BMS Blog: SBS Consulting in the UK

I’ve just finished my Q3 PAL catchup call with Andrea Russell and the rest of the worldwide PALs.

The main point of discussion was around the changes to the MPN program and how they effect SBSC partners. Although I can’t tell exactly what was discussed as it is under NDA what I can say is this document The Value of Earning a Microsoft Competency eludes to many of the main points.

If I was an SBSC partner right now (and I am) I would have a big grin on my face!

The dates for the next technical and business schools have been announced.

We had a fantastic attendance for the last technical school and this series is really starting to gain momentum so don’t miss out and register today!

If you haven’t already done so, please reply to the Microsoft 2010 SMB Partner Insight online survey as Microsoft  will be using the results to help promote the SBSC brand through integrated marketing and media relations.

The deadline for responses has been extended until Feb 1 so please reply if you have a few mins: http://rap6.tns-online.com/rapsurvey/presurvey.asp?SID=916&Language=English

I thought I’d do a quick comparison of using Eopen versus the “new and improved” Volume Licence Service Centre (VLSC) to add a new agreement.

Scenario 1: Eopen

1. Receive email from distribution with agreement number and licence number.
2. Log on to the Eopen website with my Live ID.
3. Click on “add new agreement”
4. Enter the agreement number and licence number
5. Accept the agreement T&Cs
6. Download licenced software/keys.

Scenario 2: VLSC

1. Receive email from distribution with agreement number and licence number. (Distribution obviously unaware of changes as email still states go to Eopen site).
2. Log on to the VLSC website with my Live ID.
3. Go to Settings > Request Permissions
4. Choose program type
5. Enter Agreement and license number
6. Set Permission role requested.
7. Wait for end user to receive email asking them to add partner permissions
8. Talk end user through setting up a Live ID
9. Talk end user through accessing the VLSC website
10. Talk end user through managing users and accepting request.
11. Wait for email saying permission request granted.
12. Log on to VLSC with my Live ID.
13. Download licensed software/keys.

In reality scenario 1 used to take 10 minutes max. Scenario 2 took 8 hours while we waited for emails to arrive, the customer to be available to talk through the process etc.

The worst part of all this is we then get the customer saying to us “why are you involving us in this process? We don’t want all the hassle, that’s why we pay you to sort it out for us”. To be honest I couldn’t agree more.

Go take a look at Eric Ligman’s blog post and the huge number of replies and you’ll see we aren’t the only ones complaining!

Is your Small Business Specialist status: ‘active not compliant’?

If your Small Business Specialist status is showing as ‘active not compliant’, please check that you have met all of the requirements of becoming and remaining a Small Business Specialist. While there have been no changes to these requirements, some assessments, including the Small Business Sales and Marketing Skills Assessment, must be renewed once every two years. If you’re a Registered partner, remember your annual Action Pack or Empower subscription may need to be renewed. If your status is showing as ‘active not compliant’ and you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact Dell Quinn or the Regional Service Centre via: 0800 91 73 128. Please note that you do not need to take any action if your status is showing as ‘active’.

If you are a Microsoft partner and SBSC you need to go and complete the SMB Partner Insight Survey. The results will help Microsoft showcase the Small Business Specialist Community as experts in the use of IT to save costs and improve productivity amid a down economy. Please complete the survey by Friday, 22 January 2010.

The next Business and Technical Schools are now available for registration:

Business School Live Meeting

Are you a small business which would like to build new routes to market to create more  visibility for your business and target new customers?  As experienced Channels and Alliances specialists, Giant Step, will guide you on avoiding the pitfalls and understanding the opportunity of partnering for your organisation.

Technical School Live Meeting

During this Live Meeting, Microsoft’s Jessica Meats will provide an overview of SharePoint. Jessica will describe how best to position this product with SMB customers and the resources you can use to sell it.

As normal Andy Trish will be hosting the Business School and I’ll be doing the Technical School. I am getting some great feedback from partners around these events so please come and join us. Just click on the links above to register – look forward to seeing you there!

Well I think its fair to say the transition from Eopen to VLSC has been fraught with issues!

First of all the VLSC site “went down for maintenance” for several days after the transition which didn’t help and I’ve had problems accessing the site ever since.

However, the biggest problem by far is there is no way to add new agreements to the site! Yep you read that right – Microsoft have removed the ability for me to add my own agreements electronically! In Eopen I simply had to drop the agreement and licence number in and job done – I could access the downloads and licence keys.

I logged a support call with the VLSC help centre about a week ago (after being on hold for 45 minutes) complaining about the lack of being able to add agreements and was told that it was being worked on and a fix would be available soon. A couple of days later I got a call back apologising for the delay and letting me know it was still being worked on.

Today I called again (another 35 minute hold) and this time was told that the only way to add agreements was by telephoning the VLSC help line and they would add the agreements. When I questioned this they said it was for “security reasons”.

There’s something not right here. First of all I’m told they are fixing the problem and then they deny there is a problem and we have to call them to get them to add the licences! No wonder there is a 45 minute wait on the phone – Microsoft are asking every single partner and customer who used to add their own licences to call them so Microsoft can add them instead. What’s that about!

I suspect there has been a major cover up here and the representative I spoke to did nothing to disguise the fact the whole thing has been a fiasco and even went as far as to say they hadn’t even been able to access the training resources themselves in able to learn the new site and features before launch.

What we deserve is an apology and compensation from Microsoft for causing delays in us being able to install Open licences and therefore delaying customer installations. I won’t be holding my breath…

Details of Business School and Technical School for Jan have been announced as follows:

Business School: Developing new routes to market

Business Schools are a series of monthly Live Meetings specifically for the Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) and Registered partners who specialise in targeting the small to medium size business market. Each month, a business expert will provide guidance on a specific topic. Taking place on 21 January at 15:00 (GMT), the third Business School, led by Caroline Egan of Giant Step, will discuss how to develop new routes to market. Review a recording of last months’ Business School meeting, which focused on how to use public relations to publicise your business.

Technical School: SharePoint for small and medium size business

Technical Schools are a series of monthly Live Meetings specifically for the Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) and Registered partners who specialise in targeting the small to medium size business market. Each month, a Microsoft technology expert and/or Microsoft partner will provide advice on how to make full use of the opportunities associated with Microsoft technologies. Taking place on 27 January from 16.00-17.00 (GMT), the third Technical School led by Microsoft’s Jessica Meats, will provide an overview of the opportunities associated with SharePoint from a small and medium size business (SMB) perspective. Review a recording of last months’ Technical School meeting, which discussed Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).

For those that missed it (or want to see it again) the recording of the BPOS Technical School live meeting is now available at:

https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastRegistrationConfirmation.aspx?culture=en-GB&RegistrationID=1304293125&Validate=false