average feedback rating
• Number of links to cases
• Number of shares

Next steps

To learn more about knowledge management in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, read the documentation:

• Search the knowledge base on portals
• Configure Dataverse search in portals
• Configure knowledge search control on app side pane for an entity record
• Introduction to knowledge analytics

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Unified Service Desk for model-driven apps provides a configurable framework that allows you to build applications that give call center agents a unified view of customer data.

Unified Service Desk version 4.2, generally available since June, enables you to host web applications using Microsoft Edge WebView2 Process based on the Chromium open-source framework, as well as delivering improved performance and other enhancements.

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 control enables you to embed web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) in your native apps. Microsoft Edge WebView2 Process is based on the open-source framework in Chromium that powers many modern browsers.

With support for Microsoft Edge WebView2, Unified Service Desk admins have these capabilities:

• Ability to select WebView2 Process as the hosting type for their organization.
• Ability to select WebView2 Process as the hosting type for web applications, along with Chrome Process.

In addition, Microsoft Edge WebView2 Process delivers:

• Availability on supported versions of the Windows operating system.
• Easy configuration of host applications in Unified Service Desk.
• Ability to switch seamlessly from one browser to another for your entire organization.
• Enhanced performance and memory optimization.

Next steps

To learn more, check out the Unified Service Desk documentation or the Microsoft Edge WebView2 documentation. To use the capabilities, download and install or update Unified Service Desk 4.2.

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Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2021 release wave 1 includes enhancements that give admins greater control over knowledge management configuration and help agents access the information they need to resolve customer queries more quickly.

This release makes it easier for agents to filter and find the most relevant knowledge articles. Admins can set the knowledge article authoring language at the organizational level, while agents have the flexibility to set their preferred language.

Filter knowledge articles and set filter preferences

Administrators can configure standard or custom fields for agents to use as filters, allowing agents to narrow down search results to view only the articles they need to resolve a customer issue.

Key capabilities of filter configuration allow admins to:

• Add or delete custom filters for their organization.
• Set the visibility of the filter values by choosing which values are shown to agents at runtime.
• Set multiple preselected filter values by defining multiple default values based on which search results are filtered.
• Activate or deactivate filters to support business scenarios.
• Configure whether personalization of filter values is enabled or disabled for agents.

Agents can set their own preferred search filters.

Key capabilities of filter personalization allow agents to:

• Change the preselected default filter values their administrators set for them.
• Activate or deactivate filters to support business scenarios.
• Multiselect filter values to increase their productivity.

Configure and personalize language settings for authoring

With the April release, admins can set the organization’s default language for authoring new knowledge articles. In addition, authors can override the organization’s authoring language and set their own preferred language for writing new articles if desired.

Key capabilities of language configuration for authoring knowledge articles are:

• Ability for admins to set the default language for authoring knowledge articles to match the language used for the organization’s user interface.
• Ability for agents to set a language of their choice as their preferred authoring language.

Example screenshot for filters

Enable the knowledge management feature

Enable this feature on the Customer Service Hub > Service Management > Knowledge Base Management > Settings screen.

Next steps

Read more about knowledge management and other capabilities included in Dynamics 365 Customer Service 2021 release wave 1 or check out the documentation for Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

Sign up for a free trial of Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

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If your service organization needs to create your own targeted combinations of channels and tools for your agents, starting with October 2020 wave 2 release, you’ll be able to take advantage of the app profile manager capability in multisession apps. The capability is included with the Omnichannel for Customer Service preview available for Dynamics 365 Insiders. In addition, the app profile manager capability is available with Dynamics 365 Customer Service workspace (preview) for all organizations that have a Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise license.

With the app profile manager, administrators can create custom profiles with session templates, conversation channels, and productivity tools, and then assign them to agents and supervisors. 

Background 

Organizations often want tailored user experiences for their teams that only show the most relevant tools and data those teams need in their roles. Although organizations can customize out-of-the-box apps today, the customizations apply to all users of the app and can’t be applied to individual users.  

Managing many custom experiences comes with unnecessary overhead maintenance and costs. The app profile manager makes creating custom user experiences for different profiles more efficient. 

Overview of app profile manager 

With app profile manager, organizations create targeted app experiences or “profiles” for agents and supervisors. By using the app profiles, administrators can select channels and tools to be used by the app profiles to meet the organization’s requirements.  

Administrators can create custom user profiles, with specific session templates, conversation channels, and productivity tools, and assign them to users.  

The app profile manager helps organizations: 

• Enable the creation of custom user experiences for Customer Service workspace and Omnichannel for Customer Service for different profiles with tailored exposure of data and productivity tools, to ensure users see only what they need to use to help customers.  
• Enable the omnichannel channel conversation experience in the new Customer Service workspace app. 
• Provide an efficient, single place to edit and manage profiles instead of the costly maintenance and workflow of multiple apps. 
• Enable new features and enhancements efficiently. 

To learn more about the app profile and other capabilities that can help your service organization, read the documentation: 

• App profile manager 
• Customer Service workspace 
• Omnichannel for Customer Service

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