You've correctly identified the issue: Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Professional and Dynamics 365 for Sales Professional are both considered base licenses and cannot be directly combined for the same user. A user can only have one base license assigned to them.
Your understanding of the licensing model is accurate. To meet your client's requirement of having both Customer Service Professional and Sales Professional functionalities for the same users, the correct approach is to maintain one of the Professional licenses as the base and then add the relevant Enterprise "attach" license.
Here's the recommended way to achieve this:
Option 1: Maintain Customer Service Professional as Base, Add Sales Enterprise Attach
- Keep the "Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Professional" license assigned as the base license for the users who need both functionalities.
- Purchase and assign the "Dynamics 365 for Sales Enterprise Attach" license to the same users.
- The "Attach" licenses are designed to provide additional functionality to users who already have a qualifying base license.
- The "Sales Enterprise Attach" license provides the full capabilities of Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise to a user who already has a base license like Customer Service Professional.
Option 2: Maintain Sales Professional as Base, Add Customer Service Enterprise Attach
Alternatively, if your client's primary focus leans more towards Sales Professional with a need for Customer Service Enterprise features, you could:
- Keep the "Dynamics 365 for Sales Professional" license assigned as the base license.
- Purchase and assign the "Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Enterprise Attach" license to the same users.
- This "Attach" license provides the full capabilities of Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise to a user with a qualifying base license like Sales Professional.
Why this works:
- Base License Requirement: The Dynamics 365 licensing model requires each user to have at least one base license to access the platform.
- Attach Licenses for Additional Functionality: Attach licenses extend the functionality available to a user who already has a base license. They are priced lower than base licenses because they rely on the existence of a base license.
- Enterprise Attach for Professional Base: The "Enterprise Attach" licenses are compatible with the "Professional" base licenses, allowing you to combine the functionalities as needed.
Steps to Purchase and Assign Licenses:
You will need to perform these actions within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:
- Purchase the Necessary Licenses:
- Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (https://admin.microsoft.com/).
- Navigate to Billing > Purchase services.
- Search for "Dynamics 365" and look for the "Dynamics 365 for Sales Enterprise Attach" or "Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Enterprise Attach" licenses, depending on which Professional license you are keeping as the base.
- Complete the purchase process for the required number of licenses.
- Assign Licenses to Users:
- In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, go to Users > Active users.
- Select the user(s) who need both functionalities.
- Click on Manage licenses and apps.
- Ensure the base "Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Professional" OR "Dynamics 365 for Sales Professional" license is selected.
- Also, select the corresponding "Dynamics 365 for Sales Enterprise Attach" OR "Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Enterprise Attach" license.
- Click Save changes.
Recommendation:
Discuss with your client which set of functionalities is more central to their users' daily tasks. This will help you decide which Professional license to keep as the base and which Enterprise Attach license to add. In most cases, the choice won't drastically impact the available features, as the "Attach" licenses provide the full Enterprise capabilities.
By following this approach, you can successfully provide your client with access to both Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Professional and Dynamics 365 for Sales Professional functionalities for their users.
