Get Ready for the Unified Interface
Posted on: November 16, 2018 | By: Guy Logan | Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Authored by: Don Surma
As a user of Dynamics 365, you may have seen notices about switching to the Unified Interface pop up while loading the application.
What is the Unified Interface? In short, it is the future of Dynamics 365. It is an alternative user interface to the familiar Web interface we use today. Microsoft wants us to think of each module within Dynamics 365 (CRM) as an app: Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Field Service, Project Service Automation. In fact, all third-party add-ons will become “apps” that will simply plug-in. Equivalent Apps for the Unified Interface are Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, Customer Service Hub – you get the idea. It is meant to provide a “Unified” experience across all platforms- Desktop, Tablet, or Phone.
Microsoft has been slowly sneaking bits and pieces of it into each version upgrade over the last year. In earlier 
iterations, several familiar pieces that users have come to love were missing from the interface – like Advanced Finds, Grid Filtering, Creating Personal Views, Running Reports, Sharing Records, and many more. Seem that this “Unified” Interface was not ready for prime time.
This past summer, Microsoft introduced a hybrid experience that brought back many of the missing pieces. And with the October 2018 upgrade, version 9.1, Microsoft made the Unified Interface just a few clicks away. You can get a feel for the new interface by clicking on the Dynamics 365 menu button in the ribbon. You can now see the new interface selections and you can toggle back and forth. Be warned, several of these items are not ready without further customization. The customer service unified interface is the most complete experience.
With the roll out of these new features in the October 2018 update, most of the gaps have been addressed. Microsoft will begin to transition to the new interface. Any new customers will be directed to the new interface by default, however, admins will be able to switch to the familiar web app.
For existing instances, Microsoft is planning to switch completely to the new Interface by Summer of 2019, and the current web interface will be phased out. The Spring 2019 update is planned to bring the final pieces of this puzzle into place.
If you have any questions or would like more information on this new Unified experience, please contact us at Logan Consulting.