Microsoft Dynamics Integration & Automation

The Clozd Platform integration with Microsoft's Dynamics CRM automates the collection of win-loss feedback by enabling a direct feed of opportunities into the Clozd Platform.

The integration streamlines the feedback collection process for win-loss interviews and surveys by reducing the amount of time spent collecting and sharing contact information.

This article contains the following sections:

• What is the Microsoft Dynamics Integration?
• Microsoft Dynamics Integration Benefits
• Microsoft Dynamics Integration Setup 
• Automated Imports Setup 
• Ongoing Maintenance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Related Articles:

• Automated Distributions
• API Imports

What is the Microsoft Dynamics Integration?

A list of contacts to reach out to is necessary for Clozd consultants to perform win-loss interviews or send out buyer surveys. Without a CRM integration, organizations have to manually gather these lists of contacts and send them to Clozd. This workaround can be tedious and time consuming. 

To streamline this process, Clozd is able to securely integrate with Microsoft Dynamics to automatically import these contacts and opportunities to the Clozd Platform. Every night, any newly closed deals will be imported into the Clozd Platform, and you'll be able to see the details of these daily syncs under the "Imports" tab.

Microsoft Dynamics Integration Benefits

For you as an admin, the main advantage of the Microsoft Dynamics integration is that you no longer need to go through the manual and often lengthy process of downloading contact lists from your CRM and sending them to Clozd via email. Instead, the integration provides an automated, continuous, and secure way of sending contacts to Clozd. This also eliminates any risks associated with sending sensitive data through an email platform. Each day, the Clozd Platform pulls each new deal that's been marked as closed in Microsoft Dynamics. In addition to logistical simplicity, this continuous flow of data also provides more timely win-loss feedback.

Another advantage of the Microsoft Dynamics integration is the additional insight you'll gain from the "Win Rates" tab, which is a one-stop dashboard filled with charts and widgets that quickly provide answers and insights into questions like: 

• What is our organization’s overall win rate?
• How do we fare when going up against our top competitors?
• In which industry does our organization see the most success?

This tab is most useful with the Microsoft Dynamics integration because it analyzes your entire pipeline. A full explanation can be found on the Win Rates Tab support page.

Microsoft Dynamics Integration Setup 

Requirements to connect

To connect your Microsoft Dynamics CRM using the application secret, you'll need:

• A registered app
• A Microsoft Dataverse user bound to the registered app

Register your app

For more information, please reference this Microsoft article.

1. Sign in to the Azure portal using an account with administrator permission. You must use an account in the same Microsoft 365 subscription (tenant) as you intend to register the app with. You can also access the Azure portal through the Microsoft 365 admin center by expanding the admin center's item in the left navigation pane and selecting Azure Active Directory.

2. In the Azure portal, select Azure Active Directory in the left pane and select App Registrations and click on New Registration.

3. In the Register an Application page, enter your application's registration information:

• In the Name section, enter a meaningful application name that will be displayed to the users. We recommend something along the lines of "Clozd CRM Connector." 
• Select Accounts in any organizational directory option.
• No redirect URI is required.
• Click on Register to create the application.

4. On the app Overview page:

• Hover over Application (Client) ID value and select the Copy to Clipboard icon to copy the value, and then input it as the Application Id in the Clozd Microsoft Dynamics CRM connector.
• Hover over Directory (Tenant) ID value and select the Copy to Clipboard icon to copy the value, and then input it as the Tenant Id in the Clozd Microsoft Dynamics CRM connector. 

5. Configure a secret by selecting Certificates & Secrets and + New Client Secret:

• Remember that the secret will need to be recreated and updated in Clozd once it expires.
• Make sure to copy the client secret value before leaving the tab since this will be the only time to view the secret value. This secret value should be added to the Clozd Microsoft Dynamics CRM connector.

Bind a Microsoft Dataverse user account to the registered app

Create a custom security role

• To create a custom security role, please follow the steps outlined by Microsoft here.
• The environment URL selected is the URL to input in the Clozd Microsoft Dynamics connector for Instance URI. Do not click submit until all the steps have been completed.
• We recommend naming the security role as something recognizable like "Clozd Connector Role."
• Only read permissions need to be enabled. 

Create an application user

1. In your Dynamics instance, navigate to Settings > Security > Users.

2. In the view drop-down, select Application Users. 

3. Click New, and then verify that you're using the Application user form.

If you do not see the Application ID, Application ID URI and Azure AD Object ID fields in the form, you must select the Application User form from the list:

4. Add the appropriate values to the fields:

5. The Application ID URI and Azure AD Object ID fields are locked—you cannot set values for these fields. When you create this user, the values for these fields will be retrieved from Azure AD based on the Application ID value when you saved the user.

6. Associate the application user with the custom security role you created. 

Add information to Clozd Microsoft Dynamics connector

Navigate back the Clozd Platform.

1. Navigate to the Configuration tab in the Clozd Platform.

2. Click on the Integrations tab.

3. Locate the Microsoft Dynamics integration section, and then click Connect.

4. Fill out the Application Id, Secret Value, Tenant Id, and Instance Uri, and then hit Submit.

Automated Imports Setup 

If you haven't seen any deals go through yet, don't panic! Before any deals will be imported, you need to set up Automated Imports. This is where you'll determine what deals you want to bring into the Clozd Platform and then map the desired fields. To activate daily imports from Salesforce, complete the following steps: 

1. Navigate to the Automations tab. Click + Add Import Source. Select Microsoft Dynamics.

2. In the next window, you can set up import rules to filter which closed opportunities you want to import into the Clozd Platform. For more information, see the Import Rules section.

