How to Review Case Activity with the Timeline in Dynamics 365
You must know what happens with each customer case to give great support. Dynamics 365 puts all your case activities—notes, appointments, emails, and more—in one spot with the Timeline. In older systems, you had to look in many places. The Timeline lets you see everything in one view. You can check updates, follow progress, and reply fast. This helps you give customers the right answers quickly.
Key Takeaways
The Timeline in Dynamics 365 puts all case activities together. It shows emails, calls, and notes in one spot. This helps save time and effort.
You can filter and search activities with ease. This helps you find important updates fast. It lets you stay focused on what matters most.
The Timeline helps teams work together. Many users can add notes and comments at the same time. This keeps everyone updated.
You can change how the Timeline looks. You can save your favorite filters. This helps you work faster and see only what you need.
Checking case activities often with your team is helpful. It helps you find problems early. It can make your work better and give better customer support.
Timeline in Dynamics 365
Overview
The Timeline in Dynamics 365 lets you see all customer activities together. You do not have to look in different places or apps. You can find emails, notes, and appointments in one list. This helps you know what happened with each case.
You can use the Timeline in Customer Service, Sales, and Customer Insights. The Timeline shows both real-time and outbound marketing activities. You get to see every customer interaction clearly. You can filter the Timeline to show only what you want. For example, you can choose to see just emails or just notes. This saves time and helps you focus on what is important.
Tip: You can preview messages in the Timeline. This lets you check details, like which links a customer clicked, without opening each record.
The Timeline has bookmarks. You can save your favorite filters and use them again with one click. This helps you work faster and stay organized.
Activity Types
The Timeline supports many activity types. Each type helps you track a different customer interaction.
Email: See all emails sent or received for a case. Emails can link to more than one record, so you always know the full story.
Phone Call: Track details of phone calls with customers. You can see when calls happened and what was talked about.
Note: Add comments or feedback for your team. Notes help everyone stay updated about the case.
Appointment: View meetings or events related to the case.
You can see a summary of each activity in the Timeline. This means you do not need to open each item to find key information. You can also set up the Timeline to show the activities that matter most to you or your team. This makes it easier to manage cases and reply quickly.
Note: The Timeline works well for support teams, sales teams, and managers. It helps everyone stay updated and work together better.
Access Timeline
Locate Timeline
The Timeline is on the main case form in Dynamics 365. When you open a case, look for the Timeline panel. It is usually in the middle of the screen, under the case details. The Timeline puts all activities together, so you do not need to move between screens.
The Timeline shows up on the case record, so it is easy to find.
You can see emails, notes, and phone calls all in one list.
Small icons help you know what kind of activity each one is.
Tip: If you cannot find the Timeline, ask your system admin. Sometimes, the layout is different because of your company’s settings.
Navigate Interface
The Timeline in Dynamics 365 helps you check case activity easily. You can scroll to see the latest actions. Each activity card gives a short summary, so you get the main details fast.
You can open or close all records to see more or less information.
Icons show which activities are finished or closed.
Filters help you pick what to see by type, status, or who made it.
You can use more than one filter at the same time to find what you want.
The Timeline lets you do special things with emails, so it is easy to handle messages.
Personalization tools help you work quicker. For example, you can see emails as threads or single messages. The "Remember my filters" feature saves your favorite filters, so you do not have to set them again each time.
Note: These tools make the Timeline simple to use, even if you are new to Dynamics 365. You spend less time looking and more time helping customers.
Review Activities
View Details
You can check each activity in the Timeline to see what happened with a case. Click on any activity card, like an email, note, or phone call. The card will open up and show more details. You will find out who made the activity, when it happened, and what was talked about or decided. This helps you follow each step of the case.
Use the icons to quickly see the type of activity.
Look at the timestamps to know the order of events.
Read the summary to get the main idea without opening every record.
Tip: Use the Notes feature to keep all team talks in one place. This cuts down on scattered emails and keeps everyone updated.
You can also work with your team right in the Timeline. Many users can add updates or comments at the same time. This real-time teamwork keeps everyone on track. Swimlanes help you see which group or project phase is working on each task. You can share files, export info, and use templates to keep your process the same.
Best Practices for Reviewing Activities:
Set up regular times to review case activities. Do not wait for problems.
Bring in the right team members for each review. Include frontline staff and experts.
Write down all feedback and changes. This makes a clear record for later.
Use case management tools to track rules and approvals.
Review activities after big changes or new rules.
Check if activities meet your goals. Change your process or training if needed.
Pick someone to collect feedback and make final updates.
Note: Keeping a clear record helps everyone stay responsible and follow company rules.
Interpret History
The Timeline does more than show single activities. It helps you see the bigger picture by tracking all customer actions over time. You can use old data to spot trends, repeated problems, and places to get better.
Customer service teams use dashboards and reports to group cases into topics. These tools use AI to find patterns, like repeated complaints or common questions. You can look deeper into things like SLA breaches, agent performance, and case numbers. This helps you find slow spots and root causes.
