How to use MPN Support Incident benefits to open Azure support tickets

  • Article

Todd Sweetser

Hi Cloud Partners! For many partners getting started on the Azure platform, getting access to technical support can be very important. Azure has many facets and capabilities, with that the need to work with a qualified technician that understands the platform, (and more important, a specific area such as Virtual Machines or Azure AD,) can be key. The challenge is that while there is free access to billing support in Azure (1-800-867-1389,) access to engage with a technical support engineer can have a cost (unless using Social or Online Forums as discussed here. See Microsoft Advanced Support for Partners or  Azure Support For Customers for paid options.) For many partners purchasing the Advanced Support for Partners can be very beneficial as it is a terrific program that covers all Microsoft Cloud offerings, but what about when you are just starting to get your feet wet with Azure?  

Accessing Azure technical support is now possible using your Product Support Incidents that are included with your competency or Microsoft Action Pack subscription. Note these used to be only for on-premises solutions, but can now be used with Azure as well! If you are a Gold competency partner you have access to 20 product support incidents, Silver has 15, and Action Pack subscription gains you 10. See full details of the technical benefits here: Microsoft Partner Network technical benefits summary.

There is a very important step that is required to be able to open an Azure support ticket using a Product Support Incident benefit, and that is to obtain your Access ID and Contract ID from the Microsoft Partner Network team. These two items can be obtained by calling into the MPN Support team at 1.800.MPN.SOLVe (1.800.676.7658); when calling in ask for Technical Support via the new voice prompt. When connected let the tech know you are looking to use your Product Support Incidents benefit for Azure but need your Access ID and Contract ID. Note that this information is not available on your MPN Dashboard portal at this time, so only way to obtain them is via the phone. 

 

There is a great web page that covers the process of opening an Azure Support incident using your now obtained Access ID and Contract ID. The main site is Using an Access ID and a Contract ID to create on-premises professional support incidents, and the specific section is Azure Support using Access and Contract IDs copied here:

Azure Support using Access and Contract IDs

  1. Create your Azure support incident via https://portal.azure.com.
  2. Make sure you use the appropriate sign-in for your customer’s subscription.
  3. Add your support benefits from the home screen. Click Help and support. Click the Link Existing benefits tile to enter your Access ID and Contract ID and then click Link.
  4. Click the New support request tile.
  5. Select Issue type, Subscription, and Service. Support plan will display any support benefit you previously added via Link Existing benefits.
    Note: Unfortunately, the support plan name is not displayed for partner support contracts. The support contract may be identified by the year, text (for example, SCS or Partner Advanced), the partner ID, and access ID. In the example below we have 15 SCS – 4648141 – unk (0037xxxxx). The contract was created in 2015, SCS is Signature, 4648141 is the partner ID and 0037xxxxx the access ID.
  6. Click Manage support requests to see new or existing requests.

For more detailed step-by-step guidance, see Cloud Support for Microsoft partners.

Thanks, and good selling!