Microsoft has announced the departure of Dynamics 365 Marketing’s Outbound Marketing capabilities, with the final cutoff scheduled for September 15, 2025. Organizations currently using Outbound Marketing need to act promptly to ensure a seamless transition and continuity of their marketing efforts.
Key Dates:
- July 15, 2024: Microsoft has discontinued new deployments of Outbound Marketing. Existing users will still have access but should avoid initiating new campaigns reliant on this feature.
- June 15, 2025: Full deprecation of Outbound Marketing. After this date, the feature will no longer be accessible, and any campaigns or data tied exclusively to Outbound Marketing will no longer function. For more information, please check the link.
Recommended Actions for Users:
To ensure a smooth transition, Microsoft advises organizations to migrate their marketing processes to the Real-time Marketing module within Dynamics 365 Marketing. This modernized module offers enhanced capabilities, including personalized customer journeys, AI-driven insights, and improved omnichannel marketing tools.
Here are the steps users should take:
- Assess Current Campaigns:
- Review all ongoing and planned campaigns running in Outbound Marketing.
- Identify those that need to be transitioned to Real-time Marketing.
- Export Data:
- Export all relevant marketing lists, customer data, and campaign metrics from Outbound Marketing to prevent data loss.
- Leverage Power Automate or manual processes to back up templates and workflows for future reference.
- Migrate to Real-time Marketing:
- Familiarize your marketing team with Real-time Marketing through training and resources available on Microsoft Learn.
- Utilize migration tools provided by Microsoft to port data, configurations, and workflows from Outbound Marketing to Real-time Marketing.
- Engage Stakeholders:
- Notify all stakeholders of the timeline and migration plan to minimize disruptions.
- Develop a communication strategy to inform customers and partners of any changes to marketing workflows that may affect them.
- Test and Optimize:
- Conduct rigorous testing of campaigns in Real-time Marketing to ensure smooth functionality.
- Monitor performance and address gaps before fully retiring Outbound Marketing.
Marketing Elements: What Will Continue and What Will Stop Working
To help organizations plan, here is a breakdown of key marketing elements and their future availability:
| Element | Status Post-Deprecation | Recommended Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Journeys | Transition to Real-time Marketing | Recreate journeys in Real-time Marketing. |
| Segments | Will remain but need to be migrated | Export existing segments and reconfigure as needed. |
| Marketing Lists | Will remain with limited functionality | Transition to Real-time Marketing for full features. |
| Pages and Forms | Will stop working | Rebuild pages and forms in Real-time Marketing. |
| Campaign Metrics | Historical data won’t be accessible | Export and back up metrics before deprecation. |
Ensure Continued Functionality:
- Audit all elements: Regularly review existing elements to ensure compatibility with Real-time Marketing.
- Leverage Migration Tools: Use Microsoft’s tools to automate data and workflow migration.
- Test in Sandbox: Run migrated campaigns and elements in a test environment before launching.
Benefits of Transitioning to Real-time Marketing:
Real-time Marketing offers several advantages over the legacy Outbound Marketing capabilities, including:
- Advanced segmentation and targeting powered by AI.
- Greater flexibility in customer journey orchestration.
- Real-time analytics for quicker decision-making.
- Seamless integration with other Dynamics 365 modules and Azure services.
Version and early transition
End users can take action early and move out from Dynamics 365 Marketing. They can go to the settings section in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights App. Under the Overview tab, choose versions; you will be able to see the latest installed version of the Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Real-Time and Outbond, as shown below.
In the second section of the page, users can hide Dynamics Customer Insights outbound marketing early before the deadline.
Final Reminder:
Organizations should complete their transition well before the September 15, 2025 deadline to avoid any disruptions. Proactive planning and early adoption of Real-time Marketing will ensure a smooth transition and allow businesses to take full advantage of its innovative features.
For further assistance, consult Microsoft’s official migration guides or contact your Dynamics 365 administrator.
