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Direct Bill - Suspended
Hello Today our CSP Direct account was suddenly suspended, and unfortunately we still do not know the reason. We opened a support ticket immediately and received a phone call shortly afterwards informing us that the case had been escalated to the Accounts and Enrollment team. However, since then, we have not received any further updates, nor any reply to our follow-up emails. At the moment, existing subscriptions are still being renewed automatically, which is a relief, but we are currently unable to perform any management actions on the existing subscriptions. I am becoming increasingly concerned that this may be one of the cases I have seen mentioned here by other partners. We currently manage hundreds of customers and thousands of subscriptions, all of which are now effectively without commercial management. Has anyone gone through a similar situation and can offer any advice, guidance, or suggestions on how to escalate the case and speed up the resolution process? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Daniel
Microsoft SMB Copilot Bundles — CSP Partners Undercut on Pricing. Are Others Experiencing This?
I want to raise something that's creating real problems for us as a CSP partner, and I suspect we're not alone. Microsoft recently launched the SMB Copilot Business bundles — including a M365 Business Premium + Copilot Business bundle at 25% off. Great initiative. The problem? Through eCommerce (direct), customers can purchase this bundle from 1 seat. Through CSP, the bundle has a 10-seat minimum. This is causing a very specific and common issue: we have customers with well over 10 seats on Business Premium who want to trial Copilot with a small group first — say 3 to 8 users — before committing to a wider rollout. That's a completely reasonable approach. But because CSP enforces a 10-seat minimum on the bundle, we can't offer them the discounted pricing for a small initial rollout. Meanwhile, they can see that if they went direct with Microsoft, they'd get 25% off from just 1 seat. The result? Our customers are asking us why we — their trusted Microsoft Partner — are charging them more than Microsoft itself. Some are outright accusing us of trying to rip them off. These aren't micro-businesses slipping through the cracks. These are established customers with legitimate deployments who simply want to pilot Copilot sensibly before scaling up. We've raised this with Microsoft and the justification we received boils down to: the direct channel serves even the smallest customers, while CSP requires a 10-seat minimum to "ensure sufficient scale and support for partner-led deals" and to "protect partner business interests." With respect, this doesn't protect our interests at all. It actively undermines them. Here's what's actually happening: • Customers who want to trial Copilot on a handful of seats see a better deal going direct and question why they're paying a partner at all • It erodes trust in the partner relationship — the very thing Microsoft says it wants to strengthen • It creates an incentive for customers to move licensing to the direct channel for the trial, fragmenting their management and making our job harder • We're left in the impossible position of either absorbing margin to match the direct price, or losing the customer's confidence • Ironically, it discourages the very Copilot adoption Microsoft is pushing — customers who would happily trial on a few seats are put off by being told they need to commit to 10 or more through us We're not asking for special treatment. We're asking for parity. If Microsoft believes 25% off is the right price for this bundle, let us offer it to our customers too — regardless of how many seats they want to start with. We're the ones providing the onboarding, the training, the support, and the ongoing management. We shouldn't be penalised for it. Is anyone else running into this with customers who want to trial Copilot on fewer than 10 seats? How are you handling the conversation when they come to you asking why Microsoft is cheaper direct? Would love to hear how others are navigating this, and whether there's any appetite to push back on this collectively.ICYMI | Upcoming CSP events!
Upcoming events Be sure to register for the latest upcoming digital and in-person events in AI Business Solutions. January 22 (New York) – AI Tour for Partners January 27-29 (EMEA/Americas) – Accelerate Agentic AI – Project Ready January 27-29 (Americas) – Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Bootcamp (AI ERP) January 28-30 (Asia) – Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Bootcamp (AI ERP) January 28-30 (EMEA/Americas) – Accelerate Agentic AI – Project Ready January 29 – CSP Partner Hour February 3-4 (Brazil) – Implementing D365 Contact Center February 3-4 (Asia) – Agent-Powered Business Processes Automation February 4-5 (EMEA) – Agent-Powered Business Processes Automation February 4-5 (Americas) – Agent-Powered Business Processes Automation February 9 (EMEA) – Level Up CSP Microsoft 365 Copilot, Agents, and Dynamics 365 Business Central Sales Bootcamp February 10 (Americas) – Level Up CSP Microsoft 365 Copilot, Agents, and Dynamics 365 Business Central Sales Bootcamp February 10 (EMEA) – Level Up CSP Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents Technical Bootcamp February 10 (São Paulo) – AI Tour for Partners February 11 (Americas) – Level Up CSP Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents Technical Bootcamp February 26 (London) – AI Tour for Partners March 10 (Paris) – AI Tour for Partners March 17-19 (San Diego) – AI Agent and Copilot Summit NA March 24 (Seoul) – AI Tour for Partners April 8 (Tokyo) – AI Tour for Partners April 20 (Sydney) – AI Tour for Partners May 5 (Zurich) – AI Tour for Partners On-demand digital events ICYMI – Access content from recent digital events on demand! Scale with Cloud and AI Endpoints Partner Sales Bootcamp Agentic AI + Copilot, Partner Skills Accelerator CSP Marketing Moment Episode 6: Maximize Microsoft 365 Renewals: Upsell with AI and Security value Level Up CSP Copilot and Agents Q2 Sales and Technical BootcampsCSP digital events
