Reimagining Customer Engagement with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Copilot - Middle East Business News and Information
Generative AI in the form of Microsoft Copilot has the power to take organizations to new heights, according to a series of executive roundtables, organized jointly between IT Max Global and Microsoft.
Dubai, UAE – 23 June 2025: The new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) agents, exemplified by Microsoft Copilot, allows for a native AI-driven customer experience that transforms the way customer service is delivered from end to end. Organizations can now reimagine the entire service journey, achieve unprecedented efficiency, and provide consistently exceptional, fluid, and cohesive experiences, according to IT Max Global, a leading innovation and IT services provider serving both government and private sector clients.
With the UAE leading the way in AI readiness in the Middle East, IT Max Global and Microsoft recently co-hosted a series of executive roundtables in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, focusing on the topic 'Reimagining Customer Engagement with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Copilot.'
According to Simon Khoury, Innovation Lead at IT Max Global, an AI-first customer service experience drives both quantitative and qualitative shifts for organizations. Quantitatively, companies with an AI-first strategy experienced increased efficiencies and more streamlined operations – hiring up to 89 percent fewer human service reps in 2024-2025, versus companies that did not use AI extensively. Meanwhile, the adoption of Agentic AI – autonomous AI agents with human-level language capabilities – improves the quality of the customer journey, delivering increased satisfaction.
Next-generation platforms like Dynamics 365 Customer Service are purposely built to leverage AI agents, enabling organizations to create a personalized, high-impact experience without compromising service quality.
In this new paradigm, automated systems resolve most customer requests directly, while more complex issues are escalated to specialized support staff who are aided by contextual, real-time AI. This leads to a more effective and memorable service experience, while simultaneously improving employee job satisfaction and retention. It replaces the traditional system where data is siloed and organizations are unable to properly route interactions between various fragmented channels and teams.
'Customer experiences can make or break an organization,' says Simon Khoury. 'A fragmented customer service experience is inefficient, impersonal, and frustrating. Conversely, customers will reward you for successfully delivering a memorable service experience. This highlights the need to design an end-to-end, AI-first customer engagement journey where every touchpoint is an opportunity to generate customer loyalty. However, this requires significant change and a whole new breed of implementation partners such as IT Max Global, with deep expertise across a range of disciplines.'
Microsoft: transforming customer engagement from within
Maureen Khoury, Strategy Director of Customer Service Business Applications at Microsoft, illustrated Microsoft's multi-year journey to modernize its customer engagement, allowing it to reach more than a billion consumers across 120 countries. From disparate solutions across 16 different systems and 500 tools and vendors, Microsoft harnessed Dynamics 365 and Copilot to create a unified customer care platform for itself. This gave Microsoft greater insight and firsthand experience that improved its ability to transform the customer engagement of organizations across numerous sectors, including manufacturing, government, finance, electronics, and real estate.
Today, prominent industry analysts identify Microsoft as a leader in customer and field service solutions. Through Microsoft Dynamics 365, organizations gain a 360-degree view of customer data, while Copilot's AI functionality is embedded across a wide variety of service processes for over 40,000 organizations. These organizations benefited from improved customer engagement, including greatly reduced waiting and issue resolution times. Additionally, Microsoft enables seamless integration of AI into existing workflows, avoiding extended downtime and bringing increased workforce productivity and higher customer satisfaction.
'Customers in the UAE have rapidly increasing expectations for convenient, personalized customer experiences from any location and across their preferred communication channels,' Maureen Khoury says. 'Regardless of industry, we are witnessing an era where organizations are facing this customer service mandate. The attendance and active engagement of senior business leaders during these executive roundtables is certainly a testament to this. We look forward to partnering with IT Max Global to help organizations in the UAE transform their customer journeys.'
The roundtable series was hosted across two days – the first at Saadiyat Rotana Abu Dhabi and the second at Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre. Simon Khoury and Maureen Khoury was joined by the panelists Inge Rademeyer, Experience Strategy Director at Memac Ogilvy, and Ankesh Agarwal, Director, Group Customer Experience at Majid Al Futtaim, and was moderated by Lorette Roos, Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. Leading both the session and the panel discussions was Sabah Corm, Chief Operating Officer of IT Max Global.
