At first glance, sales and marketing seem like natural allies. Yet in many companies, they still work in silos, using separate systems that don’t communicate well—resulting in lost or fragmented customer information. Marketing generates leads through campaigns, webinars, events, and website visits, but once a lead becomes marketing qualified (MQL) and is handed over to sales, the context often disappears. Sales typically only sees basic CRM data, without access to valuable insights such as previous marketing interactions or extended company info (like NACE code, revenue, number of employees, website, or LinkedIn profile).
Here’s what that looks like in practice: a lead downloads an eBook, clicks multiple times on an email campaign, and is passed on to sales as “warm.” But when the sales rep picks up the lead, they only see a name and company—no clear indication of the person’s interest.
Or picture this: a sales rep calls a prospect unaware that they just requested a demo via the website. Result? A disconnected experience for the customer, a frustrated sales rep, and a lower chance of conversion.
Plenty has been written about the need to break down silos between sales and marketing, but few solutions address the “how.” The Timeline in Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys offers a practical solution: a shared view of all interactions that brings both teams together around the same customer story.
The Timeline in Dynamics 365 gives you a central overview of all interactions between your company and a customer. You can access it through a specific journey in Customer Insights – Journeys, where each step in the customer journey is recorded. Or you can view the timeline via an individual contact profile, under the ‘Timeline’ tab.
Originally, the timeline showed only typical sales interactions—emails, appointments, follow-ups, deals. Today, it includes marketing data too, such as:
In short, the Timeline helps sales and marketing work more efficiently and deliver a unified customer experience. Sales teams gain deeper context, allowing them to act on opportunities with precision. Because the Timeline merges data from both departments, leads are less likely to fall through the cracks. It also enables sales to act faster when there’s clear buying intent.
Example: A lead visits a product page several times and downloads a whitepaper. Instead of a cold outreach, the sales rep sees this activity on the Timeline and can start a tailored, relevant conversation—shortening the sales cycle and increasing conversion rates.
To make this unified view possible, the Timeline pulls data from several systems:
External sources like Google Ads and LinkedIn can also be integrated:
You can customize your Timeline to meet the specific needs of your organization by setting up integrations with the systems that matter most to your business.
Within Dynamics 365, you can apply filters to display only the most relevant interactions—for example, high-value deals or marketing campaigns with the highest conversion rates.
By using dashboards and AI analysis within Customer Insights, you gain a clear view of customer behavior and can proactively respond to opportunities.
The Timeline is especially useful in B2B markets, where long and complex sales cycles are standard. It supports:
In short, the Timeline acts as a shared memory—an essential tool for managing and closing long, complex B2B deals.
Curious how your business can make the most of the Timeline? Reach out to one of our Dynamics 365 experts and discover how to bring sales and marketing closer together.
Explore L-Acoustics' sustainability strategies and solutions in this on-demand interview. Gain a deeper understanding of how this industry leader integrates environmental and social responsibility into every facet of their business, offering a roadmap for
Join us for an exclusive webinar where we explore how sustainability can drive growth, enhance operational efficiency, and integrate seamlessly with your current business processes.
Discover how to seamlessly integrate sustainability regulations and initiatives into your business processes by attending these webinars.
Join our webinar to gain a clear understanding of the CSRD, learn how to extract valuable data from your existing systems, and more.
In this insightful webinar, we delve into the fundamentals of process mining and explore Microsoft's perspective on this transformative tool.
Join us as we explore AI's capabilities and its power to solve complex challenges in diverse processes.
Gain insight into how PTC’s FEM tools can enhance your work. The webinar provides you with a quick overview of your options – whether you want to get started with simulation or expand your current setup.
Join us and discover how to stay ahead in an era defined by product transparency.
Gat access to our must-read whitepaper before you choose the next ERP-solution for your manufacturing company
