Smarter support: shift-based routing comes to Dynamics 365 Contact Center

Microsoft has unveiled shift-based routing in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, a new capability designed to optimize contact center operations. This update empowers organizations to align support availability with workforce shifts, paving the way for more efficient and responsive service delivery.

• Why does availability matter? To provide seamless support, it's crucial to route conversations to agents who are actually available—based on real-time shift schedules. This helps you avoid delays, reduce conversation rejections or unnecessary transfers, and minimize customer wait times.

• How shift-based routing works: Shift plans include booked activities like lunch breaks or training sessions. Unified routing references these bookings to make smart, real-time decisions on which agents are available to take on new conversations.

• Example scenario: An agent with a lunch break from 12:30–1:30 PM and training from 1:00–5:00 PM won’t be routed any new conversations during that time—but they’ll be fully available outside of those windows.

• Key benefits: Shift-based routing leads to faster response times, better workload distribution, and a smoother experience for both customers and employees.

Microsoft phases out legacy email editors in Dynamics 365 Customer Service

Microsoft has announced a significant change to Dynamics 365 Customer Service by retiring its legacy and enhanced email template editors. This move aims to simplify the email template creation process for users.

Effective May 23, 2025, all users will transition to a single, modern email template editor, marking the end of the previous editing tools. This change is part of Microsoft's broader initiative to enhance user experience and streamline operations within Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What’s new? A single, modern rich text email editor is replacing the old tools — with HTML support, improved reliability, and a streamlined experience.

• What’s going away? The legacy drag-and-drop layout editor is being phased out. Existing templates still work, but admins should review them after the change to ensure proper formatting.

• FAQ 1 – Do I need to recreate my templates?

  Nope! Your current templates will open in the new editor automatically.

• FAQ 2 – What should I update?

  Add width units in your HTML and avoid using nested tables to prevent formatting issues.

• FAQ 3 – Need help adjusting?

  Updated documentation and support resources are available to guide you through the transition.

New Visual Studio guide shows how to filter C++ Build Insights by project

Microsoft has published a new guide demonstrating how to filter C++ Build Insights by project in Visual Studio, helping developers better analyze build performance in multi-project solutions. This enhancement allows for more targeted diagnostics, streamlining the optimization process and reducing build times.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What is C++ Build Insights?
  It’s an advanced diagnostics tool that lets you analyze and visualize every step of your C++ build process—helping you pinpoint bottlenecks, understand dependencies, and optimize build performance.

• How to filter C++ Build Insights by project:
  When working in large solutions with multiple projects, you can now isolate build insights by project. Just go to Build > Run Build Insights on Solution, then select Build or Rebuild based on whether you want to profile a clean or incremental build.

• How to filter C++ Build Insights by file path:
  Need to focus on specific files in your trace? You can now filter by file paths to drill down into the performance of individual source files. Access this the same way: Build > Run Build Insights on Solution, then choose Build or Rebuild.

• How to view file names and paths of build inputs and artifacts:
  Inputs and outputs—like source files, object files, libraries, and executables—now appear with relative paths and file names, separated by backslashes, instead of full absolute paths. This makes the trace more readable and easier to navigate.

PL-300 livestream series offers real-time learning for aspiring Power BI analysts

Microsoft is launching a new PL-300 livestream series starting June 11, 2025, designed to help aspiring data analysts prepare for the Power BI Data Analyst certification. The free, interactive sessions will run weekly through July 9, offering live expert instruction, real-time Q&A, and hands-on demos to build practical Power BI skills. This initiative aims to make certification more accessible while fostering a supportive learning community.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Understand the "why" behind the tools:
  Each session breaks down jargon into clear, practical content—delivered by experts who make complex topics easy to grasp. You’ll build skills that go beyond the exam and apply directly to your work.

• Show you're serious about your career:
  Becoming a Certified Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300) signals that you're capable, current, and committed. It demonstrates that you understand not just the tools, but the logic and strategy behind impactful data storytelling.

• Learn with a global, supportive community:
  Surround yourself with curious, motivated learners from around the world. Ask questions, share tips, and grow together—because learning is better when it’s shared.

• What’s covered in the series?
  Five expert-led sessions cover everything from data prep to DAX, visualizations, governance, and exam readiness.

• When and where?
  Live sessions run from June 11 – July 9 at 8 AM PT and 7 PM PT. Can’t make it live? Recordings will be available within 48 hours. Register here: https://aka.ms/pl300/live

Microsoft enhances Visual Studio extension command practices with CanonicalName focus

Microsoft has released new guidance to help developers improve the behavior and design of Visual Studio extension commands, with a focus on proper use of the CanonicalName property. This update encourages clearer, more consistent command structures to enhance usability and maintainability in custom tools.

Here’s how:

• Why add CanonicalName? It makes commands more predictable, improves user experience with consistent behavior, and simplifies integration without locale-specific handling.

• Step 1: Find your .vsct file Locate the .vsct (Visual Studio Command Table) file—typically in the root of your extension project.

