As 2026 approaches, now is the time to look inward at how your CRM and marketing automation systems are (or aren’t) supporting the customer journey. Every business has a customer lifecycle, but not every CRM is optimized to reflect it.
If you’re using Microsoft Dynamics 365, you have access to one of the most powerful CRMs on the market. But without regular audits and alignment, even the best systems fall out of sync with how buyers actually move from awareness to advocacy. That’s why we recommend a year-end customer journey audit, grounded in data, and designed to inform smarter workflows, better handoffs, and stronger outcomes in 2026.
Step 1: Map the Journey Your CRM Is Currently Supporting
Start by documenting the full customer journey as your CRM understands it today. This includes:
- Lead → Opportunity → Client lifecycle
- Journey stages and status fields
- Engagement signals (campaigns, meetings, purchases)
- Internal handoffs between sales, marketing, and customer success
Ask yourself: Where are the gaps? Are loyalty and referral stages tracked? Do MQLs stall in limbo without clear next steps?
O️ur Customer Journey Mapping Workbook can help you visualize and evaluate your current state across every stage.
Step 2: Find the Gaps in Workflow Coverage
Next, identify places where workflows drop off or rely on manual effort:
- Are onboarding steps managed outside the CRM?
- Are loyal customers tracked the same way as new leads?
- Are contacts from event follow-ups, webinar registrations, or product interest logged and routed correctly?
For Microsoft Dynamics users, this is where CRM customization shines. Custom tables, fields, and Power Automate flows can close these gaps, but only if you know they’re there.
Step 3: Use Marketing and CRM Data to Spot Drop-Offs
Look at engagement data across your campaigns and journey stages. When do leads stop responding? Are contacts lingering in mid-funnel with no activity? Are customers failing to convert into advocates?
If you’re using an integrated marketing automation platform like emfluence for Microsoft Dynamics, you can layer email opens, form fills, page views, and campaign activity directly onto CRM records. This gives you the insight to pinpoint and fix problem areas.
Step 4: Realign Workflows and Communications to Match the Journey
Once you understand where friction occurs, align your automation to improve the experience:
- Nurture mid-funnel leads differently from late-stage buyers.
- Trigger onboarding communications automatically from closed-won status.
- Schedule loyalty or referral check-ins at key milestones in the customer journey.
emfluence’s native Dynamics integration makes it easy to build automated campaigns triggered by CRM fields, campaign responses, or even custom attributes—keeping marketing and sales in lockstep across the entire lifecycle.
Step 5: Set 2026 Goals Based on the Whole Journey
Many CRM users set pipeline targets or MQL goals. But for 2026, consider journey-based KPIs:
- Improve speed to onboarding completion.
- Increase referral conversions.
- Reduce churn in the first 90 days.
- Grow engagement from dormant advocates.
Your CRM workflows and automation should support every one of those goals.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Enter 2026 with an Outdated Map
Auditing your customer journey isn’t just a year-end task; it’s a strategic reset. When you align your CRM and marketing automation to the real customer experience, you set the stage for stronger growth, happier customers, and better team alignment.
Need a place to start? Download our Customer Journey Mapping Workbook and begin your audit today.
The post Auditing the Customer Journey in Microsoft Dynamics: How to Use Data to Optimize Your CRM Workflows for 2026 appeared first on CRM Software Blog | Dynamics 365.