IT Max Global and Microsoft regularly roll out updates to their AI-first customer engagement solutions. These enhancements will further improve organizations' capability to provide personalized customer journeys and enable them to elevate their customer engagement to a whole new level.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Egypt Independent
9 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Microsoft has become the next $4 trillion company
Microsoft became the second company to reach a $4 trillion market valuation on Thursday, after its blockbuster earnings report on Wednesday night boosted the tech giant's shares. Microsoft's shares (MSFT) jumped nearly 4.5 percent after the market opened on Thursday, pushing its intraday valuation to $4.01 trillion. The company's shares have risen roughly 28 percent since the start of this year. The milestone comes just a year and a half after Microsoft reached a $3 trillion valuation. The company first cracked the $1 trillion mark in April 2019. It follows Nvidia into the $4 trillion valuation club, which hit the mark earlier this month. Microsoft forecast a record $30 billion in capital spending for the current fiscal first quarter to fuel its AI ambitions, and reported booming sales in its Azure cloud computing business on Wednesday. Wall Street analysts also noted that Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot appears to have driven meaningful growth in its Microsoft 365 enterprise software business. Microsoft's move to $3 trillion was more measured than other tech giants, Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL), with AI bellwether Nvidia tripling its value in just about a year and clinching the $4 trillion milestone before any other company on July 9. Apple was last valued at $3.12 trillion. Lately, breakthroughs in trade talks between the US and its trading partners ahead of President Donald Trump's August 1 tariff deadline have buoyed stocks, propelling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to record highs. Microsoft, the second largest US company, has rebounded nearly 50 percent from its April 2025 lows, when global markets were rattled by Trump's tariff offensive. Microsoft's multibillion-dollar bet on OpenAI is proving to be a game-changer, powering its Office Suite and Azure offerings with cutting-edge AI and fueling the stock to more than double its value since ChatGPT's late-2022 debut. Armed with exclusive access to OpenAI's models, Microsoft has raced to the front of the generative AI pack — supercharging its Azure cloud business, now the company's top revenue driver, and solidifying its dominance in the tech landscape, compared to Google's cloud and Amazon's web services. Wall Street's surging confidence in the company comes on the heels of back-to-back record revenues for the tech giant since September 2022. The stock's rally had also received an extra boost as the tech giant trimmed its workforce and doubled down on AI investments — determined to cement its lead as businesses everywhere race to harness the technology. While sweeping US tariffs had investors bracing for tighter business spending, Microsoft's strong earnings have shown that the company's books are yet to take a hit from the levies. But despite its meteoric rise, Microsoft has been streamlining its workforce in recent months. The company said earlier this month that it would cut around 9,000 employees, approximately 4 percent of its staff, its largest reduction since 2023. Those layoffs came after the company cut 6,000 workers in May. A company spokesperson said the July cuts were, in part, a reflection of new technologies that have made employees more productive. While AI wasn't mentioned specifically, the cuts came as Silicon Valley giants deploy the technology they're building to make their workers more efficient. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said earlier this year that 20 percent to 30 percent of the company's code was being generated by AI, and it's is pouring billions into AI infrastructure investments.
Mid East Info
5 days ago
- Mid East Info
du partners with Microsoft, Nokia, Khalifa University, and ITU to Launch Region's First Arabic Telecom LLM for Operational Excellence
Landmark collaboration to deliver an Arabic Telecom Large Language Model (LLM) tailored for internal operations, driving efficiency, automation and AI-driven innovation across systems at du. Dubai, UAE – August, 2025: du, the leading telecom and digital services provider, has partnered with Microsoft, Nokia, Khalifa University's 6G Research Center, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch a first-of-its-kind Arabic Telecom Large Language Model (LLM). This cross-sector partnership brings together global tech innovation, regional research leadership, and international policy guidance to co-create an AI model that serves critical telecom functions in Arabic—a first in the industry. The du Arabic Telecom LLM is tailored specifically for internal telecom operations and is designed to enhance the efficiency of du's processes while advancing the UAE's vision for sovereign AI capabilities. This breakthrough collaboration introduces an Arabic-language telecom assistant that supports du's internal teams by enabling real-time customer complaint handling, device issue resolution, and intelligent operational insights through culturally fluent and context-aware dialogue. The model is built to transform internal processes while ensuring alignment with linguistic precision and cultural nuances specific to the UAE market. Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at du, said: ' du Arabic Telecom LLM reflects our commitment to improving internal efficiency and customer experiences using advanced, culturally attuned solutions. Together with our esteemed partners, Microsoft, Nokia, Khalifa University and ITU, we are building a future where AI speaks our language, understands our context, and drives real operational transformation and impactful customer exp.' Developed in the UAE, du Arabic Telecom LLM reflects the region's language and cultural standards, ensuring accurate and meaningful applications for internal telecom use across national critical infrastructure. Looking forward, this collaboration lays the groundwork for extending the model's capabilities beyond internal operations to include customer-facing functions and multilingual support, paving the way for broad sectoral innovation. du and its partners are dedicated to advancing this Arabic Telecom LLM as a benchmark for localized, responsible AI application in the telecom industry and beyond. About du: du adds life to life with a comprehensive portfolio of mobile, fixed, broadband, entertainment services, and fintech solutions. Through a digital-first approach powered by ultra-reliable fiber and 5G technology, du delivers bespoke solutions leveraging cloud computing, AI-driven analytics, advanced cybersecurity, and IoT integration. As a trusted digital telco enabler spearheading the UAE's digital transformation, we collaborate with a dynamic partner ecosystem to propel industries and society toward operational excellence, shaping a more connected and digitally advanced future across the region.
