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Updates to AWS Partner-Led Support for Solution Provider Partners
By Aline Vazzoler, Solution Provider Business Development Manager at AWS
The AWS Solution Provider Program provides guidelines and data behind performance-based discounts to resellers offering Partner-Led Support.
Partner-Led Support allows AWS Partners to define the support offerings they sell to customers, rather than doing a straight resale of AWS Support.
AWS Partners purchase Partner-Led Support to underpin their own support offerings that often extend the capabilities of AWS Support in areas such as global scale. It can also help them meet unique customer needs based on language, geography, application, or vertical.
Partner-Led Support is offered as either Business Support or Enterprise Support. The main difference is that with Partner-Led Enterprise Support, AWS Partners have all the benefits of a Technical Account Manager (TAM) and associated entitlements normally provided with AWS Direct Enterprise Support.
With Partner-Led Business Support, AWS Partners receive the standard entitlements included with AWS Direct Business Support, which does not include a TAM. In both cases, it’s up to the partner to qualify what is included in their version of support they offer to end customers.
What’s New with Partner-Led Support?
The AWS Solution Provider Program is releasing a support offering that ties AWS Partners’ support discount to their performance on cost and quality goals.
We anticipate these changes will improve the end-customer experience, while rewarding AWS Partners who actively invest in providing exceptional support.
New Minimum Partner Tier
AWS Partners participating in Partner-Led Support must meet certain ongoing requirements to maintain status in the program, and be eligible to receive discounts on public pricing for AWS Support.
As outlined in the Solution Provider Program Agreement, AWS Partners that offer Partner-Led Support must be an Advanced or Premier Tier Consulting Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN).
To check your organization’s current tier status, refer to your Partner Scorecard on APN Partner Central.
Variable Discounts
AWS Partners will no longer receive a flat discount. Instead, they’ll start with a base discount and earn additional discount points based on quality and performance.
There are three measures—case quality, case ownership, and quality survey—that each represent five additional percentage points for a partner, meaning AWS Partners could achieve up to 40 percent in discounts. The three measures are averages from six months of activity.
Also note we’ll provide this data to AWS Partners via the Partner Scorecard.
- Case quality: Percent of cases created that fall under the category of “General Guidance.” This is considered a case like “How does X work?” and is measured from the resolution code for the support case.
- Case ownership: Percent of cases created by end customers. Customers should not directly create support cases with AWS.
- Quality survey: End customer quality surveys resemble our “How’s my driving” survey sent by AWS Support. For AWS Partners, we will generate a URL link specific to each partner, and they will be able to send that link to their own customers.
Customers receiving the quality survey from AWS Partners will click the link and come to an AWS-hosted page to process their input. The questions have a rating on a scale of 1-5 where the performance target for partners is to have a combined score of 4.5 (90 percent) or higher.
There will be a minimum response target from AWS Partners over a six-month period.
Discounts Release Schedule
The AWS Partner implementation phase started in August and ended in October. The discount set and next review period starts in January 2021.
Summary
For details around program qualifications, performance measures, discount structures, discount review periods, and required implementation steps, please check SPP Resources: Partner-Led Support page in Partner Central.
AWS Partners can also explore Partner-Led training resources—including Introduction to AWS Partner-Led Support, and Creating an IAM Role for AWS Partner-Led Support—to help you understand more about AWS Support.