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  • SOLUTION 06. CRM

Pipeline you can trust. Service that scales.

D365 CRM with the customer record on Microsoft Azure South Africa. AI agents deployed where the ROI is proven.
Scope your CRM consolidation
Run the CRM benchmark check
SA clients
0 +
Microsoft-
certified
0 +
Microsoft
Managed
Partners
0 in SA
Forrester
Wave for CRM
0 Leader
Screenshot 2026 06 02 at 10.42.33 | Braintree
  • The wedge no global Microsoft partner can claim.

Your CRM data stays in South Africa.

Microsoft Azure runs from datacentres in Joburg North and Cape Town. POPIA enforcement turned proactive in 2026, with the first direct-marketing fine landing R100,000. Salesforce production data lives on US, EU or APAC instances.
R10 million statutory maximum
Screenshot 2026 06 02 at 10.43.07 | Braintree
  • The Microsoft stack

The Microsoft stack you'll run. Five products. One unified record.

Dynamics 365 Sales

Sales Research, Qualification, Close, and Development Agents on the seller's pipeline.

Customer Service

Quality Evaluation Agent + Service Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Customer Insights

Data + Journeys. One unified record across Sales, Service, Marketing.

Contact Center

Customer Assist Agent. Real-time on the call. No hold music.

Microsoft Foundry + Built-by-Braintree

Custom domain agents where Microsoft does not yet ship a named one.

  • Where you're going.

One customer record. Agents deployed where they earn their case.

Microsoft’s 2026 narrative on CRM is human-led, agent-operated. The named agents below ship inside Dynamics 365 today. Braintree deploys the ones that earn the ROI through the AI Value Framework. Custom agents in Microsoft Foundry where Microsoft does not yet ship a named one.
Stage 01

Lead

Sales Research Agent

Surfaces account intelligence, recent news and stakeholder context inside the seller's day. The seller walks into the meeting briefed.

Sales Qualification Agent

(GA Oct 2025)
Qualifies inbound leads against your scoring criteria. Hands the seller a ranked queue. The seller works the top of the list.

Stage 02

Opportunity

Sales Development Agent

Microsoft ran this agent on its own pipeline. 61,734 outreaches, 15.1% lead-to-opportunity, January to November 2025. Microsoft-published benchmark.

Customer Insights, Data

The customer data platform inside Dynamics 365. Unifies records from sales, service, marketing, finance and external sources.

Customer Insights, Journeys

Real-time journey orchestration across email, SMS, push and in-app. Built on the unified record.

Stage 03

Close

Sales Close Agent

(preview Oct 2025)
Drafts the proposal, pricing block and contract redlines from the deal record. The seller reviews and sends.

Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales

Embedded in Outlook and Teams. The seller stays in the inbox. Reads meeting context, surfaces the CRM record and drafts the follow-up.

Stage 04

Service

Service Agent

(public preview, March 2026)
Drafts case responses inside Outlook and Teams using the customer record. The agent answers. The human approves.

Quality Evaluation Agent

(GA Oct 2025)
Scores every closed case against your quality framework automatically. Service leaders coach on signal, not on a 5% audit sample.

Customer Assist Agent

Real-time voice. Sits beside the human agent on the call. Surfaces answers from your knowledge base in real time. No hold music.

Stage 05

Renewal

Quality Assurance Agent

Scores calls against your QA framework. Coaching becomes data, not opinion. Renewal conversations briefed on the full service history.

Service Operations Agent

Routes operational signals to the service operations team. Surfaces renewal-risk patterns from the unified record before the conversation begins.

Custom domain agents

Built by Braintree on Microsoft Foundry

For the use cases Microsoft does not yet ship a named agent. Built on Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio and Power Automate. SA-grounded. Production. POPIA-aligned. Custom agents enter through the AI Value Framework. Same business case discipline as the named agents above.
  • How we deploy

How we deploy. The AI Value Framework.

Four stages. Business case first. ROI modelled. Deployed only where the case proves out.

Discover

Map sales, service and customer-facing operations with the highest agent-ROI potential.

Evaluate

Go / No-go gate Full ROI and TCO model. Presented to management. Sign-off before any deployment.

Deploy

Microsoft's named CRM agents, deployed only where the business case warrants them.

Build

Custom domain agents on Microsoft Foundry where Microsoft does not yet ship a named one.

Braintree doesn’t deploy AI agents by default. We deploy them where the ROI is proven.
  • Two paths. Same destination.

The fork is how you get there, not where you land.

Greenfield CRM customers and Salesforce migrations move differently. Both arrive at Dynamics 365. Both run the AI Value Framework. The fork is about approach: new build versus replatform. Greenfield moves faster. Migration carries existing process and data debt.
Best when you’re on a basic CRM, a spreadsheet stack or no CRM at all.

Greenfield CRM

  • Standard data model, modern process design from day one.
  • Named agents enabled at go-live where the business case proves out.
  • 100+ Microsoft-certified specialists across Sales, Service and Customer Insights.
  • Timeline: 3 to 6 months.
Best when you’re on Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016, 365 on-prem, or another legacy.

