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Microsoft Partners serve as liaisons between Microsoft and the individual companies that utilize Microsoft’s products, but “partner” describes a relationship that must be fostered and grown. Companies rely on their partner not only to setup their business and productivity solutions, but also to customize and upkeep them, constantly working to understand the business’ needs and suggesting new ways to utilize their solutions or new applications that can help the company grow.
Choosing the right partner for your business is not something to take lightly, and there are many things to consider, from Microsoft competency certifications to how they treat potential and existing clients. Here are seven qualities of excellent partners your company will want to carefully consider when you’re in the market for a Microsoft Partner.
Cloud management
An excellent partner will help you navigate new technological territory and leverage what you need to stay competitive in your field. This means partners need to be innovative and embrace cutting edge, proven technology such as the cloud. Microsoft is investing heavily in the cloud. A partner who manages applications that run on the cloud will have expertise in Microsoft’s suite of native-cloud business solutions, Dynamics 365. A partner experienced in the cloud will have many migrations from on-premises solutions under their belts, and they will have integrated new clients onto cloud solutions. This means an efficient migration or integration plan that has been tested and successful. And beyond that, cloud management shows the partner’s strength of innovation, the benefits of which you will also reap now and in the future.
Even if a company is not prepared to implement a new ERP solution such as Dynamics 365 Business Central, migrating Dynamics GP or NAV to the Azure cloud is an easy process that a cloud managing partner can help you take. A migration to the cloud will save a company the costs of an on-premises solution—new infrastructure and regular maintenance—and those savings can be retained for a future ERP implementation or reallocated to other pressing business needs.
Quality customer service
A willingness to help is an important quality in any business. From the very first interaction to all that follow, your partner should provide prompt attention to you, your needs, and your concerns. Initial consultations should yield immediate and actionable insight for your business, and those partners that offer free consultations with personalized tips and advice show their skill and investment in you before you can even invest in them.
Read service agreements for potential partners carefully and ensure that service information is readily available on their website via a “Resources” tab, a FAQ page, and/or contact information somewhere on their site. Many high-quality partners will include some administrative tasks, such as setting up new users, in your contract, which will save you time and energy. You should receive prompt, friendly responses when contacting customer support in the case of issues or questions. Implementation plans should be clear and well-documented.
Proactive and transparent
A proactive partner takes steps to either anticipate your needs or directly ask about your needs. This kind of partner will be transparent and honest. If changes to Microsoft policies, goals, or investments change, that news should be passed on from Microsoft to Partner to Client. They stay up to date on relevant news and pass that news on to you when that news may affect you in significant ways. For instance, a proactive partner may provide detailed documentation and recommendations in yearly updates. (See our most recent free yearly webinar on Dynamics GP year-end closing procedures.) Service agreements will be easy to find and readily available, and you’ll be alerted to estimated costs of tasks (and if a task will cost you at all) before the task is initiated.
Shows investment in your business
A partner will always be invested in what is best for your company, and they will show it. Look for the signs of an engaged and invested partner: They will actively listen to you, working to understand your industry, your business processes, and your unique needs. Once they have a full understanding of who you are and what you need, they will suggest options to achieve your goal. They will work to ensure what they suggest actually works for you, both in terms of functionality that you need and affordability to get those needs met within budget. An outstanding partner looks out for you because they know when you’re their partner, your best interest is also theirs.
Expertise aligned with your needs
There are a lot of Microsoft applications and areas of specialties, so not all partners will have the expertise to help you achieve your specific goals. Microsoft provides a way for partners to showcase their expertise—by providing three tiers of certification (Certified Partner, Silver Certified Partner, and Gold Certified Partner) for focus areas called competencies. ERP, Data Analytics, and Cloud Platforms are a few examples of competencies partners can gain certifications for. (You can read about the definitions of these competencies and certification levels in our blog on the subject.)
You want to search for their competency certifications on their website, or you can ask them directly. Other things you might want to ask that can demonstrate their skillsets are: Have they worked with businesses in your industry? Can they show you a demonstration of the solution you’re interested in? Can they provide training if you choose this solution?
Generates resources for both clients and nonclients
Another way to see the expertise of a partner is to look at the resources they generate and publish. This often serves as both an example of their expertise and an excellent resource for you to use. Partners will not, cannot, give away all their knowledge via resources, but they can demonstrate their deep knowledge of a given application and their ability to serve you. Online video series and webinars often provide digestible info that you may not find otherwise. Partners may have a blog where they post tips, tricks, updates, and other information about Microsoft applications. Strong partners are also likely to send their clients update emails periodically when something arises they feel their clients should be aware of.
Provides continued consultation
Why is a partner called a partner? Well, because the partner-client relationship is long-term. And the foundation of a healthy long-term relationship is communication. A great partner will not go dark after a Go Live date. They will stay in contact and continue to build the relationship you’ve established long after your initial implementation or migration. Look for frequent, consistent communication and continued consultation meetings. You should be able to bring concerns and future plans to your partner, and they can help you shift your solutions as your business grows and changes. Both you and the partner should always be looking for ways to use your systems to greater effect. Stagnation is not good in technology; though you may migrate to or implement a system for a long time, that doesn’t mean the solution shouldn’t change and evolve as you do. Your partner can help this happen.
About Syvantis
Since its founding in 2000, Syvantis has evolved to empower businesses of all sizes by providing enterprise-level technologies and the training to use them. Syvantis is Microsoft Certified Gold in ERP, Cloud Platform, ISV, and Data Analytics and is Microsoft Certified Silver in Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions. In 2013, Syvantis became the first Microsoft partner to offer Dynamics ERP on the Azure cloud.
Our consultants are highly trained system and industry experts, and we provide integrated, industry-specific cloud ERP, CRM, and business productivity software. We believe in growing with our clients, helping them thrive by understanding them, communicating openly, and being at the leading edge of technology.
Syvantis offers free periodic client service meetings to address any changes, concerns, and goals. Instead of waiting for the client to ask for help—or not ask at all—these meetings are a proactive way to maintain communication and to address business needs.