Now on demand: CSP Marketing Moment Episode 6 – Maximize Microsoft 365 Renewals: Upsell with AI and Security Value If you missed the latest CSP Marketing Moment event, you’ll want to catch it on demand. Learn about Copilot Business and how to turn Microsoft 365 renewals into strategic upsell moments by positioning Business Premium, E3, and E5 as the foundation for security and Copilot readiness. You’ll learn how to build a go-to-market plan that drives adoption and monetization across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, and agentic solutions. Register and watch the latest CSP Marketing Moment recording on demand Register for upcoming Level Up CSP bootcamps: February 9, 10, and 11 Level up your expertise with our dynamic sales and technical bootcamps! Master upsell strategies for Microsoft 365 renewals and craft a winning GTM plan across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, agents, and more. Dive into hero scenarios, flexible licensing, and live multi-agent demos while exploring the latest on Microsoft 365 Copilot Business. Plus, get hands-on with security, compliance, and automation - connecting productivity with AI-powered processes to accelerate growth. Select your time zone and register for the February Level Up CSP technical and sales bootcamps Explore the complete Level Up CSP events calendar Check out the January 29 quarterly Business Applications CSP Partner Hour Curious about what’s new for partners in the Business Applications CSP space? Join us on January 29 to get the latest news about promotions, assets, and program updates to help you accelerate growth. Register for the January 29 CSP Partner Hour now Bookmark the Scale Business Operations with AI page on the new Partner Hub to check the latest content, including partner practice building and GTM resourcesICYMI: Drive Microsoft 365 renewals and upgrades ahead of pricing and packaging updates
We recently announced that in 2026, we’re expanding the availability of security and management capabilities to the commercial Microsoft 365 suites. Along with these added features, there will also be a global price update to these suites across all purchasing channels effective July 1, 2026. Continue reading blog here Be sure to follow the Partner news blog for all partner related announcements!
Azure daily rated usage downloads not working since 1st Dec
Has anyone else been experiencing issues downloading unbilled Azure usage from the MS Graph Async API v2 for the last few days? We have not been able to download any data newer than the 1st of Dec, meaning we can't show our customers their current month usage data. I've logged a support ticket, but just wondering if this is affecting others too.
Microsoft CSP Licensing Webinar
Hi all. A technology organisation I know, Core Technology Systems, is running a free Microsoft CSP Licensing webinar on Thursday, 11th September at 11AM (GMT). This webinar will cover various CSP topics, including how CSP helps you scale flexibly and cost-effectively, upsell and cross-sell opportunities, as well as understanding what CSP is (for those who are fairly new to CSP and would generally like to learn more). If anyone would be interested in watching it, you can register by filling in the form at this link: https://www.core.co.uk/webinar-an-introduction-to-microsoft-csp Please remove this post if it's not allowed. Thanks all :-)ICYMI: Digital Training: CSP Practice build on Threat Protection & Data Security with ME5
Join Microsoft subject matter experts for an exclusive two-day, virtual event focused on developing security and compliance sales strategies geared towards Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) sellers. In this workshop, you’ll gain insights into Microsoft 365 E5 subscription and develop real-world strategies for selling Microsoft security and compliance solutions to SMB & SMC audiences. Engage with Microsoft experts and come away with the tools to design impactful demonstrations, create compelling offers, and sell effectively to your audience. Read more and register here!Explore Dynamics 365 Business Central Digital Event
Learn how adding Dynamics 365 Business Central to your offerings catalogue can increase your revenue and reduce customer churn — with low risk and a small lift to your existing resources. Hear from a Modern Work Partner who will join us and share how they got started and successfully built a Business Central business! Register for this upcoming Level Up CSP digital event to and hear about Business Centrals business management solution for small and mid-sized organizations. Voted the number one ERP solution for SMBs by Forbes in 2024, Business Central seamlessly integrates with Microsoft’s productivity and collaboration tools—making it a natural fit for your Modern Work customers. Business Central is also blazing the trails when it comes to AI innovation, bringing copilot capabilities and agents to life, to help your customers become more productive. Date/Time: March 13, 2025 Americas/EMEA 8:00am PST and APAC 5:00pm PST In this session we'll: Guide you on how to lead impactful customer conversations and close Business Central opportunities without significant investment. Walk you through your earnings potential, including lucrative margins and available incentives for partners. Register today
