Ready to Take Microsoft’s AI Agents for a Spin? Here’s How.

This week on Funnel Frontier: Microsoft's AI agents are practical, efficient, and fully automated. Here's how you can try them out.

This week:

• Ready to Take Microsoft’s AI Agents for a Spin? Here’s How. 
• Mitel Wants to Have Its Cake and Eat It Too with New CX Platform

Stat of the Week

For every $1 companies invest in AI, they are realizing an average of $3.5 in return, and 5% of organizations worldwide are realizing an average of $8 in return. (IDC)

Ready to Take Microsoft’s AI Agents for a Spin? Here’s How.

Microsoft just launched its autonomous agents in public preview at Ignite 2024—and they’re making waves. Think Copilot, but leveled up to handle tasks with less oversight and more autonomy.

What Can These Agents Do?

Microsoft unveiled ten pre-configured agents tailored to service, sales, finance, and supply chain teams. 

For instance, the Customer Intent Agent learns how live agents resolve queries, while the Knowledge Management Agent turns those insights into actionable content for knowledge bases. This combo powers smarter, more collaborative workflows.

But the real magic is in Copilot Studio’s new capabilities. Brands can now build multi-modal agents that serve customers over voice, analyze images, or even process handwritten notes for CRM updates. 

Imagine a bot handling billing inquiries by scanning uploaded invoices and responding based on company guidelines—practical, efficient, and fully automated.

Microsoft’s agents are now available to test in public preview via Copilot Studio. Businesses can explore pre-configured agents or build their own using the platform’s no-code tools. Access it through your Microsoft Azure portal or reach out to your Microsoft account representative for details.

Microsoft and SAP Team Up

In a surprising twist, Microsoft isn’t just competing—it’s teaming up. The tech giant is collaborating with SAP to integrate their virtual assistants, 365 Copilot and Joule. This partnership promises a seamless, unified experience, allowing users to access SAP workflows through Copilot and integrate Microsoft 365 tools via Joule.

As SAP’s Chief AI Officer Philipp Herzig puts it, “This isn’t about combining two tools. It’s about redefining workplace productivity.”

With Microsoft and SAP joining forces, the race for agentic AI dominance isn’t just heating up—it’s evolving. Could this partnership become the gold standard for enterprise AI?

The Week @ CRM.org

CRM Best Practices. Using a CRM properly is like cooking—here’s how to avoid the mess (with famous company examples!). 

Gmail CRM. Chaos reigns… no more. Ideas for streamlining your workflow with Gmail-CRM integrations.

Weekly Bloom

5 Ways to Create a High Performance Team. Investors today value a quality team over the founding idea. So ditch the ego and focus on building a dynamic, inclusive group.

Mitel Wants to Have Its Cake and Eat It Too with New CX Platform

Mitel, a long-time player in enterprise communications, is turning heads with a bold move into the contact center space. Known for its Unified Communications (UC) solutions that connect businesses with seamless internal and external communication tools, Mitel is now doubling down on Customer Experience (CX).

Their latest launch? Mitel CX—a hybrid cloud contact center platform that combines the flexibility of cloud-based solutions with the reliability of on-prem systems. It’s a pivot from their usual partnerships with CCaaS providers like Five9, signaling that Mitel wants to own the CX stage entirely.

What’s the Big Deal?

Mitel CX offers an “all-in-one” experience with omnichannel support (voice, video, chat, and social), and AI-powered workflows designed to streamline customer interactions. 

With tools like Chatbot Builder, Workflow Studio, and virtual agents handling repetitive tasks, Mitel wants to make sure your human agents are freed up for the trickier stuff.

Other standouts include:

• Intelligent Analytics: Dashboards and reporting that don’t just crunch numbers—they deliver actionable insights.

• Agent Empowerment: AI-coached, real-time prompts for smarter, faster problem-solving.

• Flexible Integrations: Pre-built APIs for smooth workflows that actually make sense.

