In this article: FastTrack Service Description | When and how to optimize the customer and SME work experience | SME Request Best Practices | Issues to avoid | Before submitting a SME request | Information to include in the SME request | When to request Migration SME
Important! SMEs are only available to partners who opt-in to the FastTrack Ready Partner Program.
FastTrack Service Description
- Review the FastTrack Assistance guidance at, Process and Expectations - Engaging FastTrack – Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Docs
- The Service Description defines the process and expectations for SMEs. If the partner need for assistance is not included in the documentation, the issue is most likely out of scope.
- Partners can validate this their FPM.
- Technical resource (SME-FE) with FRP-only engagement: FastTrack Knowledge Base (powerappsportals.com)
When and how to optimize the customer and SME work experience
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are experts on specific M365 products and provide best practices and deep technical guidance to customers. This is done through remote assistance to help translate the customer’s business goals into technology solutions and overcome deployment complexities.
SMEs also provide valuable insights and feedback to Microsoft engineering teams for product development and improvement.
The SMEs responsibilities are to:
- Identify the actions needed for a smooth and efficient cloud onboarding.
- Lead with a Zero Trust security approach based on Microsoft best practices.
- Partner with the customers' IT staff to define a recommended remediation plan.
- Enable complex M365 services and deliver governance best practices.
- Identify and recommend Microsoft value-added services to remediate technical blockers.
- Orchestrate specific enablement activities during the onboarding phases, in addition to what the Partner FastTrack Engineer (FE) has already delivered, leveraging all available resources as needed, including MWAs, FEs, support, and others as required.
- Anticipate customer needs, and proactively meet and exceed customer expectations.
- Conduct deployment tasks and/or workshops.
- Provide deploy guidance and remove technical blockers.
Important! SMEs must notify the FRP and customer when the SME guidance is completed and the SME is disengaging.
SME Request Best Practices
Partners must work with the customer and the Subject Matter Expert (SME) to optimize the time and outcome. SMEs are available to customers in specific scenarios. The following best practices will help ensure that the SME is prepared to effectively work with the customer, and that the customer's blockers are resolved.
- Prior to the customer engagement, the FRP needs to schedule an alignment call with the assigned SME or FE.
- FRP will schedule and lead all customer calls. Assigned SME or FE should not attend customer call without the FRP.
Issues to avoid
Before submitting a Subject Matter Expert (SME) request, review the following scenarios to avoid:
- Raising SME requests without validating the customer’s deployment needs.
- Raising SME requests for intent or Business Value discussions.
- Using generic descriptions in the request, such as, "customer needs to deploy Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management and Records" or copy/paste from a customer's email(s).
- Not attending the SME and customer meetings without prior informing the SME.
- Raising SME requests for support issues or any kind of error message.
- Requesting SMEs for customer training purposes.
- Requesting SMEs to substitute a lack of resources on the Partner team.
- Requesting SMEs to validate architecture or deployment plans.
- Requesting SME when customer is looking for an official statement from Microsoft for issues by design or product roadmap.
- Requesting SME when the customer is not happy with a product functionality or with the product performance.
Before submitting a SME request
- Confirm the customer license(s) and eligibility.
- If the customer is not aware of what’s included with the purchase of their licenses, deliver the overview to the customer, and/or provide overview for a workload.
- Confirm with the customer what they want to implement or the blocker they are looking to remediate.
- If a SME is needed for multiple workloads, a request is needed for each workload (i.e., Teams, Windows, AADP).
Information to include in the SME request
- Is the customer aware of the product/feature business value?
- What deployment scenarios is the customer looking to implement?
- What does the customer want to enable first?
- Is the customer ready to fully deploy a workload or are they asking for additional guidance to get them started with a Pilot/Proof of Concept (POC)/trial?
- What is the customer’s targeted timeline to fully deploy?
- Are there any technical roadblocks preventing the customer from deploying immediately?
- Is the customer using any competitive technologies?
- If the customer already has relatively high active usage (AU) for a workload, what features are they already using and what they are looking to enable next?
- What type of assistance is needed from the SME?
When to request Migration SME
The Migration SME program is available to assist those customers who have struggled to onboard the FastTrack Migration Benefit or have a unique situation requiring a migration subject matter expert (SME) to assist.
Review: FRP Operations Guidance: FastTrack Migration SME Program information.