Microsoft Teams presents a huge market opportunity for partners—but if you’re just selling the licenses, you’re missing out on potential revenue. Conversely, if you’re selling Teams-enabled hardware, but not selling the licenses along with it, you’re probably leaving money on the table.

By combining licenses and hardware and the software and services that go along with them, you can provide your customers with a full solution, increasing customer satisfaction—and your revenue.

Joseph Foster, Business Development Manager for ScanSource, focusing on Microsoft’s Modern Workplace products (including Microsoft Teams), and Hunter Edmiston, Solutions Architect at ScanSource answer some of the top questions for building a solution around Microsoft Teams.

Why should partners consider selling Microsoft Teams with devices and tools included?

Joseph: The way we work is changing. Businesses need to be able to communicate in new and different ways, now more than ever. Selling Microsoft Teams gives customers a lot of flexibility to work in different ways from different devices with a world-class, trusted provider. If partners can continue to grow and train their customers on how to use the products, and add in devices and services around it, they’re continuing to add value for their customers.

End customers need these products—so, why not from them? By not selling both the licenses and hardware, partners are leaving the door open for someone else to come in and sell it to their customers. If they can upsell, and add in devices, once again, they’re adding value.

If a partner has never sold Teams or devices before, where should they start?

Joseph: Some partners get nervous about selling something new to customers they already have, thinking they may potentially damage the relationship—which is completely understandable. We recommend they test the products themselves to get more comfortable with them. Fortunately, Microsoft products are so widespread that most people are already familiar with them. Partners can be confident that they are selling a trusted product versus something unknown.

Hunter: First, we recommend that partners find out how their customers want to use Teams, including defining the space and how their employees want to interact with Teams. Then, build the solution around these end-user requests, being sure to add in other products they would recommend to finish out the solution.

If a partner needs help building a solution for their customer, what should they do?

Joseph: Reach out to ScanSource. We have a full team that can help, including a robust technical services team to help partners build solutions and provide support after the sale.

Hunter: Solution building is our focus. We have a strong pre-sale team that manages product inquiries and provides support on how products fit together. We have a design and engineering group that can handle complex solutions from the beginning to the end of design, and a post-sale technical services group to help partners after the sale.

Once a partner feels comfortable with licenses and hardware, what’s next?

Joseph: There are a lot of different things partners can do, depending on their customers’ needs. Adding on professional services and managed services (including product training) can help partners increase margins and stay sticky with their customers. The Partner Insights tool within our Cascade portal gives partners a lot of information around how their customers are using their licenses so they can tailor their services around that.

Hunter: If partners have licensing and hardware down, they should consider looking into an MSP model, providing services to round out the offering with their customer. By being the source for hardware, licensing, and services partners can help do proactive audits to make sure the experience is top notch for the customer. Making sure partners have the latest hardware on refresh for the best UC experience is crucial, and often customers plan to make an investment on a refresh, but aren’t sure where to start.

Want to learn more about how to build a full solution around Microsoft Teams? Visit scansource.com/teamsplus to get our exclusive playbook and buyers guide with advice, a step-by-step framework, featured products and more.