But here’s the kicker: Mitel CX doesn’t just stop at CX—it integrates directly with their UC tools, like their AI-powered Zoom collab. This creates a seamless experience across the board, letting every employee, from frontline staff to knowledge workers, connect like a dream team to solve issues in record time.

What’s Mitel’s Endgame?

Mitel’s pitch is clear: CX isn’t just for the contact center anymore. With this platform, customer engagement extends to the whole company. 

Whether it’s helping a call center agent connect with a product specialist or tying together disparate tools into one cohesive system, Mitel CX aims to make the entire customer journey a win.

Is Mitel playing catch-up or carving a niche with its hybrid strategy? Either way, the game just got a lot more interesting.

Stellar Strategies: Tips & Tricks for Sales, Marketing & Service

This 3-second hack will fix your CRM data chaos

Picture this: you’re running a report, excited to glean insights from your CRM, only to discover chaos. One person logged “California,” another typed “CA,” and someone else just left it blank. Suddenly, your pipeline’s more scrambled than your morning eggs.

Standardizing your CRM properties is the unsung hero of clean data. Open text fields? They’re the Wild West—unstructured, inconsistent, and a total buzzkill for automation and analytics. Predefined dropdowns and checkboxes keep your data neat and actionable. Plus, they simplify training for new team members, who can now focus on deals instead of deciphering cryptic text entries.

The real kicker? Clean, standardized data doesn’t just save you time—it makes your CRM infinitely smarter. With properly formatted fields, you can automate workflows, nail segmentation, and generate reports that are actually useful.

Curious how else you can whip your CRM into shape? Check out the full guide for more sanity-saving tips.

Just like life, timing is everything in email marketing

You know, sometimes the reason your email campaign isn’t racking up the opens isn’t your subject line or the content. It’s the timing.

Recent data confirms: timing isn’t just everything—it’s the only thing. Morning emails (think 9–12 AM) grab attention when inboxes are fresh, while a perfectly timed afternoon send (1–3 PM) keeps you top of mind during productivity slumps.

Here’s the kicker from 2024’s freshest data: For B2B emails, aim for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Why? That’s when people are actually opening emails, not just letting them rot in their inbox.

But here’s the real magic: knowing your audience. Standardized best times are just the starting point. A/B testing? That’s your ticket to uncovering the golden hour unique to your audience.

Dive into the full article and get the timing right—because your emails deserve more than a quick delete.

Because, what type of CRM your team uses really matters

Here’s the deal: not all CRMs are built the same, and choosing the wrong one could leave your sales team swamped or your data going unused.

Operational CRMs take the grunt work off your plate. Picture this: automated follow-ups, seamless deal tracking, and no more “Oops, I forgot” moments. If time is your enemy, this is your fix.

Analytical CRMs go Sherlock Holmes on your data. They don’t just show you numbers—they uncover hidden patterns to help you predict customer behavior and target the right leads at the right time.

Collaborative CRMs? They’re the glue for your teams. Imagine marketing and sales actually working together, sharing insights in real time to close deals faster.

The wrong CRM? It’ll cost you time, money, and perhaps your team a nerve (or ten).

Dive into the full guide and discover what CRM type suits your team the best.

Galactic Gourmet

CRM blips from around the web

SugarCRM expands to AWS Marketplace. SugarCRM’s solutions, including Sugar Sell and Sugar Market, are now available on AWS Marketplace. This move streamlines access to AI-powered CRM tools, making it easier for businesses to access advanced CRM features directly through the platform.

Talkdesk embeds CCaaS tools into CRM systems. Talkdesk Embedded lets businesses add customer support features—like call controls and live transcriptions—directly into platforms like Salesforce and Zendesk. It’s all about making life easier for support teams.

Salesforce acquires Own Company for $1.9B. The move boosts Data Cloud’s security, but it sparks debate: Should big companies like Salesforce own backup solutions or rely on expert partners? What does this mean for customers?

Astronomical Assets

Significant moves in the past seven days 

^{DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets. Please be careful and do your own research.}

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