Why should you care about Dynamics NAV 2016? Here are a few solid reasons why you need to upgrade to Dynamics NAV 2016.

1. Universal Dynamics NAV Application on All Devices

Dynamics NAV 2016 has become inclusive of all devices with a single universal Dynamics NAV application for your smartphone, tablet, notebook, 2-in-1 and desktop computer. Not only that, but you can access the application from any device from anywhere and at any time, 24/7 when you are online.

The Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 Application delivers with the same, familiar role-tailored experience while also being optimized for touch for both the keyboard and mouse with a fast and fluid interface. Customizing pages across multiple devices has become even easier with the universal application.

2. Optical Character Recognition in Document Management

Instantly upload documents simply by taking a picture in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, Dynamics NAV 2016 scans a document to upload to incoming documents to eliminate manual scanning and data entry.

Not only that, but with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 you can create purchase invoices or general journal line drafts automatically using the OCR software utilizing the Lexmark Invoice Capture Service.

Executing document management with OCR is a simple 5 step process:

1. Sign-in to Lexmark to fill out the OCR Service set-up in Dynamics NAV 2016.

2. Then, after taking a picture of your document, upload the PDF of the image to the Incoming Documents folder.

3. After that, send your document to the OCR Service to receive the document.

4. Next, preview the Financial Information FastTab, which has been updated with the key information. Then create your document.

5. Finally, gain direct access to the newly created document via the Incoming Documents Factbox.

It’s that easy! Beyond instantly uploading pictures to documents, you can also receive electronic invoices as an XML file.

Another great feature added to Document Management in Dynamics NAV 2016 is the ability to send electronic documents (e.g. sales invoices, sales credit memos, etc.) to your customers. You are able to send a new electronic document to a customer in 3 easy steps:

1. Make sure all required fields are created to support e-commerce standards are completed.

2. Create and apply the document sending profiles for your customer.

3. Complete the Sales Invoices or Sales Credit Memos as usual, and then click Post and Send to access the options for how to send the document directly to the customer from Dynamics NAV 2016. By default, the settings defined in the document sending profile assigned to the customer are used.

3. Improved Integration with Dynamics CRM

Beyond the Universal Dynamics NAV Application and OCR Service included in Dynamics NAV 2016, there is even more value delivered when upgrading to Dynamics NAV 2016, including improved integration with Dynamics CRM.

In ten minutes or less you can have a connection between Dynamics NAV and Dynamics CRM and with a few more minor modifications you can have a customized CRM connector that matches the individual needs of your systems or customer’s business processes.

This direct connection between Dynamics NAV and Dynamics CRM provides a seamless experience from new lead through to cash processing – a match made in...well, Redmond, Washington – but you get the idea.

4. Wow with Power Business Intelligence (BI) Integration

Wow your executives and product managers with integration to Power BI displaying business performance insights with dashboards and visual analytical data reporting. Improved integration with Power BI means you, your executives and your team have instant access to the most recent, accurate data in real-time to make more informed decisions faster.

5. Notable NAV 2016 Finance Enhancements

Dynamics NAV 2016 provides an impressive set to financial process enhancements that will save you more time, improve data entry and enhance the overall user experience for accountants and bookkeepers. There are quite a few highlights to the Dynamics NAV 2016 that will have your financial team begging for an upgrade to this latest release, including:

Post Preview

The improved financial posting process in Dynamics NAV 2016 with the new Post Preview action. The Post Preview action means that before you perform a posting you can view which accounts will be impacted from the posting of a document or journal before the posting is performed. This is a check and balance feature will have your controller giving running high fives all over the office.

Deferral Functionality

Another enhancement included in Dynamics NAV 2016 is deferral functionality enabling you to defer revenue/expenses over predefined periods after posting a document once for products/services delivered/received.

This feature is more exciting than it sounds. You can now make exceptions for receiving accounts over multiple accounting periods and/or set-up automatic depreciation on assets eliminates manual data entry and human error. 

Still not sure where you could apply this? Let me give an example! If you are planning to purchase a health insurance for all year and you are paying money once at the beginning of the year, how would you account the expenses, having in mind that insurance will actually be used though all the upcoming year? Yes, this is one of the cases where deferrals could help you to eliminate manual data entry (for all the years accounting periods) and human error.

What will all the CFOs be asking Santa for this year? An upgrade to NAV 2016, you batcha!

6. Model Real Business Processes with Workflows

Gain insight into how a business process may impact your business, such as executing a best practice or industry-standard practice, with new workflows in Dynamics NAV 2016.

Workflows operate off 3 primary building blocks:

1. Approvals: set approvals by direct managers, groups, etc. for process/workflow.

2. Notifications: provide notifies for any action taken by direct report, group, etc.

3. Process Automation: execute a routine process, calculate a field or perform a repeatable action automatically.

Best of all, gain 20 out-of-the-box workflow templates with Dynamics NAV 2016 editable in the native Workflow Designer to easily model real-life business processes with the intuitive layout build directly into workflows.

Workflows is a powerful business tool on every Chief Operators’ Christmas list this year. Workflows automate endless hours of manually sent email notifications and eliminate taxing, manual processes making your business operate more productively while lowering the risk of human errors.

The Workflow Designer also contains intuitive layout and terminology, such as “When Event” and “Then Response” With intuitive terminology, such as “When Event” and “Then Response”, you save time and reduce the number of human mistakes using:

- WHEN Purchase Invoice is released THEN payment line is automatically created.
or
- WHEN Credit Limit (LCY) for Customer is increased THEN this change is only applied after approval.
or
- WHEN incoming document is received THEN depending on status of OCR response either Purchase Invoice will be created or notification for user created.

Beyond these templates, you can easily create new workflows using new event functionality.  The options to gain efficiency with workflows are endless!

Upgrading to NAV 2016

These are just a few of the reasons you need to upgrade to NAV 2016. There are at least 50 more enhancements not highlighted in this article, but you can be sure there is at least one feature in NAV 2016 that is worth upgrading your Dynamics NAV system for...if not 60 reasons.

Contact your Microsoft Dynamics Partner today to learn more about Dynamics NAV 2016 and schedule your Dynamics NAV 2016 upgrade. Should you need more information about an upgrade, please contact us at service@1clickfactory.com

Happy NAV 2016 Upgrading and Happy Holidays!