Partner Blog | Partner-led momentum, broader availability for SMB: Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are entering a new phase of AI adoption. It is no longer defined by experimentation. It is about moving from individual use cases to everyday, scalable impact as organizations move toward Frontier Transformation. Recent findings from the 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report reinforce what many partners are already seeing with customers. 58% of AI users say they are already producing work they couldn’t a year ago, and 66% report spending more time on higher-value work as AI takes on execution. For partners serving SMB customers, this marks a clear inflection point. The opportunity is to move beyond access to AI and focus on empowering SMBs to scale and operationalize it by simplifying buying conversations, driving more predictable renewals, and building on existing services around AI-powered productivity and secure operations. These trends are already starting to be reflected across our partner ecosystem. In December, we introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot Business to streamline AI adoption for SMBs and support a clearer partner-led motion. Partners who were early adopters validated strong and growing demand. This momentum signals a broader shift in how work is evolving. AI delivers the most value when it is embedded in the everyday flow of work and surrounded with the right security, governance, and business context built in from day one. SMB customers want a straightforward buying experience, predictable renewals, and a consistent way to deploy across users and locations without adding complexity. Building on that momentum, we are evolving our approach to unlock more partner-led opportunities with new SKUs built for the way SMB customers buy and renew. They give partners an always-on offer that can be standardized across accounts and carried confidently into renewal conversations. What is launching on July 1 Starting July 1, 2026, we are transitioning the promotional bundles into two durable SKUs, available at the current promotional price point, giving partners a more consistent and scalable way to drive adoption and renewal opportunities with customers. Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot: $23.50/user/month 1 (1–300 seats, annual subscription with annual billing) Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot: $32/user/month (1–300 seats, annual subscription with annual billing) We are also launching a new 25% promotional offer on Microsoft 365 Business Basic plus Microsoft 365 Copilot Business ($21/user/month, 1–300 seats, for annual subscription with annual billing), available through December 31, 2026. This provides a clear entry point for Business Basic customers who would like to get started with Copilot. In addition, the current 15% promotional offer on Microsoft 365 Copilot Business ($18/user/month, 1–300 seats, for annual subscription with annual billing) has also been extended through December 31, 2026, providing partners with more opportunities to scale AI adoption and build pipeline. We encourage partners to lead with Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot or Business Premium with Copilot as integrated offerings for productivity, AI, and security, designed to support partner-led SMB conversations. Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, and Premium also remain available as standalone plans for customers who prefer to purchase Copilot separately. This gives you flexibility to meet customers where they are. Continue reading hereHelp Shape the Future of Microsoft Teams for Small and Medium Businesses
Have you ever wished Microsoft Teams worked just a little better for the way your SMB customers run their business? Maybe you've thought: “It would be great if Teams could do this…” “This workflow would be so much simpler if…” “Why isn’t there a feature for…?” Now’s your chance to directly influence what comes next. Microsoft is inviting Small and Medium Business (SMB) partners to join the Teams SMB Partner Advisory Council (PAC) — a simple, low-effort way to share real-world feedback with the product team and help shape the Teams roadmap for SMB customers. What is Teams SMB PAC? Our Teams SMB Partner Advisory Council (PAC) brings together a Microsoft partners who: Work with SMB customers implementing Teams Have insights into the challenges SMBs face when adopting collaboration tools Want to help improve the products they rely on Through monthly virtual sessions, participants get the opportunity to: ✅ Preview upcoming features and improvements ✅ Provide feedback during early stages of product development ✅ Share what’s working well — and what isn’t ✅ Highlight real-world business scenarios that should be better supported ✅ Influence priorities for SMB-focused innovation in Teams This isn’t a sales call or a support channel — it’s a direct line to the Teams product team. What’s the Commitment? We know you are busy. That’s why participation is designed to be: Flexible – Virtual meetings combined with async conversation Low effort – No prep required for most sessions Conversational – Small-group discussions, not presentations