As CRM 2013 release nears, Microsoft Dynamics partners talk CRM Online readiness

An update scheduling alert in Dynamics CRM Online

If you are a Microsoft partner with hundreds of Dynamics CRM Online customers facing an imminent upgrade to CRM 2013, a.k.a. the CRM Online Fall 2013 update, how to do you prepare them?

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 may deliver big improvements in a range of areas, but the scope of the changes is significant. In the short term, preparing for those changes is especially critical for CRM Online customers who will have only a limited timeframe within which to schedule their upgrades. Current CRM Online customers (not those in the TAP program) will begin getting scheduled upgrades as early as October.

READ MORE: Partners talk Dynamics CRM Online pricing with Fall 2013 update

David Kohar, chief operating officer at Zero2Ten, said his firm's approximately 500 CRM Online customers that are going through the upgrade process in the next 120 days.

"So we are in the middle of doing some online webinars for customers, going through some of the new capabilities and what to expect in the upgrade," he said. "We've also put together an upgrade assurance program - there are really two levels of support that we're giving our customers so they can leverage us in helping them through the upgrade process. And we'll be doing the usual things around blog ...