5 Secrets About Microsoft Support.

Dive into the 5 Secrets you must know for your upcoming Microsoft Support Resub, brought to you by Mike Jones, VP of Product Development at US Cloud. Mike will prepare you with information about bucketing your EA with Microsoft Support, the key differences between TAMs and CSAMs, and who the folks outside of Microsoft are that are currently working your tickets.

It’s 20 minutes well spent and will pay huge dividends on your upcoming resub!

Download the 5 Secrets About Microsoft Support Cheat Sheet

Secret #1: Microsoft will tell you that your Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Unified contract need to be in the same window. Mmm…no.

• Bundling the Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Unified Support contract together allows MSFT to hide costs and increase margins.
• EA contracts are for a 3-year term, which locks you in and removes the opportunity to save millions of dollars with viable alternatives to Unified.
• To reduce overall spend, negotiators and IT Procurement need the freedom to analyze Unified Support costs outside the EA.

Secret #2: Microsoft claims that Unified Support is “Unlimited.” Again, no.

• You can have annnnnything you want… as long as you want reactive support or online DIY tools.
• You’ll need to buy proactive support credits for engineer-led proactive services, DSE, support for mission-critical, Azure Rapid Response, and a host of other add-ons. Plus, a 30% TAM fee.
• US Cloud, by contrast, offers a full Proactive Support Catalog – and you only ever pay for hours you need.

Secret #3: The quality of service from Microsoft is getting worse. (Even though you’re paying more.)

• Microsoft does not have the bandwidth to fully support Unified clients opening tickets “as needed.”
• Companies reporting falling MSFT support quality went from 17% in 2018 to a whopping 88% by end of 2021.
• Complaints we’ve heard from MSFT customers:
  • Lengthening support response times
  • Endless engineer transfers
  • Needing to “start over” multiple times
  • Dialect and communication issues
  • Getting “ghosted” after initial engagements
  • Lower-level engineers acting as barriers
  • CSAM’s inability to effectively expedite
  • Pervasive use of ineffective offshore engineers

Secret #4: CSAMs have replaced TAMs – and your needs aren’t their priority. Selling is.

• TAM: Technical Account Managers plan, manage and review the delivery of support services that drive outcomes. The TAM is also an escalation point, ensuring the client receives a world class support experience. TAMS are no longer available from Microsoft.
• CSAM: Customer Success Account Managers are the new primary customer facing role at Microsoft. Their business priority is the customer’s successful adoption and productive use of Microsoft Cloud technologies.

Secret #5: Think you can’t outsource to a third party? Think again. Microsoft is already outsourcing your tickets.

• Third-party vendors, often out of India, are doing much of the break-fix work, resulting in slower response and ticket resolution times, not to mention serious security risks when data is shipped offshore.
• Look a little closer. If email signatures from MSFT Support contain a “V -” you’re dealing with a third-party, non-Microsoft vendor.
• Why pay for Microsoft to outsource to Tata when US Cloud delivers lower costs and higher quality support all based in the US?