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.Partner Support Services Designation Public Preview Deck + Nomination Form
There is a new Partner Support Services Designation in Public Preview. Partners who earn a Support Services designation will be given access to Microsoft tools and resources to enhance their support capabilities. Badging for the designation will help partners differentiate their organizations with customers and in the Microsoft commercial marketplace. Read more here.
Character limited for Partner Support Ticket notes
When updating a partner center support ticket from the Partner Center (https://partner.microsoft.com/dashboard/v2/support/servicerequests) However, the textbox for adding a new note from the portal has a max length of 80 characters. Has anyone else noticed this? I shared this observation with the partner center support team a while ago and learned that the portal is working as intended. The web portal should only be used for adding short notes. For longer notes, partners should update the ticket via email. I hoped my feedback might reach someone that could make this improvement to the partner experience, but it's taking longer than expected. Has anyone else noticed this issue, or am I the only partner that finds this behavior less than ideal? On more than one occasion I have modified the HTML using the browser dev tools by changing the maxlength="80" to "maxlength="800" and didn't have any trouble adding the longer note. Has anyone else run into this challenge and used the a workaround like the one I used?
February Incentive Payment Not Received – Unable to Create Support Ticket
Hello Team, We have not received the incentive payment for February and would like assistance reviewing this issue. Our organization meets the requirements under the App Innovation solution area and is eligible to receive Azure-related incentives. However, the February payment has not been deposited. Additionally, we are unable to create a support ticket in Partner Center because the AI Assistant interface prevents access to the support request page. Could you please check if there are any issues with our eligibility, payment profile, or required documentation, or help escalate this matter to the appropriate support team? Thank you.Azure Plan CSP Pricelist Download
Dear community, Hope you are doing great. We are a Distributor (ex. Indirect Provider) and we recently discovered a change in terms of Pricing in Partner Center, and more specifically when it comes to Azure Plan Pricelists download. Usually, we were able to download the respective Azure Plan pricelist as a Category under the NCE option. However, what we see now is an option in Beta which redirects us to the Azure Portal. Could you please be so kind to help us identify how will we be able to download the CSV Azure Plan Pricelists as we were doing couple months ago? Thank you so much in advance for your assistance! Nick
Renew CSP subscription
Hi everyone, I have a question regarding a CSP subscription renewal. I work for a company that is not a Microsoft partner. Previously, we worked with a partner from whom we purchased Microsoft Dynamics 365 FO and some other licenses. We recently received an email from this former partner stating that we need to renew a CSP subscription. For your information, we are a customer, not a partner. Could you please clarify whether this CSP subscription is something we need to renew ourselves, or if this is the responsibility of the partner? I would also appreciate your advice, as I am concerned this might not be legitimate. Please correct me if I am wrong. Best regards,
Account Suspended Despite Compliance – Seeking Clarification and Reinstatement
Hello Microsoft Community, My company’s Partner Center account currently shows a Suspended status for both the Indirect Reseller and Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider programs, even though we believe we’ve met all requirements. What we’ve done: Completed all security requirements (MFA enabled, security contact designated) Verified business and legal information is up to date Ensured there are no outstanding payments or compliance issues We received a notice about CSP indirect reseller eligibility (USD 1,000 revenue requirement), but our partner confirms our license spend exceeds this threshold. Our questions: Why is the account still suspended if we’ve addressed the stated requirements? Is there a hidden or unaddressed compliance issue? What specific steps must we follow to have the suspension lifted? Can Microsoft reinstate the account once we provide evidence of compliance? We’re unable to perform critical operations like assigning licenses or accessing partner benefits while suspended. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Any guidance from Microsoft moderators or the community would be greatly appreciated.