Compare how things are now with past times to see if your changes help.
Use predictive models to find open cases and suggest updates to your knowledge base.
Study customer feedback for feelings and repeated complaints.
Check workflow steps to find repeated escalations or delays.
A customer timeline gives you a full view of each customer’s journey. You can see their actions, likes, and problems. This helps you give better service and put resources where they are needed most. By looking at old activity, you talk better, make smarter choices, and make customers happier.
Tip: Use channel usage analysis to decide where to spend on new tools or training. This helps your team work better and supports digital change.
Filter and Search
Apply Filters
Filters help you find the activities you want in the Timeline. They let you focus on what matters most. You can filter by activity type, record type, or status. This helps you see just emails, notes, calls, or meetings.
Use the Filter by dropdown to pick or remove activity types with checkboxes.
Choose activities for you or your team by checking boxes under Activity assigned to or HubSpot Team.
Pick a time frame, like recent, upcoming, or a custom range, using the All time dropdown.
Filter by activity direction, such as inbound or outbound, in the Allbound timeline view.
Use quick filter tabs for Notes, Emails, Calls, Tasks, or Meetings to find things fast.
Clear all filters with the Clear all option if you want to start over.
Tip: Navigation arrows and calendar controls help you move through different time frames and find the right activities.
Search Activities
You can search for certain activities in the Timeline. Use the search bar to type in keywords, names, or dates. The Timeline will only show activities that match your search. This helps you find updates without scrolling through everything.
If you do not see the activities you want, check your privacy settings. Make sure options like 'Let Windows collect my activities' and 'Show activities from accounts' are turned on. You might also need to check registry settings or update your system. Sometimes, activities may still not show up. If this happens, ask your system admin for help.
Sort Results
Sorting helps you put activities in an order that makes sense to you. You can sort by date, type, or who made the activity. Sorting by date shows the newest or oldest activities first. Sorting by type puts similar activities together. Sorting by user helps you see who did what.
Note: Sorting and filtering together give you a clear view of your case history. You can quickly find what you need and keep your work organized.
Customize Timeline
Personalize View
You can make the Timeline in Dynamics 365 fit your work style. Start by choosing which activity types you want to see. Go to the Activities Tab Properties and pick the types that matter most, like emails or notes. Use the 'Filter by' option to show only the modules you need, such as Activities, Notes, or Posts. You can also decide if you want the filter pane open by default, change how results sort, and set how many results show at once.
Pick between two layout styles: 'Roomy' gives you more space and bigger cards, while 'Cozy' keeps things compact and easy to scroll. If you use the same filters often, turn on 'Remember my filters.' This saves your choices for next time. You can view attachments right in the Timeline and even preview them without leaving the page. This helps you work faster and keeps everything in one place.
Tip: Save time by bookmarking your favorite filters. You can use them again with just one click.
Customize in Dynamics 365
Admins can change how the Timeline looks for everyone. Go to the Power Apps maker portal and pick the entity you want to update, like Account or Case. Open the main form and select the Timeline component. Choose the activity you want to change, such as Email. You can switch between Default and Card forms. Open the form and change fields or labels. For example, you can rename 'Email From' to just 'From.' Show or hide fields like Subject or Status, or set them to appear only when you expand the card.
You can also improve how you see dates. By default, the Timeline shows when an activity was last changed. If you want to see when it was first created, add the 'Created on' field to the card header. This makes it easier to track the real timeline of a case.
Note: You can use enhancements like Copilot highlights, Power Automate flows, and time tracking to make your Timeline even smarter. These tools help you spot important updates, automate tasks, and keep better records.
Using the Timeline helps you manage cases faster and more easily. You see all emails, calls, and meetings in one place, so you do not waste time searching.
You can scroll and filter to find what you need quickly.
Custom commands and pop-up windows keep your work moving without stopping.
AI tools and business flows help you solve cases faster and with less effort.
Knowledge Search lets you find answers and past solutions right away.
Try these steps in Dynamics 365 to make your workflow smoother. Explore Timeline customization and advanced features to get even more value from your case reviews.
FAQ
How do you add a new activity to the Timeline?
Click the + New Activity button above the Timeline. Choose what kind of activity you want, like Email or Note. Type in the details and save it. The new activity will show up in your Timeline right away.
Why can’t you see some activities in the Timeline?
Filters might be hiding some activities. Clear all filters to see everything. If you still do not see them, check your permissions or ask your system admin for help.
Can you export Timeline activities?
You can export activities with the Export to Excel feature. Pick the activities you want, then click Export. This lets you look at or share activity data outside Dynamics 365.
How do you work with your team in the Timeline?
You can add notes, comments, or attachments to activities. Your team will see updates as soon as they happen. Use @mentions to let team members know about changes or questions.
What should you do if the Timeline loads slowly?
Try clearing your browser cache and close extra tabs. Make sure your internet is working well. If it is still slow, ask your IT support for help.