Why Are You Still Firefighting Microsoft 365 Issues?

A Microsoft 365 renewal can look like a straightforward purchasing exercise until you ask the IT team what’s taking up their time.

The answer might be repeated access requests, the same support issue returning or changes that keep getting postponed. None of those problems is necessarily solved by negotiating a better licence price. They still affect what the organisation gets from its investment.

If that sounds familiar, it's worth examining a few recurring issues before deciding that the answer is more licences, more support hours or a different service. You need to understand where the work is coming from.

Follow a Recurring Issue Beyond the Ticket

Take one problem that keeps returning and trace what happens. How is it reported? Who investigates it? What restores service? And does anyone follow up on why it happened?

For example, repeated access requests could point to an unclear process for joining a team or changing role. A support team might resolve each request promptly while the underlying process remains untouched. That would be a useful finding: it suggests where to focus the improvement rather than simply asking for faster ticket handling.

The cause will vary. What's worth establishing is whether someone has the time and responsibility to investigate it once the immediate interruption is over.

Make the Responsibilities Specific

“IT looks after Microsoft 365” leaves a lot unanswered, particularly when several internal teams or suppliers are involved.

For the issue you're examining, establish who monitors it, who can approve a change, who carries out the work and who confirms that it has helped. Check how an escalation moves between teams and who keeps the user informed.

You don't need to redesign the entire support model to make progress. Start with an area where work is being passed around or left waiting. A clear agreement there is more useful than another broad statement about shared responsibility.

Give Preventative Work Time in the Diary

When the team is busy, the fix that gets someone working again understandably takes priority. The follow-up can wait, and then it waits again.

Choose a recurring problem, agree the next action and allocate time to investigate it. After the change, check whether repeat incidents have reduced and whether the users affected are seeing an improvement. If the issue persists, you’ve got evidence for the next step rather than another closed ticket.

The same principle applies to configuration reviews and other planned maintenance: be clear about the work that needs doing and the capacity available to do it. A list of good intentions won't create that capacity.

Find Out Why a Paid-for Feature Isn't Being Used

An underused feature deserves a different conversation from a recurring incident. Ask the intended users what they were trying to achieve and what got in the way.

They might need help fitting it into their work. There may be a permissions or configuration issue. Or the original assumption about its usefulness may have been wrong. Each calls for a different response; another general training session won't resolve all of them.

Where the feature is useful, agree a focused change and check the result with the team. Where it isn't, take that evidence into the next licensing decision. Usage reports can help you identify where to ask questions, but they won't provide all the answers.

Be Precise About What You Need from a Managed Service

If your team lacks the capacity or specialist support to carry out this work, a managed service may help. Start with the gaps you've identified so that the proposal addresses something tangible.

Ask what the service will take responsibility for, how recurring problems are handled and what happens to recommendations from service reviews. Establish which changes are included, which require separate work and what your team will still need to do. Those answers matter when comparing the fee with the support you have today.

TIEVA's Managed Microsoft 365 service includes platform monitoring, specialist support, governance and regular reviews. A conversation about the service should establish how that scope fits your environment and the help your people need.

For existing TIEVA licensing clients, your account manager will already be reviewing licence suitability as part of renewal. Bring a few examples of the operational issues taking up your time as well. That gives you a practical starting point for discussing ongoing support, alongside the licence quote.

You can find the wider licensing guidance in our Microsoft 365 renewal hub.