Egypt Independent
04-08-2025
- Egypt Independent
Apple got a much-needed iPhone and China boost, but expects a $1.1 billion tariff hit this quarter
Apple reported strong iPhone sales and rebound in revenue from China, giving a much-needed boost to two parts of the company's business that had struggled over the past year. That better-than-expected performance reassured Wall Street investors that key parts of its business are holding steady as Apple struggles to keep pace with rivals in the artificial intelligence race and navigates President Donald Trump's looming tariffs. Apple could incur $1.1 billion in tariff-related costs in the September quarter, CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts, which would be up from the $800 million this past quarter. The iPhone generated $44.5 billion in revenue for the quarter that ended in June, beating analyst expectations of $40 billion and last year's results of $39.3 billion for the same period. Overall revenue came in $94 billion in the quarter, marking a 10 percent increase year-over-year. Sales of iPhones also grew in China, where the company has underwhelmed recently, growing from $14.7 billion in the third quarter of 2024 to $15.3 billion this past quarter. Apple shares were up a little more than 2 percent in after-hours trading. But that's a much smaller boost than tech giants Microsoft and Meta, which saw there shares surge by nearly 7 percent and over 9 percent respectively on Wednesday thanks to their AI investments. Apple has woefully underperformed its rivals. The stock is down nearly 15 percent this year, missing out on the market's big rally over the past several months. There was a time when surging iPhone sales would have been enough to excite Wall Street. But analysts pressed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's vision for how AI will shape future products and how the company views the iPhone's relevance in the AI age. But Cook believes the iPhone will continue to be essential even as AI plays a bigger role in everyday life. 'It's difficult to see a world where iPhone's not living in it,' he said in response to a question about how Apple is preparing for a scenario in which people rely more on voice assistants and less on screens. 'And that doesn't mean that we are not thinking about other things as well, but I think that the devices are likely to be complementary devices, not a substitution.' Big quarter for the iPhone The iPhone generates more revenue than any other Apple product, making it the company's most important business in Wall Street's eyes. Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a call with analysts that the company set a June quarter record for iPhone sales, growing 13 percent year-over-year. But Trump's whipsaw tariff policies have required Apple and other tech giants to rethink how they manufacture and ship devices like smartphones and computers. Investors are also eager for Apple to make a bigger splash in artificial intelligence as other tech behemoths like Google, Meta and Microsoft push forward. Apple shifted most production of US-bound iPhones from China to India earlier this year to avoid Trump's tariffs. Smartphones were exempt from the previous reciprocal levies on China that would have increased the tariff rate to a staggering 145 percent, but Trump has also said companies like Apple and Samsung could face a 25 percent tariff unless they make their smartphones in the US. A temporary trade deal between the two powerhouse economies will keep tariffs at 30 percent until August 12, while Trump threatened India with tariffs as high as 25 percent earlier this week. When asked about how the company is handling its product assembly based on the tariff situation, Cook said there hasn't been a change since last quarter; the 'vast majority' of iPhones sold in the United States have India as their country of origin. He also reiterated that Apple has a strong presence in the United States, with roughly 19 billion chips coming out of the US currently. AI struggles Beyond tariffs, Apple faces broader challenges to the future of its business. Apple is perceived to be behind in artificial intelligence, a critical technology that many believe will impact the economy and change the way people work, communicate and find information. The company indefinitely delayed a major upgrade to Siri that would have brought it up to speed with modern AI agents like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Cook said on the call with analysts that Apple was making 'good progress' with its upgraded Siri and that it plans to release the new version next year. In the meantime, Apple's suite of AI features includes functions spread across various features and apps – such as a custom emoji maker, the ability to summarize text and an image generator – tools that provide some convenience but are far from being as impactful as a service like ChatGPT. 'We are also significantly growing our investments,' Cook said during the call. 'Apple has always been about taking the most advanced technologies and making them easy to use and accessible for everyone. And that's at the heart of our AI strategy with Apple Intelligence.' Apple has also been losing key AI researchers to Meta in recent weeks as the social media giant aggressively expands its AI efforts, according to Bloomberg. Cook said the company is reallocating 'a fair number of people to focus on AI.' 'We have a great, great team, and we're we're putting all of our energy behind it,' Cook said. Apple has also been acquiring companies in the AI space; Cook said it's bought seven companies this year, although not all of them are AI-related. Two analysts from Lightshed Partners made waves earlier this month when they questioned whether Apple should replace Cook with a more product-oriented CEO. 'He's a supply chain guy. They need a tech visionary,' Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird, previously told CNN. 'I think they're in a lot more trouble than some people think.'
