If you have a Solutions Partner designation, chances are you’ll extract maximum value from updates to the Microsoft Partner Benefit Packages.
So, what are Solutions Partner designations, how do partners attain them and where’s the value in having one?
Our-house experts, Ksenia Turner and Michelle Harold break down the process and the value of attaining a Solutions Partner designation.
Recognition and Reward
What is a Solutions Partner designation?
A Solutions Partner designation (SPD) is a recognition awarded by Microsoft to partners who demonstrate a broad range of capabilities in specific, high-demand solution areas. There are six designations, each corresponding to a specific Microsoft solution portfolio.
When a designation is awarded, it confirms a partner has met a set of rigorous criteria. These include demonstrated solution knowledge, technical expertise and a proven ability to deliver solutions in the designated category.
Attaining a Solutions Partner designation provides additional benefits that assist partners to extend their customer reach, accelerate GTM activities and competitively differentiate in the market.
Eligibility Criteria
To achieve the Solution Partner Designation, partners must meet specific criteria that contribute to their Partner Capability Score. The score is based on three main categories: Performance, Skilling, and Customer Success. Each designation has a number of points that can be earned, per category.
Partners have the flexibility to choose which categories to focus on within a solution area. The goal is to achieve a minimum of 70 points across these categories, with at least 1 point in each.
Performance
Net New Customer Adds
Drive a significant number of new customer acquisitions. Points are awarded based on the number of net new customer adds.
Skilling
Certification Requirements
Ensure a certain number of certified professionals with intermediate and advanced certifications. Examples include:
- Intermediate Certifications: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals, Azure Administrator Associate, Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate.
- Advanced Certifications: Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Power Platform Solution Architect Expert.
Certification Points
Each qualifying certification earns points towards the Partner Capability Score.
Customer Success
Active Usage Growth
Show an increase in active usage of Microsoft 365, Azure, and Business Applications workloads by customers. Points are awarded for the growth in usage of these workloads.
Successful Deployments
Successfully deploy Microsoft 365, Azure, and Business Applications workloads. Points are awarded for deploying these workloads for more customers.
Additional Criteria
Partner Agreement and Authorisation
Valid Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Agreement and authorization as a Microsoft CSP Indirect Reseller or Direct Bill Partner.
Specialisation Designation
Achieve specialisations in areas like Modern Work, Security, Azure, and Business Applications to further validate deep technical expertise.
Using the Partner Center to track progress
If you’ve not sought Solutions Partner designation before, Partner Center is a vital resource to help you check progress and identify steps to stay on track.
It’s a simple set of routine processes:
1. Sign in to Partner Center
TIP: Ensure your certified professionals link their learning accounts to your organisation account.
2. Review Your Score
Regularly check your partner capability score, which measures performance, skilling, and customer success.
3. Track Your Progress
TIP: Use the insights workspace in Partner Center to monitor analytics reports and KPIs.
4. Stay Updated
Keep an eye on updates and changes in the requirements for the Solution Partner Designation.
Partner Center Dashboard Guide
The Value of SPD Attainment
Standing Product Benefits
Access to Azure bulk credits, development environments, on-premises licenses and cloud services subscriptions such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 E5 and more.
New Product Benefits
Enhancements to Teams Enterprise, Copilot products, GitHub, Microsoft Defender for Endpoints, Power Apps and Power Automate Premium.
Customer Reach
Attract more customers with an optimised profile and referral management. Enjoy increased visibility as a listed solutions provider with SPD Badges to showcase your expertise.
GTM and Expansion
Access consultations and tools to optimise your go-to-market strategies. Assess your readiness for geographic expansion. Leverage Partner-Marketing-as-a-Service offerings.
Marketing Accelerators
Access a library of digital marketing content to promote your services and launch effective campaigns with pre-made assets via the Partner Marketing Center.
Advisory and Support
Technical presales and deployment services to deliver solutions faster. Advisory hours to help plan, build and implement. Assistance with technical sales prep and deal enablement. Support for Partner Cloud incidents and on-premises product incidents.
Set Your Attainment Goal
1. Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.
As the saying goes, anything worth having requires effort. Attaining a Solutions Partner designation is not exempt.
