10 Office 365 Sites Every MSP Should Bookmark

How much time have you spent scrolling through websites to find the latest and greatest information to resell Office 365? Probably more hours than you care to count. The internet is simply bursting with training videos and sales tips for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) like you who make their living selling Office 365. So, how do you know which sites are valuable for your business and which ones you should simply avoid?

We’ve put together a list of 144 bookmarks to help you cut through the clutter. Whether you’re new to the cloud or a veteran reseller, they’ll definitely ease your daily work. Here’s a sneak peek.

1. Microsoft’s Office Blogs

If you’re looking for the latest news about Office 365 and how resellers can stay in the loop, this blog series is a must. Microsoft rolls out new information almost every day about topics that are relevant to your cloud business. For example, you can check out the latest developments in the Office 365 News Roundup. Or, learn how your customers can use the new Bookings service to schedule appointments with you on your company’s Facebook page.

2. Microsoft Trust Center

This is simply the best resource to help you answer your clients’ tough questions about data security for Office 365. Who owns your clients’ data? They do; Microsoft is just the custodian. The site also includes information about Microsoft’s privacy controls, compliance requirements and data centers. This site will help you build strong arguments for customers who are reluctant to move to the cloud.

3. Office 365 Sales Guide

Put yourself in your client’s shoes. Why would he buy an Office 365 plan from you if he can just as easily buy it from someone else, or even Microsoft? This guide will teach you how to ask the right questions to identify potential clients for Office 365. You’ll find out how to position the right product benefits to overcome the client’s top pain points. And, you’ll learn how to use counter arguments to handle the most frequent objections clients have about buying Office 365.

4. Free Office 365 Demo

You don’t want to pass on this one. It’s a free tool to create your own populated Office 365 demo tenants. If you’ve ever tried to run an Office 365 demo with an empty tenant, you know what we mean. No documents, no conversation, no other users to share with your clients. It’s a pretty dull experience and it makes selling Office 365 pretty tough. (Note: You’ll need a Microsoft Partner Network ID to create this demo.)

5. Why Microsoft

Not all your clients will be Microsoft fans. You might have to find some solid proof to show them why Office 365 is a better productivity solution than Google Apps for Work, or even OpenOffice. This site contains case studies, white papers, videos and demos that present testimonials and solid arguments about why companies chose Office 365 over the competition. There are also independent reports from technology research giants like IDC that outline the benefits of moving to a subscription model like Office 365.  

6. The Most Comprehensive List Ever of Office 365 Plans and Features

Seriously. Have you ever tried to find an up-to-date list of every Office 365 plan and feature on the market? We did and after months of searching and even trying to build one ourselves, we finally found it! This is an amazing Excel pivot table that lists every single plan and feature available with Office 365. It’s an important reference that will help you see at a glance whether a specific feature is included in your customer’s Office 365 plan. 

7. Office 365 Partner eBook

This is the ultimate guide for MSPs who want to learn more about reselling Office 365 under Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. You’ll learn how to package your offers, market yourself properly and identify sales opportunities. Under the CSP program, you can add value to your product portfolio by creating product bundles that include your own managed services.

8. Microsoft Virtual Academy

This is a massive collection of free Microsoft training videos that are designed for Developers, IT Pros and Students. Take a look. There are hundreds of courses to choose from, and new courses are added every week. Here are some examples: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Introduction to Mobile App Development, plus streaming sessions from the latest Microsoft Ignite conference in Atlanta. This is a great way to stay up to date on the latest Microsoft technologies and join a vibrant online community.

9. Office 365 Roadmap

This is the place to find all the updates that are being planned for Office 365 subscribers.  The roadmap is broken down into four categories and includes the number of updates available in each: Launched (fully released updates that are available), Rolling out (updates that are beginning to roll out and not yet available), In development (updates that are currently in development and testing) and Cancelled (previously planned updates that are no longer being worked on). There is also a category called Previously released, which is a list of updates that are generally available for all customers.

10. Office 365 Updates YouTube Channel

Make sure you subscribe to this YouTube channel to get a monthly report on all the latest news and releases for Office 365. Each update features a short, 10-minute video. This is another excellent way to keep up with what’s happening with Office 365.

And, while you’re at it, bookmark this article. It combines everything we’ve just spoken about, all in one convenient place!

10 bookmarks not enough? Then take a look at the 144 awesome browser bookmarks that we’ve compiled for MSPs like you. These are some of the best resources you’ll ever come across for Office 365.  Download the bookmarks here.

Guest blogs such as this one are published monthly and are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsorship.