FAQ: Why HSO for Managed Services?
Commonly asked questions around: Cost, Pricing & Value
Q: What is the pricing model for your D365 managed services—fixed fee, tiered, or consumption-based?
A: Our standard model is a Monthly Subscription Service that covers incidents, service requests, enhancements, and Microsoft-initiated updates like OneVersion and Wave Releases in D365.
Q: How do you calculate support hours, incident costs, or overage charges?
A: During discovery, we review your current ticket volumes and types to create an assumed baseline. These assumptions are reviewed quarterly to ensure alignment between client value and subscription fee.
Q: What level of cost transparency can we expect (e.g., dashboards, monthly reporting)?
A: HSO provides standard reporting detailing contract service assumptions, SLAs, and outcomes delivered as part of the enhancement capacity.
Q: Do you help reduce our existing D365 licensing costs or optimize unused licenses?
A: Yes. We offer services for D365 license optimization and Azure subscription cost reduction, including role-based recommendations and remediation.
Q: Are there hidden costs for enhancements, integrations, or emergency support?
A: All fees are specified in the contract with detailed scope and assumptions. Fluid services (e.g., project implementations prior to scope definition) are managed via Change Orders once scope, timeline, and outcomes are defined.
Q: How do you demonstrate ROI for your managed services?
A: We measure ROI through declining tickets, improved backlog throughput, and shifting investment from reactive to proactive.
By combining cost reduction, performance improvement, security compliance, and accelerated delivery, HSO demonstrates ROI in business outcomes: lower costs, higher efficiency, and sustained resilience.
Commonly asked questions around: HSO as a Partner
Q: What experience do you have supporting organizations in our industry?
A: HSO serves clients across all industries with dedicated teams for Professional Services, Manufacturing, Financial Services, and Government/Non-Profit—combining technology expertise with deep business understanding.
Q: How is your support model different from other D365 managed service providers?
A: HSO uses a dedicated team support model trained in your specific deployment, including D365 components, ISVs, integrations, and business processes. We blend onshore and offshore resources for scale and time-zone alignment.
Q: Do you provide U.S.-based support, hybrid, or offshore teams?
A: All three. We flex to align with your requirements for maximum value.
Q: How do you ensure smooth transition from our current vendor or internal team?
A: HSO’s Partnership Enablement phase integrates business and service management processes, creates runbooks, and validates readiness before go-live.
Q: How do you manage major upgrades, migrations, or new feature rollouts?
A: We combine client support teams with factory teams that handle hundreds of upgrades annually. Core components are automated; customizations and integrations are managed with full business context.
Q: Do you have strong partnerships with Microsoft for licensing and support?
A: Absolutely.
- Microsoft-Only Focus: 100% dedicated to Microsoft technologies.
- Recognition: All six Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Solution Designations; multiple Global Partner of the Year awards; Inner Circle member.
- Scale: 2,500+ successful implementations worldwide and thousands of Microsoft-focused professionals.
Commonly asked questions around: Performance, Optimization & Operations
Q: How will you optimize our D365 environment for performance, stability, and cost?
A: HSO leverages Azure-native monitoring tools (Log Analytics, Application Insights) to ensure stability and measure business outcomes. We align costs to realized value.
Q: How do you use monitoring to prevent issues, not just fix them?
A: We establish baselines during enablement and configure alerts to detect issues before they impact operations. Monitoring solutions are tailored per client and shared across our network for continuous improvement.
Q: Do you provide proactive monitoring of integrations, batch jobs, workflows, and capacity?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you support customizations, integrations, and third-party apps?
A: Yes. Our managed services cover all Microsoft solutions except Microsoft 365, with expertise in Business Applications, Data & AI, and Cloud.
Q: What tools do you use for monitoring and automation?
A: Custom-built solutions leveraging Microsoft tools deployed in your environment, with alerts displayed on Power BI dashboards monitored in our 24x7 command center.
Commonly asked questions around: SLA Management & Support Quality
Q: What SLAs do you guarantee for response and resolution times?
A: HSO offers industry-aligned SLAs for response and resolution across severity levels. Beyond traditional IT metrics, we also define business outcome-based KPIs to ensure your investment translates into measurable value.
Q: How do you ensure SLA compliance and handle escalations?
A: Every partnership includes a Service Delivery Manager (SDM) responsible for strategic oversight and value realization, and a Client Care Lead for day-to-day operational continuity. Together, they manage proactive SLA monitoring, trend analysis, and escalation protocols to prevent issues before they impact your business.
Q: Do you provide 24/7 or after-hours support for critical issues?
A: Yes. We offer optional 24/7 support backed by a global delivery model combining local and offshore resources, ensuring coverage for critical incidents whenever they occur.
Q: What does your support model include—functional, technical, DevOps, release management?
A: Our operating model includes functional and technical expertise, DevOps alignment, and release management tailored to your processes. We integrate seamlessly with your governance framework to maintain compliance and continuity.
Q: How is communication managed?
A: All service requests start in our ticketing portal, with real-time collaboration via Teams federation, voice calls, and structured weekly and monthly service reviews to keep stakeholders informed and aligned.
Q: Do you provide monthly or quarterly service reviews with KPI dashboards?
A: Yes. Our standard offering includes quarterly reviews, with a preference for monthly reviews for high-touch partnerships. Reviews include KPI dashboards, SLA performance, and proactive recommendations for optimization.
Commonly asked questions around: AI, Automation, and Innovation
Q: Can you help automate workflows using Power Automate or AI agents?
A: Yes. We deliver, augment, or educate your team using Service Cells for Power Platform vision.
Q: Do you develop custom AI models for industry-specific needs?
A: Yes. We offer a library of industry-aligned AI agents.
Commonly asked questions around: Governance, Security & Compliance
Q: How do you ensure data security and comply with U.S. regulations?
A: HSO is ISO 27001 certified with annual recertification.
Q: Do you provide role-based access management and audit trails?
A: Yes. We operate within your environment under your controls.
Commonly asked questions around: Transition, Onboarding & Collaboration
Q: How long does onboarding take and what does your transition plan include?
A: Typically 6–10 weeks, including environment review, process alignment, knowledge transfer, and validation.
Q: Do you provide user training, change management, and adoption support?
A: Yes—how-to support is standard; advisory services available for change enablement.