There is journey requires dedication, strategic planning, and consistent effort across several areas of your business.
Take the time to understand what’s involved, and to get your team ‘match-fit’ to undertake the process.
Below is a list of challenges that partners commonly face when in pursuit of their first Solutions Partner designation, and a few navigation pointers that may help you avoid some bumps in the road.
| Requirement | Challenge |
| Meeting Performance Metrics | Driving net new customer adds and usage growth |
| Certification Requirements | Achieving necessary certifications |
| Customer Success Metrics | High deployment and usage growth scores |
| Partner Capability Score | Achieving a minimum of 70 points |
| Keeping Up with Updates | Staying informed about changes |
| Managing CPOR Associations | Accurate tracking and attribution |
| Resource Allocation | Investing in skilling, marketing, and customer engagement |
| Technical and Sales Support | Utilising TP&D services effectively |
2. Check your course frequently, and plan to adjust.
While the reward for SPD attainment is significant, the obstacles can sometimes feel daunting.
One of the biggest hurdles is often increasing customer success metrics, particularly when it comes to deploying Microsoft workloads for new clients and driving active usage growth.
Improving Customer Success metrics is not just about meeting numbers; it’s about building lasting relationships and fostering customer satisfaction.
Deploy Microsoft Workloads for More Customers
This may sound like a numbers game, but it’s important to focus on quality deployments that genuinely address your customers’ needs. Deploying the right solution can drive adoption, and happy customers are more likely to stick around and become long-term advocates for your business.
Increase Active Usage
Encouraging customers to make the most of their Microsoft 365, Azure, and Business Applications workloads is vital. However, this doesn’t happen automatically. Take the time to train and support customers in fully utilizing these tools—especially for those who might be slower to adopt new technologies.
Leverage CPOR Associations
Accurate tracking and attribution can sometimes be a tedious task but getting it right can make a huge difference. Clear records show how well your solutions are being received and can provide a benchmark for future improvements.
Provide Excellent Customer Support
Excellent support is more than just solving problems; it’s about anticipating needs, offering proactive solutions, and consistently exceeding expectations. Our white label helpdesk service helps partners to overcome challenges with this requirement.
Monitor and Analyze Customer Feedback
The voice of your customer is invaluable. Take every opportunity to listen and act on their suggestions, concerns, and feedback.
Invest in Skilling and Training
It’s not just about certification. Truly invest in your team’s growth to ensure they are prepared to offer expert guidance. This creates both internal and external value.
Utilise TP&D Services
Take full advantage of these planning and deployment services to streamline processes and improve the speed of delivering quality solutions.
3. Stay on track.
The journey doesn’t end once you’ve met the initial requirements. Staying on top of your progress and continuously improving is a key aspect of maintaining the Solutions Partner designation.
It’s often the small details that make the difference between a successful year and falling short.
Commit this mantra to memory:
“Maintaining means Methodical Monitoring and Management of Progress Milestones.”
Utilise the Insights Workspace in Partner Center
Partner Center is your best friend when it comes to monitoring progress. Use it to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics that provide insights into your success and areas for improvement.
Monitor and Analyze Performance Metrics
Keeping track of your performance is essential—not just for meeting requirements but for ensuring the health of your business. Are there specific areas where you can improve? Where can you double down to accelerate progress?
Stay Updated with Microsoft Requirements
The rules are always changing. To stay ahead, make a habit of checking for updates regularly. It’s easy to fall behind if you don’t stay proactive about changes.
Leverage and Optimise CPOR Associations
CPOR (Customer, Partner, and Opportunity Relationships) is all about tracking usage growth and ensuring that your marketing and customer success activities align with the data. This can be one of the trickier areas, but optimizing your approach can drive significant results.
Engage with Microsoft Programs
Programs like FastTrack and co-sell opportunities are golden tickets. These programs not only provide valuable support but also foster a deeper partnership with Microsoft. Don’t just sign up—engage fully.
Invest in Skilling and Training
Regularly updating your certifications is a must. But beyond certifications, invest in ongoing training for your team to keep up with evolving technologies. This will pay off in improved customer satisfaction and increased revenue.
