FRP Only Incentive: FY24 Microsoft 365 Customer Success Offer

 

Overview

As of August 2023, Microsoft-nominated customers who own Office 365 products are eligible to receive service credits to be used with a FastTrack Ready Partner (FRP) on services that help accelerate the adoption of Office 365.

How it works​

Customers who own ME3 (Microsoft Enterprise) and/or Office 365 licenses (E1, E3, and E5) are matched with an eligible FastTrack Ready Partner (FRP) and are granted the right to receive a voucher with a maximum value. The voucher can be redeemed for the deployment of licenses that have already been purchased by customers. Because the focus of the offer is on customers using ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5 licenses they have already purchased, the deployment functions as an adoption campaign.

The intent of the offer is to increase the number of users deployed in the customer’s license for Exchange Online (EXO), SharePoint Online (SPO), Teams (chat, collaboration, meetings) and Microsoft 365 Apps.

Offer Terms​

• The offer is valid for qualifying existing Commercial and Public sector and Gov customers with Office 365 licenses.
• Deployment services credit must be used with a FastTrack Ready Partner within 180 calendar days of the date the voucher is issued. The voucher expiration date is stated on the voucher.
• The voucher amount is set as an "up-to" amount based on the customer size; the payment is calculated based on the actual number of users deployed at the end of the engagement.
• The deployment must be greater than 250 users on at least two of the four eligible workloads (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams and Microsoft 365 Apps).
• Final payment amount is based on the number of users deployed at the end of customer engagement.
• Limited to one M365 Customer Success Offer per Tenant Parent ID (TPID).

Eligible Customers​

• Customers with purchased licenses of commercial SKUs of ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5 and have less than 60% monthly active usage (MAU) on two or more workloads (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, Microsoft 365 Apps).
• Commercial, Public sector, Government, and Cloud Solution Providers (CSP)
• Not eligible: Non-Profit and EDU
• Limited to one M365 Customer Success Offer per TPID
• Eligible Customers receiving vouchers will work with FRPs

Voucher Amount

• Incentive payment varies according to the deployment size, up to the set limit.
• Value is calculated based on the users deployed: $15 per user multiplied by the number of users the service enables. The Statement of Work (SOW) and Proof of Engagement (POE) should include this information.
• The deployment user size must be a minimum of 250 users and may not exceed the number of paid users of ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5 in the customer’s tenant.

Proof of Execution

• While the Statement of Work is an intentional document, the Proof of Execution determines the actual service delivered.
• The delivery reported on the Proof of Execution document is used to determine the amount to be paid to partners, observing the maximum amount stated on the voucher.
• Partners must submit for approval the signed Proof of Execution (refer to POE template) between partner and customer.
• The Proof of Execution document, signed by customer (electronically of physically) is a prerequisite for partners to receive payment.
• Payment is done in a single installment at 100% of the total value of the earned.

Per the FPC T&Cs, deployment services within the scope of the FastTrack Benefit must be provided at no cost to the customer. All other services supporting the qualified offer deployment can be considered billable and usable for the workload indicated on the voucher.

Redemption Process

1. The FRP downloads the Statement of Work (SOW) template, completes the template, obtains the customer’s signature, and uploads the signed SOW.
2. Upon completion of the project, the partner downloads the program Proof of Execution (POE) template, completes the template, informs the number of seats deployed, obtains the customer’s signature, and submits the Payment Request prior to the expiration date on the voucher. 
3. M365 Offer Desk will evaluate the request and if approved, the FRP will receive a notification and the funds will be paid according to standard timelines documented in the FastTrack Partner Community Terms and Conditions. Review the Payment and Dispute guidance if you have any questions. 

Common questions

Q: Can a voucher be transferred to another customer?

A: No, it cannot be redeemed by or transferred to another customer. It can only be redeemed by the customer to whom it was issued.

Q: Where can I find the FastTrack Partner Community Terms and Conditions (T&C's) for this offer?

A: For the Terms and Conditions for this offer, refer to the FastTrack Partner Community Terms and Conditions.

Q: How will the partner know if their customer has been issued a voucher?

A: FRPs participating on this Offer are notified when their referred customer receives the voucher.

Q: What are the eligibility criteria?

A: Key eligibility elements are as follows:

• Eligible Customers – Commercial, Public sector/Gov, CPS
• Office 365 customers with more than 500 seats

Q: What workloads are eligible? 

A: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams (chat, collab, meetings) and Microsoft 365 apps.

Q: Which customers are ineligible?

A: Non-Profit and EDU customers.

Q: What is my earning opportunity with the FY23 offers?

A: Voucher amount based on potential customer opportunity for ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5.

• Payment Tier 1: Customers with between 500 and 4,999 seats of purchased commercial SKUs of ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5 and have less than 60% monthly active usage.
  • Max payout USD $25,000, paid at $15/user deployed (minimum 250 users and 2 eligible workloads). The number of users eligible for deployment may not exceed the number of paid licenses not in use at the time the voucher is issued. Total seats and payout amount to be verified by Microsoft at end of the completion month.
• Payment Tier 2: Customers with greater than 5,000 seats of purchased commercial SKUs of ME3 and/or Office 365 E1/E3/E5 and have less than 60% monthly active usage.
  • Max payout USD $50,000, paid at $15/user deployed (minimum 250 seats and 2 eligible workloads). The number of users eligible for deployment may not exceed the number of paid licenses not in use at the time the voucher is issued.

Partners have 30 days from the day they are notified of the customer referral to inform QTM of their intention to work with the customer and submit the customer’s SOW. The voucher is specific to the mapped partner/customer and customers only receive the voucher after the QTM team is notified of their intention to work together.