Most sessions are informal and focused on understanding how Microsoft can better support you and your SMB customers. Your input helps ensure we build features that reflect how SMBs actually work — not just how software assumes they do. Why Join? Participants often tell us that one of the biggest benefits of joining the PAC is the opportunity to: Get early visibility into what’s coming next Understand where Teams development is headed Provide feedback that directly reaches the team building the product Help shape experiences that impact SMB customers worldwide Your perspective matters — and it can directly shape the future of Teams for SMB. Trusted by partners across regions including EMEA, APAC, and North America. Interested in Participating? If you'd like to be considered for the Microsoft Teams SMB Partner Advisory Council, simply fill out this short interest form: 👉 Express your interest to join the Teams SMB Advisory Board Once submitted, our team will review your response and follow up with more information on next steps.Pitch Maker Agent: Turn Copilot Chat Signals into Microsoft 365 Copilot Deals
Executive Summary Customers are already using free Copilot Chat at scale, but adoption is often ungoverned and disconnected from the Microsoft 365 workloads where measurable productivity and risk controls live. The Pitch Maker Agent (BETA) helps partners convert Partner Center Copilot growth opportunity signals into customer-ready narratives—reducing pitch preparation from days to minutes and improving consistency across stakeholders (replace with your measured baseline). What it enables (partner outcomes) Turn raw usage signals into an executive business case with clear opportunity, risk, and next steps. Standardize value conversations across IT and business buyers while keeping customer context specific. Accelerate conversion from exploration to governed deployment by anchoring on Microsoft 365 workloads. Why it’s different Evidence-led: uses Partner Center Copilot growth opportunities (ASPX) signals rather than generic prompts. Buyer-ready: outputs a structured narrative (not a feature list) designed for executive alignment and action. Inputs required Partner Center Copilot growth opportunities export (all columns) for the target customer. The Opportunity: From AI Exploration to Enterprise Direction The move from free Copilot Chat to Microsoft 365 Copilot is a timing advantage: customers have intent and familiarity, but need a governed path that ties AI to real work in Teams, Outlook, Excel, and beyond. Advisory gap: translate usage metrics into business insight executives can fund. Governance gap: balance opportunity with security, compliance, and lifecycle controls. Workflow gap: connect AI usage to measurable outcomes inside Microsoft 365 workloads. How the Agent Works (BETA) The Agent follows a simple, repeatable flow to generate an executive-ready pitch narrative from Partner Center Copilot growth opportunity signals. See the agent in action below. In three steps Upload the Partner Center Copilot growth opportunities export (all columns). Run the Agent to translate usage signals into a customer-specific executive narrative. Use the generated business case, recommendations, and next steps in the customer conversation. What the Output Enables Translate Partner Center signals into a fundable business case, faster. Improve executive alignment by presenting opportunity, risk, and plan in one narrative. Increase repeatability across accounts with a consistent structure and messaging. The figure below illustrates how the Agent turns usage signals into a concise, executive-ready pitch narrative and action plan. Figure 1. From Copilot Chat signals to an executive pitch narrative and next-step plan. For customers, the conversation shifts from features to outcomes—clear productivity impact, role-based change, and risk-aware governance. Deployment and Execution The Agent is delivered as a solution package and deployed through Copilot Studio with a straightforward publish-and-run flow. Prepare Partner Center ASPX export (all columns) and validate sensitivity labels. Import the solution package into Copilot Studio. Verify dependencies, publish the Agent, and enable access in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams. Run the guided pitch flow by uploading customer data and capturing the narrative output. The run guide provides step-by-step visuals for data preparation, import, publication, and how to use the output in customer conversations. Why This Matters for Partner Practices The Pitch Maker Agent (BETA) supports a repeatable value motion: identify opportunity, align stakeholders, and move customers from experimentation to governed Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption. Higher conversion: clearer executive rationale anchored in evidence and outcomes. Lower effort: less time drafting, more time on discovery and delivery. Better governance: built-in prompts to address risk, readiness, and controls early. Call to Action This week: 15-minute start Locate the solution package and run guide in the Agent folder. Deploy the Agent in Copilot Studio and publish to Microsoft 365 Copilot/Teams. Export Partner Center Copilot growth opportunities data and validate sensitivity labels. Upload the dataset and generate a customer-specific executive pitch narrative. Resources Helpful links to learn more and access supporting materials: Partner Center Copilot growth opportunities data GitHub repository Overview: Run guideHelp Shape the Future of Microsoft Teams for Small and Medium Businesses
