Microsoft's next service update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will be released in December 2012.

Moving away from the traditional data-centric approach, this service update will "add new experiences that simply and visually guide users through their business processes," according to Microsoft.

New application capabilities in this service update also include pre-defined best-practice sales and service business process definitions, which are configurable and will accelerate time-to-value for organizations; deeper connection to Yammer and Skype; embedded Bing maps; Microsoft Office 2013 compatibility; and cross-browser support (Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome running on Windows-based PCs, and Firefox and Apple Safari running on Macintosh desktop computers).

Microsoft also previewed a Windows 8-based application for managing sales processes by providing its customers with access to key information. This new Windows 8 Mobile Experience is planned to be available in the mid-2013 timeframe.

The December 2012 service update will also add new cloud extensibility options, including support for custom Microsoft .NET Workflow Services and new bulk data APIs that will make it easier for Microsoft's customers to load and modify large datasets.