Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Dynamics 365 Contact Center are often confused. It's understandable since they work closely together. However, they solve different problems, which significantly impacts your licensing costs.
The difference in one sentence
Customer Service is where you manage customer cases and knowledge. Contact Center handles channels, routing, and the conversation itself.
Side by side
| Customer Service | Contact Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Manage customer cases and knowledge | Handle customer interactions via voice and digital channels |
| Core | Case management, knowledge management | Routing, voice, chat, IVR, and AI agents |
| CRM | Is a CRM for service itself | Works with your existing CRM or with Customer Service Enterprise |
| List price | $50 (Professional), $105 (Enterprise) | $95 (Digital or Voice), $110 (Digital + Voice) |
These are US list prices per user per month with annual payment, according to the pricing pages of Customer Service and Contact Center. Local prices may vary.
Which suits your situation?
You already have another CRM, such as Salesforce
Then Contact Center is the logical choice. According to the licensing guide, it's designed to work with your existing CRM, and Microsoft mentions ready-made integrations with Salesforce, among others. You don't need to replace your CRM.
You are already using Customer Service Enterprise
You can add Contact Center as an add-on: Digital, Voice, or both. Microsoft mentions discount prices for this, without specifying the amount on the pricing page. Therefore, request a quote.
You're starting fresh and want everything
Consider Customer Service Premium ($195). It includes Customer Service Enterprise and Contact Center (Digital + Voice). You also get 1,000 Copilot Credits per user per month. Compare this with Enterprise plus add-on, as the best choice depends on your discounts and usage. Be aware: Customer Voice is included in Enterprise but not in Premium.
You primarily want to manage cases, without a contact center
Then Customer Service Professional or Enterprise may be sufficient. Professional is intended for case management and simpler self-service, while Enterprise offers more AI capabilities and complex self-service.
And your telephony?
Voice in Contact Center runs on Azure Communication Services, which you pay for separately. You can also use Teams Phone via Teams Phone extensibility, with a Pay-as-you-go Calling Plan, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing.
A limitation from the licensing guide: agents cannot make calls with a personal phone number in the Contact Center application. If they need this in the Teams client, you must arrange separate telephony connectivity for that.
Does Dynamics not suit you? There are other certified contact centers for Teams as well. In What is CCaaS? you can read about the available options.
Not sure which licenses you need? Schedule a call and we will honestly assist you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Customer Service to use Contact Center?
No. Contact Center also works with another CRM.
Is Contact Center included in Customer Service Enterprise?
No, it's an add-on. However, it's included in Customer Service Premium.
What is Customer Service Premium?
A license that combines Customer Service Enterprise and Contact Center (Digital + Voice), with additional capacity.
