Microsoft's New Commerce Experience (NCE)

Learn how to work with Microsoft NCE.

What is the New Commerce Experience (NCE)?

A seat-based subscription that replaces the previous Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and how it sells cloud products and services for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 365, and Power Platform. Microsoft increased global prices by an average of +15% on M365 products that went into effect March 2022. While this update improves the overall Microsoft 365 experience, it introduces substantial changes in pricing, contract terms, and license provisioning to the CSP Program.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic (from $5 to $6 per user)
Microsoft 365 Business Premium (from $20 to $22)
Microsoft 365 E3 ($32 to $36)
Office 365 E1 (from $8 to $10)
Office 365 E3 ($20 to $23)
Office 365 E5 ($35 to $38)

Previous Cloud to NCE Model

		NCE Monthly	NCE Annual
Price	Up to 20% off M365, No Premiums	Retail or Premium	Minimal Savings (5%)
Flexibility	Flexibility to +/- licenses	Flexibility to +/- licenses	No Flexibility to +/- licenses
Term	Monthly or Annual with No Premium	Monthly with Premium	Annual Term

NCE M365 Term Options

Trusted Tech Team customers can take advantage of our Microsoft Gold Partner benefits, like up to 20% off Microsoft 365, no premiums on monthly terms, license flexibility, and more.

Without Trusted Tech Team:

Other Partners monthly term options: billed at a 20% higher premium than annual term
Annual term options: billed upfront or monthly (cannot go back to monthly subscription unless through cancellation or repurchase during cancellation window or at the time of renewal)

Contact our licensing experts to learn more.

Microsoft Billing & Cancellation Policy

Users have seven days to cancel and receive a prorated refund or credit after the start or renewal of their subscription date. This policy also applies to users looking to decrease their seat count. As a reminder, Microsoft will not notify users when a subscription is near the end or reaches the expiration date. Auto-renewals will go into effect if no action is taken.

Upgrades

Users can go from one paid subscription to another paid subscription on NCE; however, you cannot downgrade from a higher-paid SKU to a lower-paid SKU. Upgrades can be processed at any time with the option to either fully upgrade all seats within a subscription or partially upgrade a selected number of seats. All upgrades are permanent actions on the subscription and cannot be removed during the subscription term. To view eligible upgrades contact Trusted Tech Team.

Microsoft NCE Updates & Deadlines

Incentives will only be available through NCE transactions, excluding Non-profit, Education, and Government products which will remain on legacy. To continue earning incentives, you must transact through the new commerce CSP and enroll in the Microsoft New Commerce Incentives (MCI) program, meeting eligibility criteria.

Any existing Microsoft 365 Business Voice customers wishing to renew their subscriptions will need to transition to Teams Phone with Calling Plan. The recommended license for Business Voice without Calling Plan is Teams Phone Standard.

Microsoft would no longer enforce legacy renewals to NCE because of concerns about customer experience for those who did not transition and were left without service. New orders are not eligible for legacy subscriptions. Trusted Tech Team strongly recommends that users prioritize the transition from legacy to NCE, as all legacy incentives are scheduled to end on December 31, 2022.

The following products will be affected by Microsoft's mandatory global price increase for all public sector customers: Office 365 E1 ($10 from $8), Office 365 E3 ($23 from $20), Office 365 E5 ($38 from $35), Microsoft 365 E3 ($36 from $32), Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6 from $5), and Microsoft 365 Business Premium ($22 from $20).

Promotional discounts offered to incentivize partners to migrate from CSP legacy to NCE. Many promotions have a seat-based maximum of 2,400 per subscription. For more details, contact Trusted Tech Team.

5% off annual subscriptions available from January to March 31, 2022
Monthly subscriptions available at annual pricing from January to June 2022

NCE Frequently Asked Questions

When do I need to move to NCE?

The ability to auto-renew existing subscriptions, originally scheduled to end in July 2022, has been extended indefinitely. You should discuss with your CSP partner how they plan to transition your subscriptions to NCE and how it will change your existing agreement and prices. Trusted Tech Team is also available on-call to answer any questions and concerns you may have.

How do I manage my licenses?

Through Trusted Tech Team, you will receive access to our self-service portal available 24/7 - allowing you to provision licenses with feasibility and transparency. For further assistance, contact one of our support engineers , who will happily offer guidance.

What support options are available?

Trusted Tech Team Tier-3 US-based premier support for partners is offered at no additional cost to help you manage your licenses and give you the support needed to minimize risks of downtime and ensure your organization's operational abilities are met. To learn more about premier support for partners, check out our blog or contact one of our engineers.

Will I experience downtime?

Trusted Tech Team hires the best Microsoft licensing engineers with acquired certifications and experience in the field. Transitioning to Trusted Tech Team requires zero downtime. Contact our team today to learn more.

Are there discounts for switching to Trusted Tech Team?

