As we make our way into the new year, you, like many other business decision makers, are likely assessing your business objectives for the upcoming year. There are countless ways to prioritize your annual goals, however, an important consideration to make that is often overlooked is the degree to which your business is benefiting from your current Microsoft Partner.  

The Microsoft Partner you choose can significantly impact the success of your business, for better or for worse. If you are not fully aware of how your business benefits from your current Microsoft Partner, it might be time to evaluate if your partner is the best fit for you. To assess whether you are getting as much value as possible from your partner, you can ask yourself the following questions.  

How does my partner demonstrate commitment to my business? 

When your partner is committed to the success of your business, it will be apparent in their interactions with you. A committed partner will strive to understand your industry, the unique needs of your business, and will make suggestions to assist you in meeting your goals. A committed partner knows that when you succeed, we succeed together. 

A typical meeting with a Microsoft Partner will reveal much about their dedication to your business. Ideally, they are familiar with your industry and will ask questions to gather information that will help them build a strategy to best support your needs. A quality partner will actively listen to you, explain things clearly, and give recommendations based on the information that you provide them. Recommendations should be based on the needs of your business in both the short and long term. A dedicated partner will recognize what your business does not need and will advise you against spending money on solutions that will not benefit your business, especially when there is a less expensive or easier way to achieve the same goals.

A great partner will also build a congenial working relationship with you and your team. They will remember details about you, your team, and the specific needs of your business. They won’t feel like a stranger when you jump on calls to talk about your system; in fact, they may feel just like another member of your team.  

Of course, there are tons of ways a partner shows their commitment to your business beyond what we just mentioned. But how they interact with you in a meeting is a great litmus test to start with. In fact, the rest of this list includes other crucial ways that an excellent partner will demonstrate their quality. 

Does my partner communicate with me proactively and offer ongoing consultations once implementation and go-live are complete? 

Running a business requires a lot of time and energy. You deserve a partner that understands your needs and proactively works to meet them. This requires them to regularly check in with you to ensure that things are running smoothly, both during implementation and after.  

During implementation, your partner should be very communicative and responsive to your questions or any issues that arise. Their level of responsiveness should not shift after go-live. Naturally, they may not be in-touch as frequently once the project is completed, but you should never feel like you have been abandoned or left to struggle on your own. 

The partnership should not stop once your solutions are implemented. A strong partner will be ready to assist you at any point, even after implementation and go-live are complete. They reach out to you without prompting and even make a point to schedule regular check-in meetings. They don’t keep you waiting when you submit support tickets, and they will outline their hours of operation and how quickly they respond to help requests. Regarding their help desk or support services, those are typically outlined in their service-level agreements or on their website. When searching for a new partner, it is advantageous to review the service agreements of any prospective partners to ensure that their offerings will meet your needs. 

What resources does my partner provide to keep my team successful? 

To evaluate the expertise of a partner, look at the resources they make available to you. Learning resources not only benefit your company but provide examples of a partner’s level of expertise. Partners may publish blogs, webinars, and other digital resources that provide tips, updates, and other information about Microsoft applications. Microsoft’s documentation is expansive but can also cause confusion and take time to sift through. A strong partner will take this task off your hands by providing training tailored to meet the needs of your team. 

It is also worth learning what different partners are charging for training resources and support work before you begin working with them. Though it’s not reasonable to get everything at no cost, some free resources and trainings are great indicators that they value your experience using the systems and care more about your success than charging you for every little thing they provide you.  

Is my partner keeping me up to date with system news and changes? 

Microsoft is constantly improving their systems, and that means there are always updates just around the corner. While this is an excellent way for your systems to stay at the forefront of technological evolution, being unprepared for certain updates can result in issues with your system. A strong Microsoft Partner will anticipate and communicate upcoming changes to you, ensuring that your business is well prepared in advance.  

Here are a few changes happening right now in the Microsoft ecosystem that your partner should help you plan for, if you use these apps: 

• Dynamics 365/Power Platform system updates/upgrades: Microsoft has semiannual planned “release waves” where significant updates and new features are rolled out. Your partner should help you know what features are upcoming and how they may benefit you, change your processes, or even break your customizations. When these Microsoft updates or upgrades go live, it may be important that your system is backed up in advance to preserve your data. Your partner should help you figure all that out. 

• GP end of mainstream service: Microsoft has announced Dynamics GP’s end of service, but if you’re on GP, what does that mean for you? Your partner should have already reached out to discuss how this will impact your business and help you develop a plan that aligns with your business goals, budget, and preferences. This may include a recommendation to look for new ERPs, like Microsoft Business Central now or in future. Regardless of what you decide to do and when, they should be walking you through each step, not leaving you to struggle and worry on your own. To learn more about this transition, visit this FAQ blog. 

• Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys Outbound marketing depreciation, transition to Real-time: Businesses still using outbound marketing should be prepared to transition to real-time journeys prior to June 30, 2025, to avoid interruption and benefit from AI Copilot features, ongoing product investments, and optimal performance. If you don’t know about this, or your partner hasn’t provided resources to help you with this move, then they are not preparing you for a significant change.  

If you’re unsure how your partner is actively improving your business, bring these questions to your internal team. You may determine you’re satisfied with them, or you may find that it’s time to move on.  

If you ever find yourself looking for a new partner, you can bring these same questions to discovery calls. It’s a great way to help you find an ideal partner that is invested in your success.  

Don’t have a Microsoft Partner yet, or looking for a new one? Here are some qualities to look for to help you begin your search.