Build the Customer Service data foundation
The appliance request from the previous unit becomes useful service work when the organization captures it as connected data. Dynamics 365 Customer Service links the customer, washing machine, issue, interactions, support terms, and outcome. Each record has a distinct purpose, but the case brings the complete story together.
Capture the customer request
The service lifecycle begins by identifying who needs help and what happened.
| Record type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Customer records | Identify the customer associated with a service request. A contact usually represents a person, while an account usually represents a company, organization, or group. A case can use either type as its customer. |
| Cases | Track customer issues or service requests from creation through resolution. Organizations might also call cases incidents, tickets, or service requests. A customer record can have multiple open and resolved cases. |
| Products | Associate a case with an item in the Dynamics 365 product catalog. This optional relationship helps organizations categorize and analyze cases, resolutions, and feedback by product without affecting pricing or invoicing. |
For the washing machine request, the representative selects the customer's contact, creates a case for the error, and associates the appliance from the product catalog. These links place customer history and product information in the context of the current issue. A configured Case Management Agent can help create or update the case from conversation context, but the case remains the central service record.
Manage and deliver service
After the organization captures the request, related records coordinate the work and define the service the customer receives.
| Record type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Activities | Track interactions and tasks related to customers, cases, and other records. Open activities require further work or have a future due date, while Closed activities are complete. |
| Queues | Organize cases and activities that are waiting for representatives to process. For example, messages sent to a support email address can enter a queue for the appropriate team. |
| Entitlements | Define how much support a customer can receive. For example, an entitlement might allow a customer to open 10 support cases. |
| Entitlement channels | Define the types of service covered by an entitlement. The default channels are Phone, Email, Web, Facebook, and Twitter. |
| Service-level agreements | Define and track service commitments, such as the time allowed for a first response or case resolution. Service-level agreements (SLAs) can also trigger warnings and other actions as deadlines approach. |
In the appliance story, the customer's message creates an activity and enters the appropriate queue. The entitlement confirms support coverage, and the SLA sets the response and resolution targets. Together, these records show what work is pending, who should handle it, and which commitments apply.
Resolve issues and improve service
The representative next uses shared knowledge to investigate the error and records what resolves it. The organization then uses the outcome to improve future service.
| Record type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Knowledge articles | Store reusable information about an organization, its products, and common customer questions. Representatives and Copilot use knowledge articles to find information and draft responses. |
| Resolution activities | Record the case resolution and time spent after a representative resolves the case. Customer Service stores the resolution activity with the case's closed activities. |
| Goals | Track progress against target values for key performance indicators (KPIs), such as resolved or in-progress cases. |
The representative finds an approved troubleshooting article for the error code, verifies that it applies, and uses it to guide the customer. Copilot can retrieve the same organizational knowledge or draft a response for review. When the issue is resolved, the resolution activity records the outcome and time spent. Goals help managers track service results, while recurring cases can reveal unclear instructions or missing knowledge.
Build the context for transformation
Connected records do more than document the transaction. They provide the context that people, Copilot, and AI agents use to support the request:
- Customer, product, and case records define the issue and its history.
- Activities and queues show interactions and pending work.
- Entitlements and SLAs define support terms and time commitments.
- Knowledge articles provide approved information.
- Resolution activities and goals capture outcomes for review.
AI is only as useful as the data and knowledge available to it. Representatives and administrators remain responsible for record quality, approved knowledge, permissions, and review. With that foundation in place, the appliance request can move between self-service and assisted service without losing its context.
The next unit follows that movement through the modern customer journey, from the customer's first search to resolution and improvement.