Have you ever wished Microsoft Teams worked just a little better for the way your business operates? Maybe you've thought: “It would be great if Teams could do this…” “This workflow would be so much simpler if…” “Why isn’t there a feature for…?” Now’s your chance to directly influence what comes next. Microsoft is inviting Small and Medium Business (SMB) customers and partners to join our Customer Advisory Board (CAB) and Partner Advisory Council (PAC) for Microsoft Teams SMB. These groups give you a simple, low-effort way to share real-world feedback with the product team — and help guide the Teams roadmap for SMBs. What are CAB and PAC? Our SMB advisory programs bring together a small group of customers and partners who: Use Teams in their day-to-day business operations Work with SMB customers implementing Teams Have insights into the challenges SMBs face when adopting collaboration tools Want to help improve the products they rely on Through monthly virtual sessions, participants get the opportunity to: ✅ Preview upcoming features and improvements ✅ Provide feedback during early stages of product development ✅ Share what’s working well — and what isn’t ✅ Highlight real-world business scenarios that should be better supported ✅ Influence priorities for SMB-focused innovation in Teams This isn’t a sales call or a support channel — it’s a direct line to the Teams product team. What’s the Commitment? We know SMB leaders, IT decision-makers, and partners are busy. That’s why participation is designed to be: Flexible – Virtual meetings combined with async conversation Low effort – No prep required for most sessions Conversational – Small-group discussions, not presentations Most sessions are informal conversations focused on understanding your business needs and how Teams can better support them. Your input helps us build features that actually reflect how SMBs work — not just how software thinks they should. Why Join? Participants often tell us that one of the biggest benefits of joining CAB or PAC is the opportunity to: Get early visibility into what’s coming next Understand where Teams development is headed Provide feedback that directly reaches the team building the product Help shape experiences that impact SMB customers worldwide Whether you're an SMB customer using Teams internally or a partner working with SMB clients, your perspective matters. Interested in Participating? If you'd like to be considered for the Microsoft Teams SMB Customer Advisory Board or Partner Advisory Council, simply fill out this short interest form: 👉 Express your interest to join the Teams SMB Advisory Board Once submitted, our team will review your response and follow up with more information on next steps.Join us May 6: Learn how Microsoft Teams is helping SMBs thrive
Running a small or medium-sized business means wearing every hat at once — sales lead, customer support, IT admin, and marketing team, often before lunch. The tools you rely on need to keep up without getting in the way. That's exactly the conversation we're hosting next week. On Wednesday, May 6, the Microsoft Teams SMB product team is going live for a focused 40-minute session designed specifically for small and medium businesses. What you'll learn Angela Chin, Principal PM Manager on the Teams SMB team, will walk through the latest updates in Microsoft Teams built with smaller businesses in mind: Get going faster — onboarding improvements that take SMBs from sign-up to collaboration in minutes. Deeper customer connections — features that turn Teams into a front door for your customers. Effortless cross-business collaboration — work with vendors, contractors, and partner businesses as naturally as your own team. Bring your questions Connect directly with the Teams SMB product team, ask questions, and share feedback that shapes the roadmap. Who should attend SMB owners and operators, IT pros supporting smaller businesses, partners and consultants, and anyone evaluating Teams. Save your seat Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 8:05–8:45 AM PT. Free to attend. 👉 Register here
Teams Customer Connect: Now available globally in 26 languages
