Encore Business Solutions Joins New Tier of Elite Microsoft Partners by Earning Advanced Specialization in Small and Midsize Business Management
Encore Business Solutions (Encore) continues to invest in North American companies’ success by strengthening their commitment to earn and maintain not only Microsoft core competencies, but also Advanced Specialization for the Small and Medium Business (SMB) segment. In early 2021, Microsoft announced the availability of Advanced Specializations within 4 areas of focus: Azure, Business Applications, Modern Work, and Security. Only accessible to established Gold Partners, these specializations move beyond the broader technical skills that competencies measure. They examine partners according to strict criteria and evaluate their deeper capabilities in specific solution areas which identify a partner’s true capabilities to drive customer adoption and success. With over 64,000 businesses in the Microsoft Partner Network, Advanced Specializations allow companies who are new to Microsoft Dynamics and those who are developing their core systems to understand which partners comprise the most elite tier of the partner channel.
As one of the longest standing North American Microsoft Gold Dynamics Partners, Encore recognized the value of Microsoft competencies almost three decades ago, becoming one of the fastest to earn Gold Partner status. With hundreds of successful implementation and expansion projects, Encore earned and currently holds ten competencies, among many other industry awards. Now the company deepens its connection to Microsoft’s partner classifications by quickly earning their first Advanced Specialization for the Small and Medium Business (SMB) segment, focused specifically on Dynamics 365 Business Central.
“The company is proud to devote its solutioning abilities to Microsoft’s technology stack almost exclusively. We developed our strong standing in Microsoft’s partner community by strategically aligning with their vision and by becoming experts in the intended and creative uses of their applications,” says Ken Chartrand, CEO of Encore Business Solutions. “These new specializations help our clients understand where Encore excels beyond the standard Gold Partner, and this intensifies our role as a key business partner.”
The success of Encore’s project and customer service approach—which rejects the ‘implement and run’ aspect of technology partners—has always been measured by lifetime client retention, high customer service marks, and the overall system adoption of the companies they support. These guiding metrics keep Encore in the lead of the Microsoft partner community as illustrated by its latest identification on The VAR Stars List, Accounting Today’s Top 100 VARs List, and Fifty-Five and Five’s Microsoft Partner Top 50 Movers and Shakers: The Rules of Engagement.
The company now looks forward to widening its gold competency library as well as showcasing its specializations by earning even more recognition from Microsoft. Encore understands that by deepening their intentional focus on Microsoft Dynamics, they in turn invest in the long-term success of North American companies. Alongside over 30 years of Microsoft solutioning experience, they bring scalable growth and expansion to both the SMB and enterprise business segments through concentrated technical and functional skills, as well as proven client success. Microsoft Advanced Specializations provide the next generation of assurance for companies who are ready to leverage their existing or new technology systems as key building blocks for profitable evolution.