Schedule Regular Reviews
Staying on course requires regular check-ins. Schedule quarterly or even monthly reviews to evaluate where you stand and identify the actions you need to take to stay on track.
Use the Score Simulator in Partner Center
This is a powerful tool that allows you to simulate different strategies and predict how various actions will impact your progress. Use it to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Leverage Microsoft Partner Marketing as a Service (PMaaS)
Marketing can be a huge challenge, but with Microsoft’s resources, you can build and scale effective campaigns that reach the right audience.
Utilise TP&D Services
Again, take advantage of TP&D services for strategic support. The faster and more efficiently you can implement solutions, the quicker you’ll move toward designation
4. Fully leverage all benefits
Achieving a Microsoft Solutions Partner designation opens doors to an array of valuable benefits that can significantly enhance your business. However, simply having access to these benefits isn’t enough—you need a clear strategy to make the most of them.
Strategies for maximising SPD benefits
For seven smart strategies to squeeze optimal value from SPD attainment, read the next blog in this series.
Showcase your achievement
When you attain a Solutions Partner Designation, your business earns the ability to showcase the achievement by applying a Microsoft badge to your digital marketing, sales and communications materials.
Partners that attain all six solution area designations receive a Microsoft Cloud Badge which recognises capabilities across the full Microsoft Cloud.
After attaining a Solutions Partner designation, partners can further validate their deep expertise by achieving specialisations in areas like Modern Work, Security, Azure and Business Applications.
How Crayon can help
We’re on our partners’ side. Always.
Crayon is committed to supporting partners in achieving the Solution Partner Designation through specialised teams and resources.
Tap into TAG
The Crayon Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is a dedicated unit that provides expert advice and hands-on assistance to navigate certification requirements and leverage Microsoft’s technologies. TAG combines business advisory, pre-sales and technical specialists across Cloud, Modern Work, Security and Business Applications.
If you have a goal to attain a Solutions Partner designation, talk to your account representative and ask about how TAG can help.
Certs4Experts
The Certs4Experts program can covers the cost of exams, ensuring that your team can acquire the necessary skills to meet the Solution Partner Designation criteria without financial burden.
Ask your account representative for information, and eligibility criteria for applications into the program.
Achieving the Solution Partner Designation offers numerous advantages, including enhanced credibility, new business opportunities, differentiation from competitors, and stronger client relationships. Partners can enjoy a variety of product benefits along with comprehensive marketing and technical support.
With the recent changes to legacy benefits and the ever-competitive partner landscape, it’s crucial for partners to stay informed and stay ahead.
We encourage you to take the next step towards achieving the Solution Partner Designation to grow your business. Start the application process, reach out for more information and stay updated to make the most of the opportunities available to you.
FAQs
The partner capability score measures performance, skilling, and customer success. This holistic measurement provides you with flexibility to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and experience.
To attain a Solutions Partner designation, you need to earn a minimum of 70 points (with points in each category and subcategory) out of the possible 100 points that are available.
Admins can sign in to the Solutions Partner page in Partner Center to see how their organization is progressing toward the Solutions Partner designation.
Performance and Customer Success subcategories are typically refreshed by the 20th of every month. However, there might be extra minor data refreshes throughout the month. Skilling subcategories are typically refreshed within 10 days after certification is completed.
The current annual price or cost to attain a Solutions Partner designation is $4,730 USD or equivalent in local currency plus applicable taxes if any.
For partners who attain a Solutions Partner designation, the required annual fee is based on the benefits selected and is due at your existing anniversary date (as listed in membership page in Partner Center).
You can choose to attain one Solutions Partner designation, or more, if applicable to your business. Once you attain a Solutions Partner designation, subsequent Solutions Partner designations can be attained, after requirements are met, with no extra fee.
For more details about changes to Partner Benefits Packages, refer our Partner Advisory blog, our webinar available on demand and its associated slide deck.
For strategies that help partners to fully leverage all SPD benefits, read this blog
Explore more about how to redeem partner benefits in the Partner Benefits Workspace.
You can also review additional information from Microsoft
Introduction to the Solutions Partner Program – Partner Center | Microsoft Learn
Grow your business with updated partner benefits | Microsoft Blog
Solutions Partner FAQs – Partner Center | Microsoft Learn