We're excited to announce that Customer Connect web chat in Microsoft Teams (previously called Live Chat) is now available globally, supporting 26 languages and bringing seamless customer engagement to businesses worldwide. For small and medium-sized businesses, every customer interaction matters. Whether someone discovers your business through a Google search, a social media post, or a friend's recommendation, the moment they land on your website is critical. With Customer Connect in Teams, you can now connect with these potential customers instantly no matter where your business is based in the world. A better way to connect with customers Your website is often the first-place potential customers interact with your business. When they have questions, waiting hours or days for an email response isn't ideal – neither for them nor for you. Customer Connect let you respond instantly to website visitors directly within Teams. No more switching tools. What's new with global availability With support for 26 languages, businesses can now provide customer support no matter where you operate. Whether you are based in Tokyo, São Paulo, or Berlin, you can set up Customer Connect to interact with customers in your preferred language. Supported languages Czech, Danish, German, English (Canada), English (United Kingdom), English (United States), Spanish (Chile), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico), French (Canada), French (France), Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese Simplified (China), Chinese Traditional (Taiwan) Key capabilities Simple setup Add the Customer Connect chat widget to your website in minutes. Configure your welcome message, set your availability, and you're ready to start conversations. Native Teams integration Chats appear alongside your regular Teams conversations. All customer interactions are automatically tracked and organized in Teams channels and Microsoft Lists, giving your team full visibility into every conversation. Customers can also book appointments directly with members of your team, making it easy to schedule follow-ups or provide high touch support. Getting started If you're already using Microsoft 365 Business, Customer Connect is included - no additional licensing required. To enable Customer Connect: Open the Admin app in Teams Configure your Customer Connect chat widget settings Add the chat widget to your website Start receiving and responding to customer chats in Teams Learn more Set up Customer Connect for your business Start a discussion with us Microsoft Teams - Small Business CommunityTeams SMB at Microsoft 365 Community Conference
We are looking forward to meeting SMBs and SMB partners attending the Microsoft 365 Community Conference next week. 📅 Learn more about the conference and register today. We have a wonderful lineup of Teams SMB-focused events: 🎤 Teams SMB Breakout Session – Deepening Customer Connections for Your SMB Through Teams Learn about the latest ways Teams is making it easier for SMBs to get started, deeply connect with their customers, and collaborate effectively with other businesses. Thursday, 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM | Oceana Grand 10 (Pacific Resort) ⚡ Teams SMB Lightning Talk – How Teams Helps SMBs Build Real Customer Connections Deep dive into how live chat in Teams is helping SMBs build stronger customer connections. Wednesday, 3:15 PM – 3:35 PM | Microsoft Booth in the Expo Hall 🤝 SMB Meet and Greet Meet other SMBs, SMB partners, and members of the Teams SMB product team. Make a connection, share feedback, and grab some swag stickers made with SMBs in mind. Wednesday, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Caicos 1 🗣️ Teams SMB Roundtables Shape the future of Teams SMB by sharing your feedback and insights. Tuesday, 2:45 PM and Thursday, 10:00 AM | Java Sea 1 (Pacific Resort) 🏢 SMB Office Hours Meet product team members focused on improving Microsoft 365 for SMBs. Share feedback, ask questions, and make connections. Check the conference app for the latest times and venues. Wishing you safe travels to Orlando — see you there!Simplified controls for managing external collaboration in Teams admin center
We know that collaboration with customers, vendors, and partners outside of your small or medium business is critical to your success. We also know that many SMBs have limited IT admin resources, and setup can be a challenge. To make external collaboration setup in Microsoft Teams easier for your SMB, we have introduced a new overview page in Teams admin center that consolidates settings into a single view and have simplified how we describe the settings you can apply. From the new settings, you can select from pre-configured modes that quickly set smart defaults that are right for your business. If your business is open to external collab across chats, calls, meetings, and teams and channels, you can select Open mode to quickly get setup If your business is more conservative, you can select Controlled to align to pre-existing external collab defaults If you want full control of what is enabled and disabled for your business, you can always select Custom as well We're looking forward to hearing your feedback about the new settings experience. Learn more about how you can use these settings, Unified external collab settings managementAI Is the Headline — but Readiness Is the Real Story for MSPs