With Trusted Tech Team, you can save up to 20% on M365 thanks to our Gold Partner status with Microsoft. Contact one of our Microsoft licensing engineers to learn more and receive an eligibility quote.

Do I have to wait to add/remove licenses?

New licenses (monthly, yearly, or triannual) can be added to your account anytime. However, when removing licenses, you will need to wait until your term approaches. A Trusted Tech Team representative is available to assist you with your license provisioning via call, email, or chat.

Can I have more than one term option?

Yes! You can have both monthly and annual term subscriptions for the same seat-based offer at the same time with the appropriate number of seats in each term to accommodate permanent and seasonal employees. Contact our team to learn more.

How do I get the best bang for my buck?

Trusted Tech Team will continuously meet to ensure best practices are met, over-licensing is mitigated, and the most cost-effective strategies are in place. Known for our competitive pricing, premier support for partners, and Microsoft expertise, we are confident that we can beat your current price. Contact us to see if you're eligible for TTT Tier 3 pricing and premier support for partners.

Do I have to pay for the 20% monthly term premium?

Other partners require NCE monthly users to pay a 20% higher premium than annual users. However, if you're with Trusted Tech Team, we require no premiums on our monthly terms, and you receive the same products and services. To learn more, contact us.

How do I keep up with NCE changes?

For monthly updates and announcements, visit Microsoft's Partner Center announcements. Trusted Tech Team is also a go-to resource for Microsoft news and updates. Feel free to contact one of our Licensing experts or subscribe to our newsletter.

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Trusted Tech Team — So What's the Catch?

TL;DR: There is no catch!

Trusted Tech Team has been in the CSP space for over six years with over 7,000 tenants under our belt. We offer TTT Tier 3 pricing on Microsoft 365 and Azure, flexible terms with no premiums, complimentary US-based premier support for partners, and many more value-adds we can provide as a Microsoft Gold Partner. In addition, we hire expert Microsoft licensing engineers who help give the knowledge and support in-house, which provides us with more flexibility to give more to our customers. To receive a personalized solution with Trusted Tech Team, contact us and receive a consolidated quote for your Microsoft savings!

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Learn more about the most up-to-date strategies that businesses like yours can use to simplify Microsoft licensing and learn to work with NCE.

Robert Wallace, IT Manager (Capitol Group Inc.)

TTT has been awesome for our company, we have lowered our monthly MS bills and even added some extra features without breaking the bank. The Account reps are always eager to answer any questions that you may have. I know with TTT on my team I am setup for success and cost savings.

Thomas Thompson, IT Manager (RMX)

I was skeptical about what I was promised. However, with extremely competitive pricing with no hidden fees and a customer service that is unparalleled, Trusted Tech Team has far exceeded my expectations. I now get one invoice for ALL my 365 products instead of the several monthly invoices I used to get from MS. Highly recommended!!

Carl Kearney, System Administrator (ECA)

Superb pricing, flexibility, and customer support. This is the easiest IT related account to manage I have on my contacts list. Have helped me several times when I call in with random questions. I recommended TTT to a friend of mine who was formerly at an MSP to move over as well.

Warren Held, IT Systems Administrator (New Berlin Plastics)

TTT was able to get us great pricing on M365 licenses and they're a pleasure to work with!

Mike Taylor, Vice President — Information Systems (Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc.)

Trusted Tech Team has very competitive pricing and they were very easy to work with while converting our licenses. The pro-rated billing and self-service portal are excellent features.

John Beck, CEO (Alltech Office Solutions)

Your team is so freaking awesome. Thank you for doing what you do and building a business around SUPERB customer support and integrity.

Vivek Ravichandran, IT Manager (Avante Logixx Inc.)

It's moments like these when I wish I had the pen game of Mark Twain. To start off, Abraham Berg (Cloud Solutions Account Manager) has been absolutely amazing in helping me understand the process of acquiring licenses, setting up a business relationship with Trusted Tech Team (TTT) and pointing me to the right resources for several issues that I've had to deal with recently. Secondly, the pricing for M365 licenses at Trusted Tech Team cannot be beat. I have not found anyone else with better rates. Their response time for queries is equally amazing and they truly care about helping the client. I sincerely hope that every business, regardless of scale, finds TTT and gives them an opportunity. Here's a quick shoutout to two other rock stars I've deal with at TTT - Susanna Jeong and Jason Lu.

Daryl Craft, Network & Systems Administrator (First West Properties Corporation)

Trust that is the biggest thing of all along with their skillful knowledge. Their pricing cannot be beat therefore that's not even an option. When I email an issue, the guys are always spot on with assistance. Therefore, they've earned my trust and respect.

Greg Downey, IT Director (StepONE Automotive)

Thank you again for your service and support. TTT is certainly one of the few vendors in today's market that are reliable and meet our objections and needs.