TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Business Central Pricing Plans For Australian Businesses
- 1. Cloud subscription tiers
- 2. Microsoft-hosted on Azure with Australian data centres
- 3. Key Licensing Policies to Know
- 3 Top Features For Growing Australian Companies
- 1. Driving Operational Efficiency
- 2. Smarter Insights, Compliance & Sustainability
- 3. Connecting Teams and Customers
- Business Central Integrations to Expand Your Business Potential
- 1. Microsoft 365
- 2. Power BI for Advanced Reporting
- 3. Shopify, Xero, Stripe & More
- What To Consider About Business Central Implementation?
- 1. What is the implementation roadmap?
- 2. What are the common implementation risks?
- 3. What are the best ways to mitigate implementation risks?
Dynamics 365 AI is Microsoft’s suite of embedded artificial intelligence capabilities, built directly into its ERP and CRM applications. It works through Copilot and other AI services embedded in workflows across Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and more, making it part of daily operations rather than an add-on.
At its core, Copilot is a generative AI assistant that summarises records, drafts responses, and supports decision-making. For added flexibility, AI Builder provides low-code tools to create tailored models. These capabilities are powered by Azure AI and OpenAI, ensuring secure machine learning and natural language functions.
For Australian organisations, the significance lies in how these features streamline operations across Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and Supply Chain while aligning with GST, BAS, and data residency requirements.
This article explores Dynamics 365 AI in practice: its in-app features, pricing considerations, real adoption cases, and the broader Microsoft ecosystem that powers continuous improvement.
What Is Dynamics 365 Copilot? (Generative AI Assistant)
Dynamics 365 Copilot is Microsoft’s generative AI assistant embedded across its ERP and CRM applications. Positioned as the first copilot in both CRM and ERP, it goes beyond generic chatbots by providing domain-specific expertise directly in sales, service, finance, marketing, and supply chain workflows (Charles Lamanna - CVP, Business Applications and Platform, Official Microsoft Blog, 2023). The aim is to replace repetitive data entry, note-taking, and content creation with automated support, freeing staff to focus on higher-value work.
Copilot is widely integrated across Dynamics 365 apps, as shown in the illustration below:
Core capabilities include:
Copilot differs from ChatGPT in both scope and safeguards. It operates securely inside Microsoft’s ecosystem, integrated with Outlook, Teams, and Dynamics 365 records, while respecting permissions and compliance obligations. This ensures businesses in Australia can adopt AI confidently within privacy and data governance boundaries.
The business value is measurable. Microsoft research shows that nine in ten workers want AI to reduce repetitive tasks, and early adopters already report significant productivity gains (Microsoft Worklab, 2023). For Australian organisations, Copilot’s potential lies in accelerating response times, improving forecasting accuracy, and lifting employee satisfaction by automating tedious work.
Understanding Copilot as Microsoft’s generative AI assistant provides the foundation; the next step is to see how these capabilities materialise across each Dynamics 365 application.
Key Dynamics 365 AI Features Across The Apps
Key Dynamics 365 AI features span Sales, Service, Finance, Supply Chain, and more, embedding Copilot and Azure OpenAI into core workflows. These role-specific assistants automate tasks, surface predictive insights, and reduce manual navigation. For Australian businesses, they deliver efficiency and compliance across industries where accurate data, timely action, and scale are critical.
Dynamics 365 Sales
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Sales gives sellers contextual, AI-driven support across CRM, Outlook, and Teams. Instead of juggling manual updates, sellers can use natural language chat or prompts to prepare for meetings, draft communications, and stay on top of accounts. The image below introduces Copilot's capabilities in Dynamics 365 Sales:
For Australian businesses, where sales cycles are often multi-stakeholder, these features help free up capacity for relationship building. Microsoft notes sellers spend up to 66% of their day managing email; Copilot directly reduces this burden, allowing more time with customers (Copilot for Dynamics 365 - Microsoft Cloud Learn, 2024).
Dynamics 365 Customer Service
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service equips agents with AI-driven assistance for both chat and voice channels. Instead of navigating multiple systems, agents can query Copilot directly, retrieve answers from trusted domains, and receive AI-drafted replies across email and chat. In contact centre deployments, Microsoft Copilot for Service extends integration to Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk, ensuring continuity in mixed environments. The illustration below describes Copilot architecture in Dynamics 365 Customer Service:
For Australian service teams, facing high expectations for fast and consistent resolution, these features cut manual note-taking and standardise responses. All Copilot outputs remain grounded in enterprise data and governed by Microsoft’s responsible AI principles.
Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
Dynamics 365 Customer Insights integrates Copilot to help marketers streamline segmentation and campaign design. Using natural language, teams can describe an audience and have the system generate or refine customer segments. Copilot also accelerates content creation by suggesting email copy and journey designs based on existing data and brand assets.
For Australian marketers competing against global e-commerce players, these tools reduce manual data analysis and enable scalable personalisation.
