Public Sector Leaders:

Dynamics 365 ERP: A stepping stone to AI

Since much of the public sector already uses Microsoft™ technology, it’s practical for public sector leaders to implement an industry-specific ERP solution built by a company they already know and trust. Dynamics 365 is a portfolio of intelligent business applications developed with a focus on the public sector.

Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations

When organizations work with Crowe to implement Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations as their ERP system, they can benefit from the stability and proficiency of both Microsoft and Crowe while taking advantage of critical AI tools to help automate work. As the flagship Microsoft ERP application for public sector, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations offers a variety of automation functions built to help organizations maximize productivity and boost performance.

Following are a few features that can help expedite critical business processes.

Copilot as a sidecar

Used as a sidecar, Copilot can help users apply AI in their day-to-day operations. Grounded by the data within Dynamics 365 and the organization’s tenant, users can query Copilot about ERP data, request specific help instructions, and even add organization-specific documentation for Copilot to reference when communicating. For example, users can ask Copilot for on-hand inventory amounts for a particular location or ask about travel policies as they enter details in their expense reports.

Embedded Copilot

Copilot is also embedded throughout the Dynamics 365 application and can help users more quickly complete tasks. Examples include:

• Generative summaries
  Copilot can generate summaries on purchase orders, sales orders, customers, vendors, and workflow. Such quick overviews give users real-time visibility into the life cycle of the record and what’s to come.
• Collections coordinator agent
  Using Copilot in the collections clerk workstream can help predict when an invoice will be paid, produce a generative summary of the customer, and automatically create email templates based on the generated summary.
• Supply chain impact
  Copilot is available in the purchase order change management process to display how a vendor's change to a purchase order might affect the organization’s supply chain. Users can then initiate Copilot to generate a summary email with pertinent details about the situation and communicate that to the vendor.

Cash flow forecast

Dynamics 365 can use AI and machine learning to forecast and predict cash flow by mining historical data such as invoices, payments, terms, and various dates as well as the configuration of inflow and outflows.

Accounts payable automation

The evolution of AI technologies has enabled Dynamics 365 to read invoice formats from vendors, and it can learn about each invoice template without significant heavy lifting from employees. Organizations can save time, reduce effort, and improve accuracy by automating invoice processing instead of processing them manually.

RSAT

The Regression Suite Automation Tool (RSAT) can significantly reduce the time and energy it takes for an organization to complete a Dynamics 365 ERP update. It features a task recorder, which lets users record business processes and then convert the recordings into a suite of automated tests without having to write source code. This functionality allows teams to automatically regression-test key business processes when a new update takes place.

Other ways Dynamics 365 and Crowe can help public sector organizations

The Microsoft platform, combined with the public sector experience and technology of Crowe, offers six benefits that can transform organizations:

• Efficiency, security, and high availability from most devices
• New solution features and reimagined business operations
• Extended business impact for IT teams
• Increased productivity and efficiency for employees
• Industry-leading integration tool sets that connect data and other key systems
• A controlled, supported environment 

Furthermore, Dynamics 365 is a highly configurable software as a service solution that features:

• Functionality tailored to the public sector
• Modern, scalable, reliable, and secure cloud functionality
• Flexible reporting and business intelligence tools
• Utility balanced with ease of use
• Seamless integration with other applications
• Tools to expand beyond traditional ERP

Crowe understands responsible AI and the public sector

Crowe embraces responsible AI and the many ways it can help address society’s challenges and improve public services. We also have a track record of success with ERP projects for public sector agencies of many types and sizes, including large city and county governments.

You don’t have to figure out how to responsibly implement AI on your own. Let us be your guide.

Microsoft and Dynamics 365 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.