4 top tips to tame the subscription management beast

We frequently get asked how to successfully oversee, control and manage all customer subscriptions. Dabbling with a small number of subscriptions is manageable, even when doing so manually. But when pressure is on to accommodate a high volume of tenants with quick changing user subscription life cycles, a digital transformation could be on the cards.

So how can you control this trend for Direct Microsoft CSPs?

1. Start the taming process

Large multi-tenant environments and multiple end-customers need access to a large number of Microsoft subscriptions and licenses. To deliver the results CSPs strive to give their customers, automation should be explored. Why? Because often, service desk teams do not have the physical capacity to manually manage vast customers subscription numbers.

Automation will allow skilled staff to focus on other non-license and subscription-related tasks. Software can work away in the background and back-office teams can deliver work more efficiently.

Make sure you do the following:

• Select Microsoft subscription management software carefully
• There are many solutions on the market with specific strengths
• What other services might need automating?
• Consider a tool that supports multiple areas of business
• Shop around, demo and trial. Find the solution that best fits you

2. Find a Subscription Management solution that offers self-service

Self-service is a common buzzword for CSPs because it can be a huge time saver. This automation feature gives a customer control and understanding around what their users need.

When implemented, customers can:

• See Microsoft subscription history
• See all purchases made
• See their current subscriptions
• Upgrade or downgrade their subscription plans

By having a customer self-service portal, CSPs can say goodbye to answering traditional support tickets. It also allows them to offer transparency around what subscriptions are relevant in their customer’s Microsoft ecosystem. Plus, customers are left with full control, but with rules initially implemented by their service provider.

3. Consider Storefront as an option

If you need a range of subscription processes automating, Storefront can be a powerful tool, providing ability to:

• Allow customers to easily buy subscriptions and custom services
• Enable CSPs to tailor products and services specific to their customers
• Manage SKUs according to their capacity and services
• Manage customer pricing, margins, and profitability

When customers have the right, easy-to-use tools to support themselves, they are motivated to understand what subscriptions are necessary for their business. Giving customers autonomy can enhance the CSP’s user experience, because customers are not kept waiting, and the CSP has breathing space to tame the subscription ticket queue pile up.

4. Control your profitability

One size doesn’t fit all. CSPs charge customers differently.

Some clients are larger than others, with higher tenant numbers or different license needs. Some are smaller with more bespoke needs. Resellers often have their own custom services and requirements too. Using self-service and Storefront can help CSPs to control their profitability in the following ways:

• Price according to the market—Selling base subscriptions at list-price tends to be the norm, yet CSPs can choose to discount, to up-sell in other areas.
• Manage margins appropriately—Consider the cost of business overheads and resources.
• Custom pricing—Every customer has their own unique requirements. A tailored approach to pricing will benefit everyone.
• Rewarding volume—User and tenant volumes and subscription types might influence a pricing strategy.
• Providing custom services and product bundles—make sure tools allow you to set custom pricing for unique services. Consider the benefit of product bundles to increase the overall monthly subscription value, in exchange for a combination of slightly discounted subscriptions.

So it’s a good idea to find an automation solution that supports custom price plans. CSPs can apply relevant figures to varying customer subscription lifecycles, and boom. One step closer to being on top of this CSP trend.

Subscriptions solved

According to MarketsandMarkets, the global subscription and billing management market is forecasted to grow from $4.0 billion to $7.8 billion (USD) by 2025. This is a piece of the pie CSPs should part of.

As subscriptions are changeable, intelligent software can quickly distinguish varied CSP offerings and customer selections. Because automation can easy sync information and present it as useable data, customer subscription lifestyles can transparently be controlled and managed by all involved. A CSP’s life is made that little bit easier.

Laura Moise is Sr. Product Marketing Manager at N‑able