• Step 2: Add CanonicalName: Within <Button>, <Combo>, or <Menu> elements, insert CanonicalName as a child of the <Strings> element.

• Step 3: Ensure uniqueness: Assign a unique and meaningful CanonicalName to each command to avoid conflicts and clearly reflect its purpose.

• Best practices: Use PascalCase, avoid localization, start with a period, and begin with your extension name for clarity and structure.

Visual Studio 2022 enhances extension management with new automation features

Microsoft has announced a major update to the Extension Manager in Visual Studio 2022, aimed at improving usability and streamlining the developer workflow. This update reflects ongoing efforts to make extension management more intuitive and responsive in future Visual Studio releases.

Here are the updates:

• Seamless Auto-Updates: Stay up to date effortlessly—extensions now update automatically when you open the Extension Manager window.

• Integrated Auto-Update Settings: Manage auto-update preferences directly on each extension’s page—no more digging through menus.

• New “Pending” Filter: Quickly spot updates or modifications that need your attention with the new "Pending" category.

• Centralized Update Settings: Prefer a global view? Auto-update controls are also available under Tools > Options for centralized management.

• Other Enhancements: A simplified settings interface, restart reminders via InfoBar, and an excluded extensions list make managing updates even easier.

Microsoft introduces AI-powered intent-based routing to enhance customer support in Dynamics 365

Microsoft has unveiled a groundbreaking AI-driven feature called intent-based routing within Dynamics 365 Customer Service, aiming to revolutionize customer support by intelligently directing inquiries based on real-time intent analysis. This innovation leverages generative AI to enhance customer interactions and streamline contact center operations, ensuring that customers are connected with the most appropriate support agents promptly.

By analyzing customer queries in real-time, intent-based routing identifies the purpose behind each interaction and matches it with the best-suited agent, considering factors like agent expertise and customer history. This approach not only improves response times but also enhances the overall customer experience by providing more personalized and efficient support.

The introduction of intent-based routing is part of Microsoft's broader strategy to integrate advanced AI capabilities across its Dynamics 365 suite, reflecting the company's commitment to driving digital transformation and improving user productivity across various business functions.

Intent-based routing in a nutshell:

What is intent-based routing? It leverages a Customer Intent Agent to autonomously identify and manage customer intents by analyzing past interactions—building a continuously evolving intent library.

Key benefits: Intent-based routing delivers greater precision and personalization, dynamic intent discovery, smarter routing configuration, improved workforce efficiency, and a scalable, future-ready framework.

Real-world example: In retail banking, queries related to account management, card services, and loan inquiries can be automatically routed to the right user groups—enhancing speed and service quality.

New Visual Studio update enhances NuGet feed connectivity

Microsoft has announced improvements in Visual Studio that make it easier to connect to private NuGet feeds. Developers can now manage authentication with less friction, streamlining package access and boosting productivity.

Here’s what you need to know:

• What does it mean? Visual Studio now proactively detects when authentication is required during package restore and presents a new dialog with helpful context, making it easy to choose the most suitable account.

• What can you expect? Clearer sign-in guidance, better multi-factor authentication support, and a more consistent sign-in experience.

• Send feedback: Have ideas for improvement or issues to report? Don’t forget to share your feedback and help shape future updates.

Enhancing AI development: Microsoft's New .NET extensions now available

Microsoft has announced the general availability of its AI and Vector Data Extensions for .NET, marking a significant step in simplifying the development of AI-powered applications. These libraries provide standardized abstractions for AI models and vector stores, promoting interoperability and extensibility across the .NET ecosystem. Developers can now build scalable and maintainable applications with greater ease, leveraging these foundational tools to integrate various AI services and vector databases seamlessly.

Here’s what you need to know about these extensions:

• What is it? A set of .NET libraries that provide shared abstractions and utilities to streamline working with AI models and vector stores.

• What’s included?

  Available as NuGet packages:

  • Microsoft.Extensions.AI.Abstractions – Common types and abstractions for AI models

  • Microsoft.Extensions.AI – Utilities for working with AI extensions

  • Microsoft.Extensions.VectorData.Abstractions – Types and abstractions for vector store integration

• Why use them? They promote interoperability, extensibility, and consistency, making it easier to scale and maintain your AI solutions.

• Use case: Write portable code that works across different AI models and vector store providers. Easily switch providers based on your environment—while keeping your codebase clean and adaptable.

Improved editor classification and prompting experience in Visual Studio extensibility

Microsoft has introduced enhancements to the Visual Studio extensibility model, focusing on improved editor classification and refined user prompts. These updates aim to provide extension developers with more consistent behavior and clearer guidance when working with classification types and user input requests.

Here’s what’s new:

• Text Classification Support: Enable custom text coloring within open files — enhancing both semantic and syntactic colorization.

• ShowPromptAsync API Enhancements: The ShowPromptAsync API now supports icons and includes a new capability to capture user input directly within the prompt.

• Share Your Feedback: Help shape the future of Visual Studio by reporting bugs and suggesting new features or improvements.