See the Value in Your Dynamics Partner

When I’m having conversations with my clients about their Microsoft Dynamics Partner, I’m surprised that occasionally they aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about.

Let me break it down a bit for anyone who may not be familiar with how purchasing Microsoft Dynamics products works. Microsoft has developed products that they sell through many Dynamics Partners around the world. When you approach Microsoft to purchase a product from the Dynamics line, they will direct you to their list of Dynamics Partners to select one that you can make the purchase through, because Microsoft does not sell Dynamics directly to consumers.

All the sales go through that Dynamics Partner, (you may also hear the term “VAR” which stands for Value Added Reseller). Companies will then choose a Partner based on criteria like a Partner in their same geography, or maybe they want a Partner with experience in Cloud technologies and additional tools to help their own company grow and thrive.

Your partner is also who you pay your annual renewal to every year after purchasing your solution, and as the term VAR states they should be adding that VALUE. They should be helping you navigate the digital transformation in today’s world while keeping your priorities in check and aiding in your decision-making processes.

The most important thing to know about your VAR is you are not locked in with them. If you feel they are not providing value and you are stuck, maybe it’s time to make the switch? That being said, switching too often can lead to confusion about the system. You want to pick a partner that knows your system and will be able to support you as long as you are using it.

If you aren’t sure whether a partner change is the right move or you are wondering if Encore would be the right fit, check out our chart below that will show you how Encore stacks up to the rest!

10 Reasons to Choose Encore as your Dynamics Partner

Not sure why Encore is the best choice for your Microsoft Dynamics Partner? Check out some of the points below about why clients tend to leave their current Partner:

Why Do Clients Leave their Partner?	Why is Encore a Better Choice?
Support is not timely.	Inbound calls and emails for support are monitored during business hours and triaged to ensure a prompt response. Break/fix, system down situations are granted highest priority.  The first available technician will respond as soon as possible. Encore Care was built from the ground up to handle all of your support needs.
Never available when I need them.	Encore differentiates between break/fix support and general requests for consulting services. Requests for training, upgrades, and report modifications fall under general requests and should be scheduled through your Account Manager. Stand-by service can be prearranged when you are making system changes on evenings and weekends.
They never offer proactive education sessions.	At Encore we understand there is a lot of information coming your way and technology changes at a rapid pace, so we filter through the clutter and deliver information to you via different methods to make sure you are aware and up to date on the solutions that matter to you most.
They don’t offer any training.	At Encore our long-standing philosophy has been to make our clients self-sufficient, so you don’t incur ongoing support costs. We offer and encourage training of different types because people learn in different ways. We’d be happy to review our training programs and options with you.
They don’t understand our business.	You understand your business; we understand how to make the software work for your business. We not only have a great team with diverse industry knowledge, but we have a large client base and relationships with strategic alliances that we can draw on when needed to bring specific expertise to the table.
They prefer to focus on bigger companies; we are too small for them.	We understand that clients have initiatives that compete for the same dollar and sometimes IT and ERP projects struggle to get a piece of the funding. As long as your company sees value in the technology, invests in periodic updates and trusts Encore to provide strategic direction, you will never be considered too small for us.
Our business is complicated; they don’t have the expertise to deal with large companies like us.	Some businesses are very complicated, and many ERP partners do not have the depth or technical skills to support increasingly complex ERP systems. Encore has a large team, with a ton of expertise and by extension we have a large network of business partners we collaborate with to bring subject matter experts in when necessary.
They charge us for everything.	As a client of Encore, you are assigned an Account Manager who is responsible for listening and coordinating Encore’s assistance at no charge. As a professional services organization, Encore employs highly trained, specialized and certified individuals who deliver value to your organization. We want to ensure you receive value in everything we do.
They have no consultants on the ground in my region.	The team at Encore operates from 4 business offices and numerous home offices across Canada and the US. We are an increasingly mobile service provider so we can generally be on-site, but the reality is that the majority of our service is provided remotely for clients.  The tools today are fantastic for connecting with clients; the problem is solved quickly and there are no travel costs.
The consultant who looked after me left, so I followed them.	When you partner with Encore, your relationship is with Encore, the company, not an individual consultant. An Account Manager is assigned to your account, so you have one primary contact and we rotate our consultants through our client base to make you are protected against personnel changes.

I hope this has give you some important points to think about when choosing your Microsoft Dynamics Partner. We’d love to speak with you about your organization’s needs, please feel free to connect with us!