AI is everywhere right now. Customers are asking about Copilot. They’re curious about automation. They want faster, smarter ways to work. And on the surface, it all feels exciting—and urgent. But when you spend time with MSPs, a different story often emerges. Behind the AI curiosity are environments that aren’t quite ready. Devices are managed inconsistently. Identity hygiene varies by tenant. Security baselines drift over time. And for MSPs, holding all of this together manually—customer by customer—simply doesn’t scale. That gap between AI ambition and operational reality is becoming one of the most important conversations MSPs can have today. Why AI Success Still Comes Down to the Basics AI doesn’t fail because of a lack of innovation. It fails because the fundamentals aren’t in place. Without secure identities, compliant devices, and consistent policies, AI initiatives struggle to move beyond pilots—or worse, introduce new risk. That’s why so many Copilot conversations eventually circle back to the same question: Are we actually ready for this? This is where MSPs play a defining role. Not as AI hype merchants, but as partners who help customers build the foundation that makes AI practical, secure, and sustainable. At the center of that foundation sits Microsoft Intune. Microsoft Intune: Essential, but How Do You Scale? Microsoft Intune is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Many customers own it. Many MSPs support it. Yet adoption and consistency remain uneven. The challenge isn’t Intune itself—it’s the operational model. Managing Intune tenant by tenant, navigating multiple portals, and maintaining consistency across customers creates friction for MSPs. It’s time‑consuming, error‑prone, and difficult to turn into a repeatable service. And yet, Intune is critical. It’s the control plane for users, devices, access, and security—everything AI depends on to work safely at scale. Without Intune done right, AI readiness remains theoretical. Why the Partnership Matters: Microsoft Intune and AvePoint Elements This is why our partnership with Microsoft matters so much. Microsoft Intune provides the foundation. AvePoint Elements makes it scalable for MSPs. AvePoint Elements acts as the MSP operating layer on top of Intune—helping partners standardize, automate, and manage Intune across multiple customer tenants from a single platform. For MSPs, that translates into something very tangible: Less manual effort and portal hopping Consistent Intune baselines across customers Automated user and device lifecycle management Reduced drift, better efficiency, and healthier margins Instead of Intune being “work you absorb,” it becomes something you can package, repeat, and build a business around. From One‑Time Setup to Ongoing Value What we’re seeing with leading MSPs is a mindset shift. Intune is no longer treated as a one‑off deployment. It becomes a managed service—part of a broader story around security, governance, and AI readiness. That might mean standardized Intune onboarding, continuous device and identity hygiene, or positioning Copilot readiness as an ongoing engagement rather than a project. The outcome is powerful and familiar to MSPs who’ve made this transition before: Predictable recurring revenue Operational scale without linear headcount growth Stronger customer trust A clear path from security to AI enablement The Moment for MSPs Customers don’t just want access to AI. They want confidence that it’s being deployed responsibly. MSPs who can provide that confidence—by grounding AI adoption in strong Intune foundations—will stand out in the next phase of the market. That’s exactly what the partnership between Microsoft Intune and AvePoint Elements is designed to enable. A Note for MSP Partners If you’re an MSP thinking about how to: Scale Microsoft Intune delivery Reduce operational friction And turn AI readiness into a repeatable service This is a conversation worth leaning into now. Because in the age of AI, the partners who win won’t just deploy new tools—they’ll make them work in the real world. Join us for “From Copilot to Catalyst: How MSPs Turn AI Readiness Into Recurring Revenue” and explore how Microsoft Intune and AvePoint Elements work better together—helping you turn AI readiness into real, sustainable growth.Join Us at MVP Summit: Helping SMBs thrive through Teams
The Microsoft MVP Summit is just around the corner, and we’re excited to invite Microsoft MVPs to a Teams SMB–focused conversation designed specifically for you on March 24th at 11 am PDT. The session is exclusive to MVP Summit attendees, and it’s intended for MVPs who work closely with small and medium businesses—or who are passionate about how Microsoft Teams continues to evolve for the SMB audience. Why should MVPs join this session? Engage directly with the Microsoft Teams product team focused on SMB. Share real-world insights and feedback from your customers and partners. Learn how we’re thinking about SMB-specific scenarios and where Teams is heading. Connect with fellow Microsoft MVPs who care deeply about Teams and SMB innovation Attending MVP Summit in person? If you’ll be joining us in Redmond for the MVP Summit, we’d love to meet you face to face. Stop by to say hello, put names to faces, and have an informal, candid conversation with the team. These discussions are invaluable to us—and we’re always eager to hear what’s working well and where we can do better. The MVP Summit is a unique, invitation-only forum for open, two-way dialogue, and this session is all about ensuring that the SMB voice—represented by Microsoft MVPs—continues to shape the future of Teams. We’re looking forward to the conversation and hope to see you there. 👉 summit.microsoft.com