Dynamics 365 Finance
Dynamics 365 Finance embeds Copilot to streamline collections and financial operations. Finance professionals can access AI-generated summaries and automated communications directly in their workspace, reducing manual navigation across records. Note: Advanced Finance agents in Outlook and Excel remain in production-ready preview (U.S.-only, En-US) and are not yet available for Australian environments.
For Australian businesses, cash flow stability is a recurring pain point. Automating collections reduces debtor days and supports compliance-heavy tasks such as GST and BAS reporting. These features let finance leaders shift focus from administration to forecasting, while preparing for future Finance Agent availability.
Dynamics 365 Supply Chain
Dynamics 365 Supply Chain integrates Copilot to help organisations anticipate and respond to disruptions across procurement, logistics, and inventory. By combining predictive insights with conversational tools, Copilot turns operational data into actionable guidance. Note: Some advanced capabilities, such as demand plan analysis and supplier communication agents, remain in preview and are not yet intended for production use.
For Australian wholesalers and distributors, these capabilities enhance resilience in compliance-heavy, global supply chains. Predictive monitoring and proactive outreach help reduce downtime while sustaining service levels.
Dynamics 365 Project Operations
Copilot in Project Operations assists managers with planning, monitoring, and reporting by generating structured outputs from project data. It uses natural language inputs to propose plans and surface risks. Note: Time entry automation is currently available in preview for selected environments and may not be fully supported in Australia.
These features reduce time on administration while improving visibility. For Australian firms managing complex client projects, Copilot augments reporting and risk tracking, allowing leaders to focus on delivery rather than clerical updates.
Dynamics 365 Commerce
Dynamics 365 Commerce uses Copilot to enhance product enrichment, merchandising, and store operations. AI generates product content, optimises it for search, and adapts tone for specific audiences. Merchandisers and managers also gain real-time insights into store performance and customer behaviour.
For Australian retailers in highly competitive e-commerce and omnichannel markets, these features shorten the time to market and reduce manual merchandising effort. By combining predictive insights with creative content generation, Copilot supports leaner operations while sustaining customer engagement.
Dynamics 365 Field Service
Field Service Copilot summarises work orders, drafts Outlook communications, and assists with scheduling. It can highlight next steps, arrival times, and required parts, giving managers and technicians a concise view of tasks. In the following screenshot, a user gets support from Copilot inside the Dynamics 365 Field Service web app:
This speeds up service delivery and reduces errors caused by fragmented data. For Australian logistics and utilities companies, where compliance and reliability are crucial, AI in Field Service ensures faster resolutions and stronger customer trust. (Note: Work order update is a preview feature and not intended for production use.)
Dynamics 365 Business Central
Business Central integrates Copilot as the default for SMEs, focusing on time-saving automation. Features include bank reconciliation assist, product description generation for e-commerce, and AI-driven agent support.
For Australian SMEs, Business Central’s AI reduces reliance on manual finance tasks while extensions like late payment prediction and cash flow analysis enhance financial control. This directly benefits businesses managing compliance-heavy workloads such as GST, BAS, and payroll reporting. (Note: preview features are not intended for production use and may have restricted functionality.)
While AI features vary by app, adoption also depends on licensing, availability, and regional compliance. To make informed choices, Australian businesses must next consider the pricing and licensing structures that govern Dynamics 365 AI.
What Should Australian Businesses Know About Dynamics 365 AI Pricing & Licensing?
Dynamics 365 AI pricing and licensing require careful evaluation, as inclusions, add-ons, and regional terms differ across deployments. For Australian businesses, clarity comes from treating these as considerations to explore with Microsoft’s official guides and partner advice, since terms evolve frequently. Below are six critical areas to assess, visualised in the illustration:
1. What’s included vs. what requires extra licensing?
Some AI features are bundled in Dynamics 365 apps, while others need separate licensing or Copilot Studio/Power Platform credits. The line between included and add-on can shift with updates, so review each app’s documents before planning budgets.
2. How flexible is pricing, bundled or pay-as-you-go?
Licensing for Dynamics 365 AI spans enterprise bundles and usage-based add-ons. Bundled plans typically suit organisations standardising on Sales, Customer Service, or Finance Enterprise, where baseline Copilot features are already included. Pay-as-you-go usually applies when teams pilot advanced AI or scale specific workloads such as Copilot Studio or Azure AI.
3. Are there regional or compliance restrictions?
AI services depend on data movement across regions. For Australian firms, this intersects with GST/BAS alignment, STP payroll rules, and privacy frameworks.
4. How should I plan licensing for growth?
Costs increase as usage scales. Forecasting, automation, and supply chain AI may expand unevenly, requiring proactive licensing strategies.
5. Where should I go for guidance?
Businesses should combine Microsoft documentation with partner consultation. Local expertise ensures compliance, AU-specific localisation, and cost-accurate planning.
