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Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization

Program Overview and Requirements

Program Overview

Partners who demonstrate deep knowledge, extensive experience, and proven success in deploying and managing Microsoft 365 Phone System may seek the Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization. Based on a recent Forrester TEI Study, calling in Microsoft Teams improves employee and company performance and provides enhanced security, compliance, uptime, and mobility¹. Today, businesses need a modern voice solution that combines unified communication and teamwork.

Creating a calling practice for Microsoft Teams provides partners with a unique opportunity to drive customer business value and develop new revenue streams for partners.

The Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization allows partners with an active Solutions Partner for Modern Work designation to further differentiate their organizations, demonstrate their capabilities, and build stronger connections with customers.

Partners who meet the comprehensive requirements to earn an specialization receive a customer-facing label that they can display on their business profile in the Microsoft solution provider finder, are prioritized in customer searches to drive new business, and can generate a certified letter from Microsoft that verifies the specialization that they have earned.

Learn more about Calling for Microsoft Teams partner opportunity.

Learn more about specializations.

Forrester TEI Study: https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE4n7pe

Updates to Cloud Productivity competency and applicable specializations

Monthly active usage (MAU) has replaced active entitlements (AE) as the way we measure performance requirements. While AE is measured at the SKU level, MAU measures at the customer tenant level. With MAU, we can more accurately measure your progress towards attaining a Cloud Productivity competency and applicable specializations. Review the FAQ for more information on this change.

How do I apply?

Only administrators of an organization’s Microsoft partner account can submit an application for the Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization on behalf of the organization. If you have the appropriate role and access, you can apply by signing into your Partner Center account and navigating to your Partner Center dashboard > Membership > Specializations.

What are the requirements?

Eligible partners must meet the highest standards for service delivery and support. All requirements will be verified by Microsoft and/or a third-party vendor, either automatically or by manual review, and are subject to change.

Details

Your organization must have an active Solutions Partner for Modern Work designation.

Details

Your organization must achieve a minimum growth of 1,000 enabled users of Microsoft Teams Phone 1P3P in a trailing twelve-month period.

Enabled Users: Users with a Teams Phone license and a telephone number assigned to them (using either a 1st Party Calling Plan or 3rd Party Calling Plan) so that they are able to make and receive PSTN calls. Partners should use the TeamsPhoneCallings1P3P workload to claim and track their contribution towards these Phone Enabled Users.

OR

Your organization must achieve a minimum growth of 1,000 MAU of Microsoft Teams Phone in a trailing twelve-month period.

Your company should achieve users through Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR).

Details

Have four individuals who have passed both the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate certification and the Teams Calling Technical Assessment.

Details

Provide three customer references that demonstrate the partner’s ability to deploy and manage Microsoft 365 Phone System, Calling Plan, Direct Routing configuration, Network Planning, and Remediation for Voice workloads. Review our guidelines for customer references before submitting.

Details

Your specialization and associated benefits will remain in place for one year but require that you keep your Solutions Partner designation status in place. If you do not maintain your designation, you will lose your specialization status. On your renewal date, you will need to meet the current program requirements, which may evolve over time.