Client Conversation: Amedisys (Revisited)

Hi Todd and Matthew! Thank you for taking the time to check in with us today. Let’s start with revisiting your journey from Microsoft to US Cloud. What initially led you to US Cloud and the transition away from Microsoft Unified?

It’s been a while—I looked back at my notes, though. I don’t think our situation was unusual compared to other customers.

Right.

Microsoft was moving to a model where you paid a percentage of your total EA spend. That was going to cause a significant year-over-year increase for us. We stayed on Premier for an extra year with an extension, but switching to the new model meant a big price jump. At the same time, we saw a decline in service quality and responsiveness from Microsoft.

Tickets would stay open for days with no updates. Updates came late in the day from overseas engineers, and by the time we responded, they were off shift. It was frustrating—the same issues I’m sure many of your customers have seen.

So, we were looking at poor service relative to the cost, combined with a looming price increase we couldn’t justify. I don’t recall exactly how we first learned about US Cloud, probably through a peer in IT. We did some reference calls, decided to give it a try, and here we are years later—still using it and happy with the results.

And we’re happy to have you! After so many years, what makes US Cloud most valuable to you now?

For us, it’s about having that “break glass” resource. Matt manages the system administrators who handle day-to-day issues, while my team focuses on higher-level engineering and architecture. Most tickets with US Cloud come from his team, but when there’s a major issue, we need an escalation point.

The choice is: who’s that escalation point going to be? Do we get better responsiveness from Microsoft or US Cloud? For us, it’s been US Cloud. Even though many of our services are cloud-based and you still escalate to Microsoft, we’ve found we get equal or better service at a much lower cost.

At the end of the day, the value comes from that balance—responsiveness and support at a fair price.

Do you have a sense of what Unified would have cost compared to US Cloud before you switched?

I don’t, since we haven’t requested a quote in years. But one thing we do is a yearly review of hours used. Each year we’ve reduced the number of contracted hours because we don’t use as many as we thought. That makes the spend more efficient.

I want all our partners to succeed, but I also don’t want to overpay for something we don’t use. With US Cloud, unused hours aren’t wasted. For example, last year we used some for much-needed training, which added value. The relationship feels fair—what we pay matches our usage, and the flexibility is there.

Did you have concerns starting out about using a third-party support provider, or do you have any now?

Initially, yes. Logically, it didn’t make sense—how could you provide better service than Microsoft for Microsoft’s own products? But the reality is, Microsoft outsources much of its support anyway. When you call them, you’re often not talking to Microsoft at all.

So the real comparison is: do you want Microsoft’s outsourced first-level support, or US Cloud’s? In our experience, US Cloud provides equal or better service at a lower cost.

There’s also a corporate politics factor. Some leaders feel safer sticking with Microsoft—you “can’t get fired” for choosing them. But our organization supported the decision to go with US Cloud, and we knew we could always return to Microsoft if needed.

For my team, the proactive work has been key. One of my admins manages SCCM but isn’t an expert, so he relies on US Cloud’s SCCM experts when updates roll out. That proactive support prevents issues before they happen, which could otherwise be very disruptive.

That’s great to hear that our engineers have been able to round out your team’s expertise when you need it.

Let’s talk about what results you’ve been seeing since joining US Cloud. What measurable results have you seen from working with US Cloud?

The US Cloud portal has been very useful. In our monthly status updates, we review detailed reports on ticket types—proactive, reactive, P1/P2s, escalations, even by application. That visibility helps us identify trends, focus on problem areas, and spot training opportunities to reduce tickets.

I don’t know if Microsoft offers something similar at the Premier level, but with US Cloud, it’s included and part of the ongoing value.

And the cases we open aren’t basic—they’re significant, complex problems. Sometimes they require Microsoft’s involvement, and that’s where US Cloud becomes an advocate for us. In our experience, that advocacy is more effective than what we got from Microsoft TAMs.

Exactly. Shortly after I started, we had a ticket open for several months. US Cloud escalated to Microsoft. US Cloud was responsive, but Microsoft dragged its feet. Without US Cloud pushing, I don’t think we would have seen resolution. That’s why I don’t see us ever going back to Microsoft support.

Microsoft would argue Premier would’ve been better, but from what I’ve seen, US Cloud’s escalation partner has the same access a Premier customer would. If they struggled to get answers, we would too—only at a much higher price.

I’m glad you see us as a true partner and advocate and that you have primarily been experiencing gains when it comes to the switch from Unified to US Cloud. That’s what we aim for. Thank you both for your insights!

Happy to help.

You’re welcome.