At Havi Technology, our Dynamics 365 experts help Australian businesses navigate licensing scenarios, evaluate ROI, and ensure compliance before committing.
6. What trial or evaluation options exist?
Trials for Dynamics 365 apps and AI features exist, but the scope and region vary. Not all previews are enabled in Australia, so verify availability before testing.
Recommendation: Use trials to explore functionality, not to design full production rollouts. For a structured evaluation aligned with compliance and ROI goals, contact your Microsoft partner.
Note: For the latest and most accurate licensing details, businesses should always consult the official Microsoft Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide and related product documents. Terms, regional availability, and inclusions may change across release cycles.
Next Step: To cut through the complexity, we recommend booking a consultation with our Dynamics 365 expert team. We’ll help you interpret Microsoft’s guidance, map AI features to your business requirements, and ensure licensing is both cost-efficient and compliant for the Australian context.
Licensing answers “what” you can access, but the next step is “how” those AI features actually run. To understand the foundation, data, cloud, security, and extensibility, we turn to Microsoft’s broader ecosystem powering Dynamics 365 AI.
How Microsoft’s Ecosystem Powers Dynamics 365 AI
Dynamics 365 AI is powered by Microsoft’s ecosystem, uniting Dataverse, Azure AI, security, and extensibility to deliver enterprise-ready intelligence.
Microsoft Dataverse: A Unified Data Layer
Microsoft Dataverse unifies data from Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, and third-party apps into a consistent schema. This foundation ensures AI models access complete, secure, permission-controlled records rather than fragmented silos. For Australian SMEs, it keeps AI insights reliable across GST, BAS, and financial reporting needs.
Azure AI and Cognitive Services
Dynamics 365 AI is powered by Azure AI services: Cognitive Services, Azure Machine Learning, and the Azure OpenAI Service. Through Azure OpenAI, Copilot uses models like GPT-4 or DALL-E to generate text for tasks such as summarisation or email drafting (Get started with AI in Dynamics 365, Dynamics 365 Learn, 2024). Cognitive Services extend this with speech, vision, and sentiment analysis. All are governed by Microsoft’s Responsible AI standards for compliance and security.
Workflow Integration with AI in Daily Tasks
Dynamics 365 embeds AI directly into daily workflows. Copilot suggestions appear within apps like Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain, avoiding tool-switching and reducing adoption barriers. For instance, Finance users see overdue invoice summaries and AI-generated reminder drafts directly in their workspace, shortening the time from data to decision.
The integration aligns with finance operations, as explored in our Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations guide, which explains how AI-driven automation, integrations, and pricing considerations support compliance-heavy tasks in Australia.
Security, Compliance, and Responsible AI
Microsoft enforces Responsible AI principles, fairness, reliability, privacy, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. Copilot runs inside the Microsoft Trust boundary; customer data never trains base models. Safeguards like filtering, injection protection, and human-in-loop review minimise risks. For Australian businesses, this is essential to meet ATO and privacy compliance standards.
Extensibility and Custom AI Development through Power Platform
Dynamics 365 AI is extensible through Power Platform. AI Builder enables low-code custom models like churn prediction or invoice recognition. Copilot Studio lets partners create industry-specific copilots. This flexibility ensures Australian organisations, from wholesale distribution to professional services, adapt Microsoft’s AI to meet unique operational and compliance requirements.
Model Training and Data Feedback Loops
Dynamics 365 AI improves through feedback and outcomes. Predictive models refine accuracy from business results, such as won or lost opportunities. Users provide feedback on Copilot outputs, which Microsoft incorporates into service updates. This continuous loop supports responsible deployment, ensuring AI remains reliable, contextual, and enterprise-ready.
How Australian Companies Use Dynamics 365 AI In Practice
New Zealand’s Public Trust, the country’s largest trustee organisation, faced an aging contact centre system that limited customer visibility and slowed service. Handling thousands of estates and wills annually, the team struggled with fragmented tools and rising customer expectations.
By deploying Dynamics 365 Contact Centre, Customer Service, and Copilot, Public Trust created a unified engagement hub across phone, chat, and email (Microsoft Customer Stories, 2025). Copilot now drives measurable improvements:
For Australian businesses, this example reflects a common adoption pathway: start with a pilot project, measure efficiency gains, and then scale into more departments. In highly regulated industries, this phased approach mitigates risk while proving AI’s value in customer and operational outcomes.
Case studies like this align with the themes in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, where AI copilots improve case resolution speed, knowledge retrieval, and overall customer satisfaction.
To wrap up, Dynamics 365 AI embeds Copilot and in-app intelligence across Finance, Sales, Service, and more. The technology delivers efficiency, compliance, and real business outcomes for Australian teams. Pricing and adoption require careful evaluation. Talk to Havi Technology, a certified Microsoft Partner, to assess Dynamics 365 AI and its integration capabilities for your needs.