As part of its October 2018 release, Microsoft has introduced a new Customer Service licence for users who don't need the full set of features offered by the main Dynamics 365 Enterprise licence.

In the same way that Dynamics 365 for Sales Professional delivers core sales capabilities so the new Customer Service Professional introduces a slimmed down experience at a lower price point compared to Customer Service Enterprise.

Microsoft define the two Customer Service licences as follows:

• Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Enterprise goes beyond core support functionality and meets the needs of more complex customer service processes.
  
• Dynamics 356 for Customer Service Professional is for customers with less complex service requirements who need streamlined capabilities to provide core support functionality.

Before looking at the differences between these, let's start with the core features and capabilities shared by both licence types:

User numbers

Neither the Professional nor Enterprise licence are subject to any minimum or maximum user licence numbers.

Available in both Customer Service Enterprise & Professional

For either licence, users will have access to create and manage all the following entities and processes in Dynamics 365: Cases, Contracts, Entitlements, Service Level Agreements, Contacts, Accounts and Facilities / Equipment. 

The October '18 update adds a capability to create new Lead records on a Customer Service Pro or Enterprise licence. Both licence types also include access to the Customer Service Hub. 

Finally, both sales apps offer the same functionality for connecting Dynamics 365 with Outlook, Excel and Power BI as well as accessing the app via mobile and tablet apps.

Limited Capabilities in Customer Service Professional

While Customer Service Enterprise provides unrestricted use rights, the Customer Service Professional is limited to a maximum of 15 custom entities.

**UPDATE ** Previously, further restrictions were in force across guided process flows, forms and custom workflows but these are no longer referenced in the latest licensing guide (January 2019).

Functions Excluded from Customer Service Professional

The following functions and services are not available with a Customer Service Professional. These will only be accessible for the Customer Service app with an Enterprise licence, or in some instances can be activated with an add-on purchase:

• Voice of the Customer surveys
• Gamification
• Microsoft Forms Pro (2k surveys per month / tenant)
• Unified Service Desk
• Advanced find
• Embedded intelligence / AI 
• Web Portal - add on available
• Non-Production Instance - add on available
• Powerapps P2 - add on available

Licence Rights

It's important to note that a mix and match between Customer Service Professional and Enterprise licences is not available on the same instance of Dynamics 365 Online. 

Other licensing options include the Team Member to read any data stored in Dynamics 365 and undertake light usage tasks.

Finally, dual usage rights between Dynamics 365 on-premise and cloud are only granted to Customer Service Enterprise licences. Professional licences are only available for a cloud deployment.

As a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner, Preact are here to help. Please get in touch if you have any licensing questions.