Migrate from Salesforce or legacy CRM

  • Salesforce object-to-D365-entity mapping, not lift-and-shift.
  • Data migration with archival of historical Salesforce records to OneLake.
  • One of three Microsoft Managed Partners in SA, with proven enterprise migration scope.
  • Timeline: 6 to 12 months.
Scope your CRM consolidation
  • One customer record. The commercial case.

One Microsoft Partner. One Intelligent Agreement. One Unified, Secure Solution.

Multi-cloud CRM stacks today carry five vendor relationships, five renewal cycles and five partial records of the same customer. Braintree replaces every one of those with a single agreement and a single customer record. The supporting commercial spine is the One Intelligent Agreement. The primary commercial benefit is what it produces: one record, one truth, one conversation with the customer.
Five vendor logos, five renewals, five SLAs.

Before. Multi-cloud sprawl.

  • Salesforce master agreement
  • Five separate vendor relationships
  • Monthly admin overhead across five renewal cycles
  • No single accountability when something breaks
  • POPIA Section 72 cross-border transfer paperwork
One Braintree agreement. One SLA. One roadmap.

After. One Intelligent Agreement.

  • One Microsoft Customer Agreement
  • One quarterly review across Sales, Service, Insights, Contact Center and Copilot
  • One accountability for the agent layer and the data layer
  • Braintree-managed across migration and run-state
  • POPIA-aligned by default. Data on SA Azure regions
0 .1%

lead-to-opportunity rate Microsoft Sales Development Agent. 61,734 outreaches.
January to November 2025.

LEADER

Forrester Wave for CRM, Q1 2025 Microsoft named. Independent analyst evaluation, not vendor marketing.

315%

3-year ROI, Dynamics 365 Customer Service Forrester Total Economic Impact, Microsoft-commissioned.

  • vs the alternative

Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and the practical winner.

Dimension
Salesforce
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Practical winner
Customer record
Five clouds, stitched profiles
One record across Sales, Service, Insights, Contact Center
D365
Microsoft 365 native fit
Outlook + Teams plug-ins
Copilot for Sales lives inside Outlook + Teams
D365
AI agents in 2026
Einstein + Agentforce per cloud
Cross-domain agents on Microsoft Foundry
D365
WedgeData residency for SA
US / EU / APAC instances
Microsoft Azure Joburg + Cape Town. POPIA-aligned.
D365
Third-party integrations
AppExchange depth
Power Platform + AppSource
Salesforce
Total cost on Microsoft estate
Per-cloud SKUs + integrations
One Microsoft Customer Agreement
D365
5 to 1 in Braintree’s favour. Salesforce wins on AppExchange depth. Honest.
  • Talk to a CRM specialist

Three specialists. One direct line. Plus the 8-minute benchmark check.

The bench you’ll work with

Three CRM specialists. Matched to your scoping call.

Screenshot 2026 06 01 at 13.52.48 | Braintree

01 CRM Practice Lead

Microsoft Certified. Dynamics 365 Sales.

02 Customer Service and Contact Center Architect

Microsoft Certified. Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

03 Commercial Lead, One Intelligent Agreement

Microsoft Customer Agreement. CSP.

We match you to the right specialist when you book the scoping call. Names land in your calendar invite, not on a page you scrolled past.
Match me to a specialist →
  • Free, 8 minutes

How does your CRM stack compare to the SA enterprise median?

8 questions. We map your stack against benchmarks from 220+ SA clients. You get a tier. Above median, At median, Below median fixable in 90 days, Below median fixable in 12 months. Plus the actions to close the gap.
Run the CRM benchmark check
  • Book the scoping call.

From scoping call to AI-led CRM in three steps.

01

Share your environment

Tell us what you run today. Salesforce footprint, Dynamics CRM history, integrations, contact-centre stack, marketing tool. Five to ten minutes on your side.

02

5-day scoped response (SLA)

Braintree returns scoped CRM consolidation findings, the D365 apps shortlist and the AI Value Framework opportunity map. Inside five business days.

03

30-minute findings call

Review scope with the architect. Shortlist the D365 apps. Choose the fork. Discuss agent candidates. Discuss the South African data residency answer. No sales pitch.
Book the 30-minute scoping call
  • Common questions, honestly answered.

What CROs ask before they book.

