Microsoft is adding restrictions to Customer Engagement users with Dynamics 365 Team Member licenses. Users will no longer be able to access Sales Hub, Customer Service Hub and Custom model-driven apps. All licenses purchased after April 1st 2020 will automatically have the Team Member restrictions enforced by default, but existing customers have until the end of June to migrate. To accommodate these changes, Microsoft will be releasing new app modules which will be tailored to users with a Team Member license.
This article is going to answer some of the top questions we’re getting from our customers about these changes. Including why Microsoft has decided to implement these changes, and what companies with Team Member licenses need to do in order to prepare for the migration deadline.
What Do Team Member Licenses Currently Allow Existing Users to Do?
As it stands, Team Member licenses are a cheaper license option for end-users to access and use Dynamics 365. Existing customers with these licenses can support workloads in sales and customer service and build customer apps. In many ways, they have the same access rights as people in their team with enterprise licenses and full user capabilities.
What Changes Will We See With the Team Member License Enforcement?
Changes that users with Team Member licenses will see include restrictions on creating, updating, or deleting records from more than 15 custom entities, account records and knowledge records.
Team Member licenses are no longer suitable for individuals whose roles are part of the customer service or sales process. Users won’t be able to create opportunities or cases, as this will be restricted for high-value Dynamics 365 enterprise licenses. Moving forward, Team Member licenses will be a light solution tailored to users that mainly require read-only access to Dynamics 365 and those that use activities. Users will be able to search for data and work with no more than 15 custom entitles, as mentioned above.
Come the deadline, users with Team Member licenses will no longer be able to see Sales Hub, Customer Service Hub and Custom model-driven apps. They will only have access to the new app modules tailored to the newly reformed Team Member license.
Why Has Microsoft Decided to Implement These Changes?
Microsoft has decided to make these changes because there are many users within organizations that only need to consume data and reports from line-of-business systems or undertake simple tasks such as updating HR records or entering time sheets into the system. These users don’t necessarily have a job that’s tied to a specific function but still require basic functionality within the system. The changes in the Team Member licenses will be for these users and will give them lightweight access through specific actions.
What Capabilities Will the New App Modules Have?
In the introduction to this article, we mentioned that Microsoft is accommodating these changes by releasing new app modules for the Team Member license experience. The new app modules will be available from the users’ list of PowerApps:
We’re going to take a quick look at each of these new modules and what they have to offer.
1. Sales Team Member
This app is designed for lightweight sales management such as working with contacts or having visibility into accounts. They can see leads or opportunities linked with accounts or contacts along with other sales-related data. Users can add notes and activities, such as tasks. This doesn’t provide full capabilities of an enterprise application so a user can’t create an opportunity themselves or update the status of an opportunity based on the stage it is in the sales funnel.
Image: New Sales Team Member App Module
2. Customer Service Team Member
Users with a Team Member license can access self-service support using the Dynamics 365 Customer Service Team Member app. They can create cases for problems such as issues with personal equipment, HR queries and administrative needs. The following tasks can be performed: create cases, read and update those cases, use the new comments feature for newly creates cases in order to interact with agents, search and view knowledge-based articles.
Image: New Customer Service Team Member App
3. Project Resource Hub
The Project Resource Hub allows users with a Team Member license to enter time and expenses for projects in real-time. It allows users to stay on top of things and ensure clients are getting billed properly. This app has been built on the Unified interface framework, using responsive design to optimize the interactive experience on any device or orientation.
Image: New Project Resource Hub navigation
These new app modules can be tailored to closely fit your organizations requirements and unique processes, just like other custom-model driven apps. However, there are limitations to these customizations. Admins can configure the app for additional scenarios, but not beyond those listed in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 licensing guide.
What Do I Need to Do in Order to Prepare for This Migration Deadline?
In order to prepare for these changes, we recommend one of two things. Either evaluate the new Team Member apps, customize them as needed and take the necessary actions within your business to communicate these changes ahead of the deadline. Or, assess the permissions needed by your current Team-Member licensed users. If your team require more access than these enforcement changes offer, you have several options available, including the following:
• Switching out Team Member licenses with Microsoft’s new PowerApps licenses and implementing a custom-model-driven app
• Upgrading to Enterprise or Professional user licenses
