A recent call with one of our clients about Dynamics 365 recently saved them over £7,500 in unnecessary licence costs, demonstrating the benefit of regular conversations.
Licensing wasn’t the main topic for our discussion, but we noticed their renewal date was approaching and spotted unused Enterprise licences. As these licences were no longer needed, cancelling them was straightforward. But here’s the thing: the client wasn’t aware these were due to auto-renew. Without that conversation, they’d have paid for licences they didn’t need for at least another year.
It’s a classic example of the value that emerges when client and supplier speak. When people talk, they listen. We notice things, and we ask questions, but this story isn’t just about reducing licensing costs.
What These Conversations Reveal
When I sit down with new clients, I’ll often discover they’ve been working around limitations with their Dynamics system that they didn’t realise could be addressed.
With other competing priorities and pressures, some gaps or issues become tolerated because they’ve never been properly challenged. That’s easily the case with technology, which isn’t configured effectively to meet user preferences or workflow requirements.
For instance, you might be manually handling a repetitive process that seems too complex to be automated. In another situation, you might be paying for excess Dataverse storage your organisation doesn’t need – especially since Microsoft recently doubled some default tenant capacities.
Also, to get the job done, teams build workarounds into their daily routine so thoroughly that they no longer see them as problems.
Regular conversations change these situations when they involve an external partner who brings fresh perspectives. I find that these create space for everyone to understand what’s working and what isn’t, and to share ideas that identify solutions to these challenges – ultimately, that’s what we’re here for.
How Partner Conversations Benefit Clients
Clients call these sessions different things – reviews, catch-ups, pulse calls are just some – but during these conversations, we discuss what’s on your priority list. We review any outstanding support cases and identify blockers. We’ll talk about development projects in progress and what comes next. We explore solutions for new requirements as they emerge. We act as a sounding board, challenging ideas and offering perspective from work we’ve done elsewhere.
Another client recently wanted to discuss their plans for a new automation, and we were able to share how we’d solved something similar for another organisation. That conversation highlighted several considerations and potential pitfalls which they weren’t aware of, potentially saving months of trial and error.
Our clients tell us these conversations demonstrate that we’ve got their back and give them confidence that their system is evolving. For someone managing Dynamics alongside other responsibilities, these conversations are a chance to step back and think strategically about what’s possible.
This is why we value speaking over email. Natural conversation is where genuine partnership happens.
Conversations That Matter
These calls happen at different frequencies depending on what makes sense for each organisation. Some clients prefer fortnightly check-ins, while others work better with monthly or quarterly reviews. The frequency matters less than the commitment to making them happen regularly. We find that priorities and backlogs naturally ebb and flow through the year, so the cadence adjusts.
As a partner, what we bring to these conversations varies too. Sometimes it’s just a one-to-one call between me and our primary contact. Other times, we’ll bring in our operations director or senior consultants, depending on what needs to be discussed.
These conversations aren’t necessarily about us doing the work for you. Sometimes it means equipping you with the knowledge and insights you need to handle a project in-house with greater clarity and direction.
One client told us that moving from their reactive partner to regular calls with our team meant they could finally stop fighting fires and start building improvements.
Crucially, we do not charge for these calls. They’re vital for us to check in with each client and remain close to their challenges and priorities, making it a fundamental part of our relationship management approach.
The topics we cover are wide-ranging. Beyond licensing, storage optimisation is another popular area. Dataverse costs can climb if data isn’t managed correctly, so we’ll often discuss data retention strategies and archiving approaches without compromising what users need to access. As organisations move beyond AI experimentation, these conversations can help identify where AI-driven solutions, such as agents, can genuinely improve workflow efficiency.
Whatever the topic, the goal is to make sure organisations gain value from Dynamics 365 and the Microsoft Platform they’re paying for.
Staying Close to Client Needs
These conversations serve us, too. They’re how we stay plugged into what’s changing in a business and what their current priorities are. It’s also how we understand an evolving environment well enough to give relevant advice rather than generic suggestions.
When you work with a larger provider, you might speak to different people each time who aren’t aware of your system configuration, the intricacies of your processes or even your terminology. You get standardised advice that doesn’t quite fit and see limited value as a result.
At ServerSys, we offer the continuity of speaking with experienced people who understand your Dynamics 365 setup, your integrations, your workflows, and your acronyms, to avoid endless back-and-forth.
This is what partnership looks like. Not a reactive relationship when conversations only occur if something breaks. Nor a transactional relationship where your main interaction is receiving the latest invoice.
When you’re accountable for demonstrating ROI and managing a backlog of improvements, having a partner who understands your environment means you can move faster.
What Happens Next
If your current partner relationship only engages when something breaks, you’re missing the conversations that move your system forward. If you’d like to explore what regular engagement could look like and what it could mean for your team’s ability to deliver, we’d welcome a conversation.
