How to Transition From Support to D365 Consulting
Many Dynamics 365 professionals start their careers in support roles. It’s often the most accessible entry point into the ecosystem. But for those looking for broader responsibility, higher earning potential, and deeper involvement in business transformation, moving into a D365 consulting role is a natural next step.
This transition is not only possible, it’s common. It simply requires the right mix of skills, positioning, and experience.
Understanding the Real Difference Between Support and Consulting
Support roles are typically reactive. They focus on:
- Resolving incidents and service tickets
- User access and administration
- Bug fixes and system stability
- Day-to-day maintenance and minor enhancements
Consulting roles are proactive. They focus on:
- Business process mapping
- Requirements gathering
- Solution design
- System configuration
- Stakeholder management
- Driving business change
To move successfully, you need to start shifting from a “problem-fixer” mindset to a “solution-designer” mindset.
Expanding Your Skill Set Beyond Support
To become consultant-ready, focus on consciously building experience in areas that consultants use daily:
System Configuration Experience
Seek exposure to:
- Entities/tables and schema design
- Forms and views configuration
- Business rules
- Security roles and field-level security
- Workflows and Power Automate flows
Business Process Knowledge
Work on understanding:
- Sales lifecycles
- Customer service workflows
- Case management processes
- Field service operations
- Reporting and data requirements
The strongest consultants understand both the system and the business context.
Turning Support Work Into Consulting Experience
Your current role already gives you valuable project experience, most people simply fail to package it correctly.
Start documenting:
- The business problem
- The root cause
- The solution you configured
- The outcome or measurable improvement
This builds a bank of project-style stories you can use in interviews and on your CV.
Building a Consulting-Focused CV
A consulting CV should be project-led rather than responsibility-led.
Instead of:
“Handled support tickets.”
Use:
“Analysed and resolved system process gaps within D365 Customer Service, improving case resolution time by 20%.”
Focus on:
- Business impact
- System improvements
- User adoption
- Process optimisation
Certifications That Actually Support the Move
While certifications alone won’t make you a consultant, they significantly improve credibility.
Strong foundational certifications include:
- MB-910 – Dynamics 365 Fundamentals
- MB-210 – Sales
- MB-230 – Customer Service
- MB-260 – Customer Insights (for CE/Marketing paths)
For those on a Finance & Operations path:
- MB-310 – F&O Finance
- MB-500 – Developer
Certifications show commitment and structured learning.
Gaining Real Project Exposure
The jump to consulting becomes much easier once you have project-style experience.
Look for opportunities to:
- Join implementation or upgrade projects internally
- Volunteer for UAT coordination
- Assist with data migration activities
- Help with training and documentation
- Shadow functional consultants if possible
Even partial project exposure significantly strengthens your profile.
Choosing the Right Next Role
You don’t have to jump directly into a senior consultant role.
Common bridge roles include:
- Functional Application Support
- Junior Functional Consultant
- Business Systems Analyst
- CRM Analyst
These roles give you structured exposure to consulting activities without overwhelming responsibility.
Mindset Shift That Makes the Biggest Difference
The biggest shift successful transitioners make is this:
Support mindset:
“How do I fix this issue quickly?”
Consulting mindset:
“Why does this process exist, and how should it work better?”
This shift is often what separates candidates who break through into consulting from those who stay in support.
How Specialist Recruiters Help Accelerate the Move
Working with specialist recruiters who understand D365-specific career paths is a major advantage.
They can:
- Help reframe your experience
- Position you for the right level of roles
- Coach you through interviews
- Introduce you to businesses willing to invest in your growth
This is where experienced partners like Shape It Recruitment can add real value.
Final Thoughts
Transitioning from support to D365 consulting is a structured career move, not a leap of faith.
With the right experience, positioning, and guidance, it is one of the most achievable career progressions in the Microsoft ecosystem.
If you are already working in support, you are closer than you think.