[Pending] From Microsoft Dynamics 365 outbound marketing to real-time marketing

The way companies communicate with customers and prospects is evolving rapidly. With real-time marketing now fully integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365, you have a powerful solution to move beyond traditional outbound marketing.

11/03/2025

In case you missed it: the Outbound Marketing module in Microsoft Dynamics 365 will be retired on July 1, 2025. Its successor is the updated Real-Time Marketing experience within Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. If you haven’t yet migrated your campaigns to Customer Insights, we strongly recommend doing so before that deadline.

Outbound vs. Real-Time Marketing: what’s in a name?

What was once called Dynamics 365 Marketing has recently been rebranded as Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. Microsoft’s aim is to unify various Dynamics 365 apps under a clearer, more integrated umbrella—making the portfolio easier to understand and use.

But what’s the real reason behind this change? And more importantly: what does the shift from outbound to real-time marketing mean for your strategy?

The limitations of outbound marketing

What Microsoft refers to as outbound marketing was the long-time standard: pre-scheduled messages, sent in batches, mostly by email and based on static segments. But today’s customers are connected across many channels—and they expect more flexible, personalized communication.

While outbound marketing was once effective, it’s now too limited:

Too slow: Campaigns are based on outdated, non-real-time data—causing missed opportunities for customer engagement.
Too generic: Predefined segments and batch sends fail to deliver the level of personalization customers now expect.
Lower engagement: Customers are overwhelmed with content and are becoming less responsive.
Not dynamic enough: Email campaigns don't adapt to live customer behavior and can feel disconnected.

Real-time insights with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

To meet current customer expectations, companies should embrace real-time customer insights.

Real-time marketing allows brands to reach customers when they are most engaged. It is a way of setting up campaigns based on 'live' customer behavior, making them hyper-personalized. Switching from an outbound approach to real-time engagement is about much more than speed. It's also about relevance, efficiency, and creating meaningful interactions that drive customer loyalty.

Since Microsoft Dynamics 365 transitioned from outbound marketing to real-time marketing, businesses now have an integrated solution for real-time customer insights. This enables them to track customer behavior across multiple touchpoints, predict customer needs using live data, and send personalized messages at the right moment through the right channel.

Real-time interactions can take many forms. For example, triggering a message when a customer visits a product page, such as offering a discount or recommendation, significantly increases the chances of conversion.

The shift to real-time Customer Insights offers several benefits:

Hyper-personalized: Thanks to dynamic segmentation, customers receive support, offers, and recommendations that are precisely tailored to their needs.
Cross-channel: Messages (email, SMS, app push notifications) sent at the right time are more likely to be opened and followed up.
Based on real-time behavior: Campaigns triggered directly by customer behavior and interactions (website visits, purchases, and other interactions) convert much better.

5 steps to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

To transition successfully to a real-time marketing strategy, follow these steps:

Step 1: Collect data in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
Centralize customer data from multiple sources (CRM, email, social media, website interactions) into Customer Insights – Data. This gives you a unified view and lets you build personalized campaigns.Example: link your webshop to Customer Insights to see what products users viewed or purchased.

Step 2: Analyze behavior with AI
Use AI and machine learning to predict customer needs and behavior. Adjust your campaigns dynamically for maximum impact.You can track metrics like customer lifetime value or how often someone visits a product page without buying.

Step 3: Create automated journeys
Set up real-time journeys that respond to customer actions. Trigger follow-ups, personalize messages with dynamic content, or nurture leads over time. Example: if a user visits a product page but doesn’t buy, automatically send a follow-up email with related suggestions.

Step 4: Optimize for an omnichannel experience
Ensure a seamless experience across email, social media, SMS, chatbots, and more. Example: if a customer submits a support question via WhatsApp, follow up with an email summarizing the response.

Step 5: Measure and optimize
Use real-time analytics and A/B testing to monitor performance and improve results. Customer Insights provides full dashboards to track engagement, conversions, ROI, and campaign triggers—allowing you to adjust your strategy on the fly.

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Conclusion: The future is real-time

Switching to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights is more than a trend—it’s a necessity in a world where customers are always connected.

Today’s customers expect personalized, timely interactions. Those who don’t meet that standard risk losing engagement—and customer trust.

By embracing real-time data, leveraging advanced analytics, and building intelligent customer journeys, you’ll create better experiences, generate more revenue, and build lasting relationships.

Ready to transform your marketing strategy? Start unlocking real-time customer insights with Dynamics 365 today.