What’s Coming to Business Central?
In today’s article, we explore some of the exciting new features coming to Business Central in the next few months, including AI-powered features and functionality that will empower sustainable business practices.
Sustainability Features
In the past few months Microsoft has enhanced Business Central with sustainability features like sustainability journals and the chart of sustainability accounts to make it easier for organisations to track and manage their emissions data. In the coming months Microsoft plans to reinforce its commitment to sustainability with additional features in Business Central that will help organisations maximise progress towards their ESG goals.
Some upcoming features include:
Sustainability Scorecards – Organisations will be able to track their sustainability goals with scorecards that record both current emissions and target emissions with start and end dates so progress can be tracked easily. Having access to this sustainability scorecard will help organisations monitor progress towards ESG goals, as well as strengthening the brand's reputation which in turn creates loyal customers.
Sustainability Manager – Companies will soon have access to a role centre dedicated to Sustainability Managers, where users can access all emissions data and other sustainability data. Providing easy access to key ESG metrics and compliance data, this feature will streamline tasks so sustainability managers can focus on strategic decision making and promoting greener business activity.
Record Emissions with Invoices – Businesses will be able to record their greenhouse gas emissions using purchase invoices, allowing them to track their carbon footprint accurately and efficiently. Further, consolidating emissions data and financial records will make it easier for companies to identify high-emission activities and areas for improvement.
Sustainability Entries in Financial Reports – Users will be able to include sustainability data such as greenhouse gas emissions in their financial reports which will enhance transparency among key stakeholders.
Carbon Fees – The carbon fee calculation will enable businesses to charge themselves an internal fee for each unit of CO2 emitted, which will be automatically calculated by Business Central. By assigning a monetary value to emissions, companies will be motivated to maximise efforts to reduce emissions.
These features will help organisations optimise resource usage so they can strive towards sustainable operations, enhance their corporate responsibility and promote compliance. Not only that, but prioritising ESG objectives will help boost the business’ reputation, which will in turn strengthen competitive edge and attract new customers.
AI-Powered Updates
Microsoft’s consistent focus on AI-innovation means that Business Central will continue to be transformed with the power of AI through Copilot.
In the next few months, Copilot will be available to help complete bank reconciliation by processing the unmatched transactions that aren’t accounted for with Business Central's rule-based transaction matching. Copilot will accelerate bookkeeping by matching these transactions and suggesting G/L accounts to post the remaining transactions.
Copilot will also be able to assist users in creating sales documents by interpreting prompts or even uploaded files to rapidly accelerate content creation and reduce the manual workload of workers. Further, this feature will ensure customers receive sales documents much quicker, which will ultimately improve efficiency and contribute to revenue growth.
If you would like to learn more about Business Central, get in touch with one of our solution specialists today.