3. The following page asks you to map your Dynamics fields to corresponding fields in the Clozd Platform. You can map as many or as few fields as you like, but keep in mind that the more fields you map, the more filtering you can do on the data we collect. At a minimum, make sure to map all required fields and participant fields, such as Participant First Name, Last Name, and Email. You can always come back to this later to re-map existing fields or map additional ones. For more information, see the Field Mapping section.

4. When you click Next, you'll get an “Import Preview” that allows you to preview the data you'll be bringing in. This can help you make sure that everything will be coming through correctly. The preview won’t show all the fields you've mapped, but it will show you some basic information that Clozd will be bringing in. If the preview looks good, go ahead and click Confirm.

5. The initial import will start running in the background. The first time you connect to Microsoft Dynamics, Clozd will import up to 10,000 of the most recently closed opportunities. Going forward, the nightly sync will only bring in deals closed that day that meet the import rules—as well as any updates made in Dynamics to existing deals in Clozd Platform. 

When completed, the import will display on the Imports tab, and you can click on individual deals to view the metadata at the top of the Deal Page to ensure that everything is coming through correctly.

Automated Imports Tab

Import Rules

All closed opportunities in your Microsoft Dynamics instance that match the criteria set under "Import Rules" will be imported into Clozd. The initial import will bring in up to 10,000 historical deals. Going forward, the import will run daily, so Clozd will be up to date with changes made in Dynamics.

Best practice is to bring as much data into the Clozd Platform as possible, so we wouldn’t recommend using more than one or two rules on this page. Keep in mind that you can set up separate filters to determine who you actually want to reach out to later on in the process when creating email distributions. This page is just to determine which closed deals to bring into the platform. Some of the most common filters on this page include setting a historical cut-off date so you only bring in more recent deals, or filtering out certain opportunity types that may not be a good fit for win-loss analysis—such as opportunities with potential partners or resellers. 

Field Mapping

On the left-hand side of the Field Mapping module, you'll see the name of the field on the Clozd Platform. On the right-hand side, you'll select the corresponding field in your Dynamics instance. Select the field in Dynamics that aligns with the Clozd field by typing in the text box to search or by scrolling through the options listed. The fields are organized by object, so it's usually easiest to first find the object the field lives on and then scroll through the fields within that object to find the field you're attempting to map.

At a minimum, make sure you map the following fields: 

• Organization Name (typically Account: Account Name in Dynamics)
• Amount (typically Opportunity: TCV, Amount, ARR, etc. in Dynamics)
• Closed Date (typically Opportunity: Close Date in Dynamics)
• Participant Email (typically Contact: Email in Dynamics)
• Participant First Name (typically Contact: First Name in Dynamics)
• Participant Last Name (typically Contact: Last Name in Dynamics)

If you would like to bring in a field that does not have a corresponding field in Clozd Platform, simply scroll to the bottom of the Field Mapping page and click Add Field. A module will pop-up asking you to quickly configure the field and then map it to the comparable field in Microsoft Dynamics.

You can come back to adjust field mappings any time. When you save your changes, a pop-up will give you the option to update all existing deals with your changes as well. That way, your metadata is consistent for all current and future deals in the Clozd Platform.

Import Errors

Please note that errors will display for 30 days and will then be automatically deleted.

Ongoing Maintenance

If you need to change any of the import rules or field mappings after you've finished the Dynamics integration, go back to the Automations tab and click Settings under Automated Imports for Dynamics. Make your changes and save. 

Permissions 

To prevent import errors, verify that Clozd has read-only permission to your objects in Dynamics.

Re-authenticating your Dynamics account

Clozd Platform administrators for your organization will be notified by email if the Dynamics authentication becomes invalid. This is can happen if the user who established the integration has lost access or no longer works at your organization. 

A new user must re-authenticate by following the Microsoft Dynamics Integration Setup process above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will individuals on opportunities be contacted upon activating the automation?

No. Automatic scheduling of interviews and surveys is configured independently of the Dynamics integration. If you need help configuring automated feedback requests, please contact support@clozd.com.

Is there a managed package that needs to be installed in Microsoft Dynamics?

No.

Can we map to Dynamics relationship fields?

As long as a field is on the Account, Opportunity, Product, Contact, or User object, the field can be mapped in Clozd—regardless of field type.

What if there are multiple contacts on one opportunity?

Clozd will import all contacts associated with each opportunity. We import contact roles and whether a contact is marked as “isPrimary” on the contact role object. If applicable, you can specify which contact role should be invited from relevant opportunities to participate in win-loss interviews or surveys.

What objects can Clozd Platform access from Dynamics? 

Clozd ingests any Salesforce field from the following Dynamics objects:

• Account
• Opportunity
• ProductContact
• User

Questions?

For questions about the fit of the Microsoft Dynamics Integration for your Clozd win-loss program, please contact your Clozd consultant.

For questions about the integration or troubleshooting, please contact support@clozd.com.