Microsoft has positioned itself as an innovator, and champion of the future of work since its early days. For years, the company has produced everything from innovative productivity tools to collaboration and communication apps, to help transform and optimize the way we work.
Now that hybrid and remote work is creating a more digitized workplace, Microsoft is also investing in new ways to align and synchronize teams in a distributed landscape. This means not only producing innovative platforms like Teams, but experimenting with the potential of immersive tools and extended reality. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides is just one example of how Microsoft is assisting companies in unlocking new customer and employee experiences.
So, what is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides, and how does it work?
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides?
Dynamics 365 Guides is part of the wider “Dynamics 365” software toolkit from Microsoft. The comprehensive Dynamics portfolio includes a variety of enterprise-level ERP, CRM, and intelligent business applications. What separates Guides from the other offerings in the Dynamics 365 collection is its focus on the mixed reality world, an area Microsoft has begun exploring with solutions like the HoloLens headset, and Microsoft Mesh.
Guides is an “MR application” intended to support frontline workers, engineers, and other mobile professionals during the flow of work. It essentially provides team members with access to 3-dimensional, holographic instructions, overlaid on top of the existing physical environment. For instance, construction employees can see step-by-step instructions on how to build a product, complete with annotations and comments from other workers.
Field employees can also use holographic models and videos within the Guides experience to rapidly troubleshoot problems, pinpoint issues, and conduct repairs. What’s more, the solution comes integrated with Microsoft Teams, which means staff members can instantly call remote experts using their headset, for real-time guidance. The remote expert sees a shared view of everything the operator sees, and can annotate the environment in real-time.
The Features of Dynamics 365 Guides
Microsoft created Dynamics 365 Guides to assist businesses in providing mobile and remote employees with the immersive guidance they need to excel in any situation. Companies like Toyota, Kruger, and Suntory are already leveraging the toolkit to support and empower their own staff.