Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys licensing explained

What is Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys?

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights is Microsoft’s customer data platform (CDP) that brings together data from multiple sources to create a single, unified customer profile. The Journeys feature lets you design, automate, and run personalised customer journeys across channels like email, SMS, and push notifications.

Using Journeys means you can send the right message at the right time, improving customer engagement and driving better business outcomes.

Note: Microsoft refers to these unified profiles as Unified People, created by merging data from various sources into a single customer view.

Why understanding journeys licensing matters

Your licensing determines which features you can use and how many customers you can engage through journeys. Choosing the right licence helps your organisation scale campaigns without unexpected costs or limits.

Microsoft’s licensing for Customer Insights – Journeys is usage-based. It depends on the number of contacts, interactions, and channels you use. Understanding this structure lets you optimise your investment and avoid surprises.

Clarification: Microsoft uses the terms Unified People (unique profiles) and Interacted People (those who receive messages or engage with journeys). These are the key metrics affecting licensing costs.

Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys licensing structure

Licensing typically includes three parts:

1. Base Customer Insights licence

A base Customer Insights licence is required to access unified customer profiles, data unification, and segmentation features. This licence builds the foundation by gathering and unifying customer data from various sources. You need this licence to activate the marketing automation capabilities within Customer Insights.

2. Journeys add-on licence

The Journeys licence is an add-on that unlocks journey design and automation tools, including:

• Creating and automating customer journeys
• Multi-channel messaging (email, SMS, push notifications)
• Access to journey templates and custom journey logic

3. Licensing based on contacts and interactions

Licensing costs depend on:

• The number of unique customer contacts involved in journeys
• The volume of interactions, such as message sends and event triggers within journeys

Microsoft sells additional capacity in packs, for example:

• 100,000 Unified People
• 5,000 / 10,000 / 50,000 Interacted People

More contacts and interactions usually mean higher licensing fees. Efficiently managing contacts and message volumes is key to controlling costs.

Common licensing scenarios for Customer Insights – Journeys

• Small and medium businesses: Often limit contacts and interactions to control costs while still running personalised marketing.
• Large enterprises: Need scalable licences to support high-volume, multi-department campaigns and complex journeys.
• Multi-departmental use: Licensing needs vary depending on how many teams create and manage journeys across the organisation.

Tip: Consider allocating separate interaction packs per department or business unit to track usage more effectively.

How to manage your Journeys licensing effectively

To get the most from your licensing investment:

• Regularly audit contacts — remove inactive or duplicate contacts to lower licensing consumption.
• Use precise segmentation — target specific groups instead of broad campaigns to reduce unnecessary sends.
• Design efficient journeys — avoid overly complex or redundant steps that add extra interactions.
• Monitor usage — use Customer Insights dashboards and reports to track contact and interaction volumes.

Why choose Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys over other marketing solutions?

Many organisations compare Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys with other marketing automation platforms. Here’s why it stands out:

• Built on the Microsoft ecosystem – Seamless integration with Microsoft tools like Power BI, Teams, D365 Sales, and more, helping you unify data and streamline workflows.
• Real-time data and segmentation – Access up-to-date customer insights that allow for precise targeting and truly personalised experiences.
• Unified customer profiles – Unlike platforms that rely solely on email engagement or CRM data, Journeys builds rich profiles using a wide range of sources across your organisation.
• Advanced journey orchestration – Automate multi-channel journeys with logic-based triggers, real-time personalisation, and AI-powered recommendations.
• Flexible licensing – Pay for what you use based on contacts and interactions, with the ability to scale as your organisation grows.

For organisations already using Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Power Platform, choosing Customer Insights – Journeys means a more connected, efficient, and outcome-focused marketing approach.

How Pragmatiq can support your use of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys

At Pragmatiq, we design and build Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys solutions tailored to your organisation. Whether you’re implementing the platform for the first time or looking to refine how it’s used, we can configure it to suit your processes, goals, and customer engagement needs. If you’re considering how the solution could support your marketing efforts, we’re here to help. Get in touch by calling 01908 038110 or emailing info@pragmatiq.co.uk.