Online event management for professional services organizations with Dynamics 365 Marketing

In the work-from-home era, companies like professional service organizations have been forced to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Engaging with audiences without in-person interactions can seem like a daunting task. However, applications like Dynamics 365 Marketing do the work to help companies keep their customers engaged. 

Dynamics 365 Marketing is a robust marketing automation application that gives users strong tools to take control of their marketing activities. These tools include social media posting, email marketing, marketing automation campaigns, websites, and event management. Dynamics 365 Marketing works seamlessly with other Dynamics 365 apps which allows users to easily work with clients from their first point of contact through sale and beyond. Professional Service organizations can utilize online event management capabilities within Dynamics 365 Marketing to schedule and conduct online trainings, host webinars, conduct workshops and more.

Event Management in Dynamics 365 Marketing gives users the tools to manage events from small team meetings to large multi-session expositions. These tools also extend to the creation and management of webinars and online meetings. The professional service firms that stand out in the industry are those that truly engage with and tailor the experience to each client.

Using the in-depth event management tool of Dynamics 365 Marketing with Microsoft Teams allows firms to schedule more personalized online meetings with their clients via customized HTML based email designs. These smaller meetings help keep a more face-to-face feel when engaging with clients. When in-person becomes feasible again, clients will remember the positive relationships that were built online.

For larger events that include multiple sessions, Dynamics 365 Marketing is equipped with a session management interface to easily set up and manage each session. Options can be enabled to allow attendees to customize their own schedule by individually signing up for the sessions they want. With the Microsoft Teams integration, controlling events is simple with quick links for attendees to join and give speakers the access they need. Using Teams, audience question and answer segments can be incorporated into any session.

Clients are likely to be more rigorous in their selection process for projects in the future. They will look to professional services firms that can adapt quickly and stay connected. Dynamics 365 Marketing allows firms to keep a regular schedule of meetings with clients and give accurate data insights on what is working, and what needs to be updated. Since Dynamics 365 Marketing is part of the Dynamics 365 platform, other applications like Customer Insights can help firms collect customer satisfaction information, further increasing the firm’s ability to adapt to client demands.

Dynamics 365 Marketing’s event management is enhanced by the seamless connection with other digital marketing capabilities in the system.  For larger webinars attended by multiple clients, Customer Journeys, marketing forms, email invitations and reminders, and registration websites can all easily work with the event manager to bring in and track registrants from different sources.

A great example of this is creating a blog on a website that includes an embedded Dynamics 365 Marketing form. A campaign can be created that automatically registers them for the event and sends them a customized email template with a link to the online event. Outside of Dynamics 365 Marketing, users can utilize other Dynamics 365 applications like Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to create post-event surveys that are sent out to attendees after an event to gauge audience sentiment and recommendations of what they would like to see in the future.

Event management tools in Dynamics 365 Marketing give professional services firms a powerful method of stay connected with clients and prospects. With the higher likelihood of work-from-home habits extended even beyond COVID-related mandates, the firms that adapt well and continue engaging stay-at-home clients will be the firms that stand out from the rest.