Eight questions we answer in every scoping call. Pre-empted here so you can scan first.
Where does our customer data live if we move to Dynamics 365?
On Microsoft Azure South Africa North in Joburg (with three Availability Zones) or Microsoft Azure South Africa West in Cape Town. POPIA-aligned by default. The Information Regulator’s 2026/27 priorities shifted from reactive complaints to proactive industry sweeps. The first direct-marketing fine of R100,000 was issued to FT Rams Consulting. The maximum penalty is R10 million or 10 years. A global Microsoft partner cannot truthfully say your customer data stays in South Africa. Braintree can.
On AI agent depth, the named agents share the same customer record across Sales, Service, Customer Insights and Contact Center. On Microsoft 365 integration, Copilot for Sales is native inside Outlook and Teams. On TCO, the Microsoft Customer Agreement covers every workload on one renewal. Salesforce wins on AppExchange depth and on category mindshare. Microsoft was named a Leader in the Forrester Wave for CRM, Q1 2025. The Forrester TEI on Dynamics 365 Customer Service shows 315% three-year ROI. Both are independent benchmarks.
Step 02 Map is where the Salesforce object-to-D365 entity map gets built. Sales Cloud accounts map to Dynamics 365 Sales accounts. Service Cloud cases map to Dynamics 365 Customer Service cases. Marketing Cloud journeys map to Customer Insights Journeys. Active records migrate. Historical records archive to OneLake for compliance retention. Integrations rebuild on Power Automate or Microsoft Foundry. Typical migration runs 6 to 12 months. Braintree is one of three Microsoft Managed Partners in SA, with proven enterprise CRM migration experience.
It lives inside Outlook and Teams. The seller stays in the inbox. Copilot for Sales reads the meeting context, surfaces the Dynamics 365 Sales record for the customer, drafts the follow-up email and updates the CRM. The seller stops switching apps. The CRM stays current. In enterprise pilots, three behaviours show up consistently: meeting prep, follow-up drafting and CRM update. Other capabilities exist. Most enterprise sellers do not use them daily. Honest assessment.
Stage 02 Evaluate produces a 3-year ROI / TCO model per shortlisted agent before any deployment decision. Sales agent ROI usually models against pipeline contribution, lead-to-opportunity rate and seller-hours saved. Service agent ROI models against case resolution time, deflection rate and CSAT. Microsoft published its own Sales Development Agent benchmark across 61,734 outreaches with a 15.1% lead-to-opportunity rate, January to November 2025. We model your environment, not Microsoft’s. Braintree doesn’t deploy AI agents by default. We deploy them where the ROI is proven.
Customer Insights, Data is the customer data platform inside Dynamics 365. It unifies records from sales, service, marketing, finance and external sources into a single profile. A separate CDP makes sense when the data sources are heavily non-Microsoft and the activation channels are heavily non-Microsoft. For an enterprise consolidating onto Dynamics 365 with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Foundry, Customer Insights is the default answer. The unified record matters more than the CDP brand on the box.
Dynamics 365 Customer Service handles cases, knowledge management and digital channels (email, chat, social). Dynamics 365 Contact Center adds real-time voice, the Customer Assist Agent, the Quality Assurance Agent and the Service Operations Agent on top. The two products share the same customer record. The split exists because contact-centre licensing and capacity planning is fundamentally different from case management. Most enterprise buyers start on Customer Service and add Contact Center when the voice channel matures.
Three answers. Credentials. Braintree is one of three Microsoft Managed Partners in South Africa. 220+ SA clients, 100+ Microsoft-certified professionals, 10+ years on Microsoft Dynamics. Data residency. The only honest answer to “your customer data stays in South Africa” comes from a partner with SA Azure operations. Method. The AI Value Framework gates every agent deployment against ROI, every time. Most CRM partners sell the agent catalogue. Braintree sells the case for each one. Braintree doesn’t deploy AI agents by default. We deploy them where the ROI is proven.
  • From the Braintree practice.

Insights for CROs and CIOs evaluating Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM.

Strategy

Salesforce vs Dynamics 365 in 2026. The real total cost story.

AppExchange depth versus Microsoft 365 native fit. Per-cloud SKUs versus one Microsoft Customer Agreement. The honest TCO scorecard for SA enterprises evaluating both.
  • Article in production

Migration

From lead to renewal. Why one customer record beats five.

Sales sees engagement. Service sees frustration. Marketing sees nothing. Five systems, one human. The cost of fragmentation, the case for consolidation, and what unification actually delivers.
  • Article in production

Methodology

Copilot for Sales. What enterprise sellers actually use it for.

Microsoft published the Sales Development Agent benchmark. 61,734 outreaches, 15.1% lead-to-opportunity. The agent fleet maps to lifecycle stages, not product columns. Here is what your team will actually run.
  • Article in production
  • Where this connects.

The CRM page sits inside a stack.

One Braintree agreement. One team. Full Microsoft coverage.

AI Jumpstart

The 30-day, business-case-led AI deployment programme. Most CRM buyers piloting their first agents start here. Same AI Value Framework, smaller scope, faster time to a management-ready decision pack.

Explore →

Modern Workplace

Microsoft 365 Copilot lives where the seller already works. Outlook, Teams and Excel. Modern Workplace is the licensing and adoption layer that makes Copilot for Sales actually used.

Explore →

Modernise ERP. Enterprise

The customer record on the CRM side, the order and finance record on the ERP side. Both on Dynamics 365 means the seller and the finance team see the same truth.

Explore →
  • Pipeline you can trust. Service that scales.

Get your CRO sleeping better in 90 days.

30-min scoping call. We assess your stack, map the agents that pay back, and tell you whether D365 is the right move. No pitch deck.

Scope your CRM consolidation
Run the CRM benchmark check