Q: How long is the voucher valid for?

A: Vouchers are valid for 180 calendar days from the date the voucher is issued to the appointed customer. If a POE is not submitted within the 180 days, the voucher expires, and partner loses the right to this offer incentive (Microsoft payment).

Q: If the voucher is used, should the FRP still claim workloads and be eligible for other incentives?

A: Yes. FRPs should continue their standard claiming process through CPOR. The deployment offer is in addition to any eligible incentives that may be available.

Q: Can this offer be used in conjunction with ECIF funding?

A: This offer cannot be combined with deployment activity related to ECIF.

Q: Which partners can redeem a voucher?

A: This is a global offer for FastTrack Ready Partners on the approved list.

Q: How can I redeem my customer's voucher?

A: Please follow the following steps:
 

1. Go to Partner Community Portal
2. Select Registrations, Redeem Voucher
3. Select My Voucher Redemptions, and then Click +Create
4. In the Program Membership field use the Search icon. Select the applicable program for the voucher. All vouchers are under FastTrack Ready Partner. Fill out all boxes and choose Next.
5. Based on the Redemption Type you select, the Portal will display the link to the Statement of Work (SOW) template for initial redemption, or Proof of Engagement (POE) template for final redemption.
6. Download the template, fill it out, and sign with your customer.
7. Upload the SOW (initial redemption) or POE (final redemption) and submit.
8. After creating the voucher redemption, track the status on the Voucher Redemptions page. The status will be Received until the Registration team approves it.

Q: Is this funding in US dollars?

A: Partner incentives are paid in local currency equivalent to the US dollar value of the deployment voucher.

Q: Does this offer require a different Payment Central profile or is the FRP payment profile sufficient?

A: The existing Payment Central profile will be used for payment. No additional setup is required.

Q: Will I be able to see my earnings in Partner Center?

A: No. This offer is not being run through Partner Center. It is an FRP-only program. Incentive earning statements are published to the FRP primary contacts in the Community Portal Partner Statements.

Q: Where is this offer available?

A: The offer is global.

Q: Are the FastTrack Program Managers (FPMs) allowed to be cc’d in any of the email communications?

A: Yes, FPMs will be cc'd when voucher emails and voucher expiration reminders are sent to a partner.

Q: How long does it typically take to get approval for initial or final redemption requests?

A: Within two (2) business days unless additional info and/or documentation required.

Q: Can customers split the voucher across multiple partners?

A: No. Voucher is specific to be used between the customer and FRP, and only the stated partner can redeem the voucher.

Q: Can I submit my own SOW and/or POE documents for the voucher redemption request?

A: No, only the Statement of Work (SOW) template and Proof of Execution (POE) template can be used and must be signed by both customer and partner.

Q: Who can we contact if we have questions on the M365 Customer Success Offer?

A: For issues related to voucher redemption by FastTrack Ready Partners, email FastTrack Special Incentive Claims. 

Q: For FastTrack Ready Partners, is it necessary to claim all workloads?

A: A minimum of two of the four workloads must be deployed (EXO, SPO, Teams (chat, collab, meetings) and M365 Apps (Office Apps).

Q: Can a FastTrack Ready Partner decline to engage with a customer?

A: Yes. FRPs are not under any obligation to provide the deployment work. This may happen if partners are at capacity and cannot perform the work.  If this happens, please contact ftspincentiveclaims@microsoft.com.

Q: How do we accept the referral?

A: Register at Microsoft 365 Customer Success Offer.

Q: Can you change the partner/customer contact?

A: For issues related to a voucher redemption by FastTrack Ready Partners, email FastTrack Special Incentive Claims. 

Q: We are having trouble seeing our company's vouchers and/or registrations on the portal or accessing the portal. What do we do?

A: Refer to KB-01501. For other Portal access issues, refer to https://aka.ms/pxpartnersupport.

Q: How would we know the specific user size not to exceed? Do we have an indication of that number?

A: Each seat is a $15 payout. The payout cannot exceed the maximum value of the voucher. For example: If a voucher’s maximum value is $50,000, no more than 3,333 seats could be deployed because $15 X 3,333 = $50,000.
 
Q: After project completion, how does Microsoft verify the payment amount?

A: We will review the seats deployed internally. After the POE is submitted, the seats will be verified and then the partner will be paid.

Q: How are Customer Success Offer (CSO) Vouchers paid?

A: The Customer Success Offer requires SOW submission and approval. The vouchers are paid in a one payment upon submission and approval of POE after the engagement completion, observing the payment timeline (payments made 45 days after the last day of the month that the POE was submitted.)

Q: Is there a process to proactively nominate an M365 customer for this offer?

A: Not at this time.

Q: Why does my voucher have a maximum cap if we have a much larger opportunity to cover?

A: The voucher is based on eligible licenses from SKUs that are in scope for this offer. The earning potential and associated deployment size is determined by the number of Office 365 or ME3 licenses the customer has purchased, not the number of licenses the customer acquired that includes M365 Apps. Office 365 includes M365 Apps, but the customer may have additional licenses that also come with M365 Apps, which would not be eligible for this offer.

Q: Can I add Microsoft Power BI and PowerApps to the scope of work as part of the Microsoft Apps Product pool?

A: Power BI and PowerApps are not eligible under this offer as they are considered Power Platform Apps.  For eligible M365 Apps please refer to Microsoft 365 Apps for Business | Microsoft 365.

Q: Is there a time limit for submitting the SOW after we receive the voucher?

A: Both the SOW and POE must be submitted and approved by the Voucher expiration date. There is no upfront deadline for the SOW, but you should allow enough time to complete the engagement and get approvals on your documentation.